The Boat
At the dock
Illusion is 1967 Chris Craft Apache 37. The Apache is an interesting design, from what I can tell there were 65 made in the late 60’s and early 70’s when the group that owned Chris Craft was headed up by a sailor. They started the Chris Craft Sail division and built some good boats — if not all that many. I’ve seen a Sail Yacht 35 before, it was a before it’s time cruiser a 35 foot center cockpit, full keel island hopper — not a fantastic sailing boat but that’s not what it was built for…..it was designed for the Caribbean and cruising. The Apache is a racer cruiser from the designers at Sparkman and Stevens.
The Apache has an aggressive fin keel which makes for great upwind performance, light handling and basically makes me feel like I’m sailing a race car. As with any boat there are compromises, she heels over a lot more than you’d like in a long distance cruiser but is fast in light wind which makes traveling in good weather better.
37 feet sounds like a lot of boat, but this isn’t a Beneteau. In the 60’s ocean going boats had a narrow beam and long overhangs, Illusion cuts through the water and isn’t too bothered by big swell — but she’s slightly less that 27 feet long on the water, which means not a lot of cabin space. The v-berth is large, and we have two 6′6″ quarter berths for crew and storing gear, but not much in way of living space. It’s more VW van than Winnebago.
Pretty much anywhere I’ve been, old salts come wander by, sometimes making two or three passes before saying anything. Illusion is an attractive boat, and now with her new paint job she doesn’t look quite as neglected. I’ve been surprised how many people recognize it’s a Chris Craft seeing as they only made a few sailboats, but a lot of serious cruisers and boat folks have paced up and down the dock where she was berthed, squinted their eyes, and asked, “Isn’t that a Chris Craft?” Before telling me about the one they saw at so and so island, or the one their friend owned that they cruised all over the North East.
Even at the boat yard I probably get a couple of appreciative on lookers a week. So for anyone who’s curious — here’s the old sales info. Check out these sweet 60’s brochures: