Chris Craft

There are pink waves in the white background of the button. The words are blue, and the word "DONZI" is surrounded by a blue border. There are two small symbols on the left surrounded by a blue border. The top symbol is of a shield with a crest, and the symbol below is of a lion above a dolphin. The letters "OMC" are above both of the symbols.

The Chris-Craft Company began in 1910 when Christopher Columbus Smith, along with his brother Hank, began building standardized runabout boats in the Point de Chene area of Michigan. In 1927, Chris’s son, Jay Smith, became the President and General Manager of the company, which is now recognized as the world’s largest builder of Mahogany recreational powerboats. Although the depression effected the company’s boat production, by the time World War II began, Chris-Craft was building vessels for the United States Navy and Army. After the end of the war, Chris-Craft began making powerboats again with the first fiberglass boat being manufactured in 1955. In the 1980s, Chris-Craft came into the market of speedboats and their boats made appearances on television programs including Miami Vice. The company continues to create high quality boats that customers appreciate. Donzi was acquired by Jack Staples and then Chris-Craft President, Dick Genth, in 1985 to increase the production of the low-profile extremely fast fiberglass boat. In 2014, the company had its 140-year anniversary.