Chris-Craft—a brand that is celebrating 150 years of building boats for families to enjoy—is adding a new type of watersports fun to its catalog of models. The 2025 Sportster is available in 25- and 28-foot versions for boaters who want to get in on the trend of wake surfing.
“Our brand can play anywhere. We can choose where we want to play and focus on the bigger market, go back to where the value is, and we saw that in the surf market, providing a good-riding boat even in rough water,” says Chris-Craft President Stephen Heese.
The Sportster models have a forward drive that places the propellers under the boat rather than behind it. A specially designed transom uses ballast to create a wave while keeping the boat dry, even when it’s coming off plane.
“Every inch of the boats was thought about,” says Ron Berman, vice president of engineering, “We take the time to listen to our customers, and we are all brand passionate. The Sportster line is about raising eyebrows, but also purposeful innovation to maintain the Chris-Craft loyal following and integrity, while catering to the next generation.”
That generation joins several that have kept Chris-Craft in business since the company’s founding in 1874 by Christopher Columbus Smith. At first, there were custom wooden duck boats, canoes and rowboats, followed by a hydroplane race boat, military patrol boats and, starting in the 1950s, recreational boats favored by celebrities such as Audrey Hepburn, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Elvis Presley. The last of Chris-Craft’s mahogany boats was built in 1971, with fiberglass construction taking over for everything from sport boats to high-performance racing catamarans and traditional bowriders.
Today, with the Sportster models, Chris-Craft also has the reach of its parent company, Winnebago Industries. An outboard version of the Sportster 28 was on tap to debut at the Miami International Boat Show in February. It is not for wake-surfing enthusiasts, but instead designed for inland lake and coastal cruising.
“We want to appeal to the buyers, no matter where they boat. Outboards are what people expect now,” Berman says, adding that the outboard model will also have a hardtop.
My time aboard the inboard-powered 25-foot Sportster on Florida’s Sarasota Bay left me impressed by the attention to detail of the wraparound windshield, which is bonded with powder-coated aluminum and has an easy-open center to access the bow seating. Upholstery is plush with Chris-Craft’s signature wave stitching. An aft-facing sun pad in the cockpit lets passengers watch the wake-surfing show.
“The Sportster gets you out of the water quickly and creates a great wake,” says professional wake surfer Parker Payne, who put on a demonstration that day. At the helm, I found the steering easy to the touch, with the boat responding to gentle turns with a grip, thanks to the V-bottom hull design.
I usually stand to drive, generally because most seats are too high for my short frame. On the Sportster, I could comfortably stand or sit at the helm in the bolster seat with excellent visibility—even with someone sitting in the bow lounge.
Another notable design element is the comfy snap-in deck grass matting, custom-created for Chris-Craft. “Many finishes, like the custom matting, were hand-selected to match precisely what the design team had in mind,” Berman says. The mat is used on the helm and cockpit sole, while the deck is a newly developed Sea Sole synthetic teak by Teakdecking Systems, a Sarasota company. The decking is soft and easy to maintain or repair. (Real teak is an upgrade option.) Sea Sole is also used on the swim platform—which, as a safety feature, must be in the raised position for the boat to start.
The throttle is ergonomically located on the right side at elbow height. The mahogany dash looks rich, with dual Garmin navigation screens and a custom CZone interface. There are stainless-steel grab handles and custom stainless-steel speaker grills to complement the leather upholstery. JL Audio developed the grill and bezel with Chris-Craft, to provide a yachty touch.
More thoughtful details include built-in navigation lights that sit above the anchor locker, and helm seats that swivel from front to back. Stowage is tucked under every seat and inside every corner.
All of that is great for a day of cruising, but it’s the 350-hp Volvo Penta V-8 Forward Drive gasoline engine with counter-rotating Duoprop system that creates the wave that can be surfed from either side behind the boat. Payne easily crossed the wake while holding onto the tow rope suspended from the Power Folding Top.
That’s the kind of fun that the team at Chris-Craft has in mind with every Sportster that leaves its Florida factory, which spans 288,000 square feet with a staff that’s 300 strong. Every day when they come to work, they can walk through the lobby, which is filled with historic photographs of the brand’s boats.
Today, of course, boat buyers can add custom finishes and exact-match paints, as the team watches on iPads for quality assurance, but the happiness these boats bring to Chris-Craft owners remains the same as it’s always been for 150 years. Trends like wake surfing only add inspiration for the next century and a half to come.
Specifications
LOA: 25’0”
Beam: 8’6”
Draft (engine down): 3’2”
Displ.: 7,700 lbs.
Fuel: 60 gals.
Water: 13 gals.
Max Power: 400 hp
April 2025
