![]() You may have seen it recently at the Antique Boat Show in St. Everything works as it should.including the original horn and Lovett bilge pump. Very few red/white racing runabouts in this condition with original bottom and no rot. 45+ years later the boat was pulled back out of the barn and taken to Maryland's Eastern Shore (Dockside Boatworks- Jerry LeCompte) where it was restored to original with a period correct Hercules-Chris craft ML 145 hp motor. Everything is original, everything from the bottom up - this boat was raced at one time and then put up in a barn after the owner passed on. With just 150 boats scheduled for 2010 production, they likely won’t last long.Chris Craft Red/White Racing Runabout built in 1947.This is a true barn find from Mays Landing, NJ. It’s beautiful to look at and it sends a signal to everyone who sees it that an empty nest can be a good thing. In standard trim Chris Craft’s Silver Bullet 20 Limited Edition not only brings a bit of nostalgia to the runabout equation, but also delivers it without the need for anything more. You can get things like dual propeller drives (from Merc and Volvo), docking lights, a convertible top or switchable exhaust, all of which are tempting-but not necessary. With no options, the 20 Silver Bullet retails for $75,668, which seems reasonable given its limited edition status and its presence on the water. If you want more power, you can get a 320-horse 5.7-liter V8 from Volvo Penta or a 300-hp mill from MerCruiser. The standard engine is a Volvo-Penta 5.0 Gxi, which produces 270 horsepower, and is ample for pushing around a 2,900-pound boat. There is neither a V6 nor a big-block on the standard features or options list. To its credit, Chris Craft nailed the engine choices for this boat. ![]() There is a bit of stowage beneath the foredeck, and there is a bona fide anchor locker, with stanchions for holding a Danforth anchor, a positive latch and a cable to hold the lid open. Gauge faces, to no one’s surprise, have a decidedly old-school look, but nonetheless deliver all vital information, from speed and rpm to voltage, trim level and fluid temperatures and pressures. With scuppers just forward of the rear bench, the cockpit is self-draining. The interior itself is rather straightforward, with stowage for the standard bimini top beneath the rear seat, and a small stowage compartment in the “console” beneath the dash. The bimini is standard and stows beneath the rear seat. If the kids come for a visit and a day on the lake, you can still lift the pop-up pylon and take them skiing. Of course, by modern runabout standards of utility and space, the Silver Bullet isn’t the most practical family boat, but we suspect that this boat is for empty nesters, for boaters who have owned their share of garden-variety runabouts and family deck boats, and now want something special. Only when you look closely at the detail on the transom do you begin to appreciate the amount of work that goes into the classic design. No small feat, that, when you consider how difficult it is to create that form in the open mold. The tumblehome transom was de rigueur for its wooden boats, and it looks right at home on the modern, fiberglass iteration. Finished in metallic silver paint, with teak and stainless steel accents, the Silver Bullet strikes the classic profile of a vintage Chris Craft. Each one has a number plate on the dash panel. On looks alone, the Silver Bullet 20 Limited Edition is a winner, and as its name indicates, Chris Craft isn’t building many of them-just 150. The traditional tumblehome transom looks right at home on the modern, fiberglass version.
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