“The Chris Craft was located by Shotlinediving in 2023 just inside the shipping channel next to Buoy 181 near Ironsides Island and just downstream of the entrance to Goose Bay. Sitting in 92′ of water on the upstream side of the slope that leads into deeper water. There are multiple fish present at the site with some rocks downstream and parts of what appears to be another wreck buried in the silt. The Chris Craft appears to have sank while being towed which is suggested by the tow line connected to the front of the wreck just in front of the access hatch. The distinguishable metal access hatch with cross bars and various chrome plated accessories throughout the wreck suggest it was possibly headed to a marina or repair shop up river to be fixed however nature took its course before it could get there. The vessel is mostly intact and the engine is clearly visible near the stern of the wreck. A nice drift dive from the upstream rock out cropping down into the depths is sure to reveal some treasures lost to the depths for any enthusiastic diver.“
Exploring with Daniel Gildea
Read the Scuba News Canada Article on Chris Craft Boats
In 1874, 13-year-old Christopher Columbus Smith built his first boat in the little Michigan village of Algonac. His boats, which were called punts or skiffs, soon gained him a reputation as a skilled boat builder. With the growing demand, Chris quickly teamed up with his brother Hank to produce full-time, setting the foundation for their future as “standardized” runabout manufacturers.
When the Smith Ryan Boat Company was established in 1910, its main goal was to provide affordable, quick runabouts for the general public. In 1927, Jay Smith, the son of Chris Smith, was appointed President and General Manager following the company’s rebranding as the Chris Smith & Sons Boat Company. Over the course of his 31-year tenure, Chris-Craft rose to prominence as the largest mahogany powerboat manufacturer in the world.
A chapter of our history ended in 1971 when we constructed our final mahogany boat, a 57-foot Constellation.™ In the 1980s and early 1990s, Chris-Craft went back to what we loved doing before the war: building sport boats. In addition to creating fast racing catamarans, we also started creating performance boats for our regular clients.
Ironsides Island
Part of the Thousand Islands area near Alexandria Bay, New York, Ironsides Island is a rocky, deserted island in the Saint Lawrence River. Kring Point State Park is close to the island.
The 30-acre (12 ha) island’s shoreline features 30-to 40-foot (9–12 m) cliffs, and white pine trees make up the majority of the island’s vegetation. In order to guarantee the preservation of the island’s great blue heron rookery, former Reader’s Digest advertising executive William Browning gave it to The Nature Conservancy in the late 1960s. Every April, more than a thousand herons come back to mate.
In 1967, it was designated as a National Natural Landmark.