Chris Craft Launch 27 Reviewed in 2025

The Chris Craft Launch 27: Celebrating 150 Years of Excellence

Chris Craft is one of the most storied brands in the boating industry. The company traces its roots as far back as 1874, when teenager Chris Smith began building wooden hunting boats for his friends. The company grew, and by the 1920s, it made sleek, sought-after powerboats and race boats for the rich and famous.

The company worked to extend its reach by making many models that appealed to the growing American middle class. The company’s boom years came in the 1950s, during which it offered 159 different models.

People favored high-end models with names like Sinatra, Hepburn, Kennedy, and Presley riding Chris Craft boats. In some circles, owning one was a status symbol, with its gleaming mahogany, teak, and brass.

The Launch 27 symbolizes Chris Craft’s golden years. It’s designed with a sleek, timeless style that could almost be called retro if it didn’t appeal so much to modern aesthetics today.

Design and Craftsmanship of the 150th Anniversary Edition

Today’s Chris Crafts are built at their state-of-the-art facility in Sarasota, Florida. While they are thoroughly modern fiberglass boats, they also feature classic touches, lots of wood trim, and graceful good looks that harken back to those early status symbols.

Chris Craft is probably the best-known company embracing the classic speedboat aesthetic. The Chris Craft Launch 27 is the sole model in the company’s lineup that retains this retro layout and profile.

Uncompromising craftsmanship is the standout feature of the Launch 27. Many polished stainless accents, from the rub rails to the custom-made bow lights and burgee holder, add to the boat’s gleaming appeal. The Heritage Package options add polished teak and mahogany trim throughout the boat, including teak plank flooring if you desire.

The result is a modern runabout that feels like a classic car. Top-quality materials, enduring good looks, and fun handling for days of cruising and lounging on the water—that’s what this boat is all about.

The 150th-anniversary edition adds classic color combinations and a few finishing touches to make it stand out.

In addition to the standard three gelcoat and 11 painted hull color choices, you may opt for the aquamarine painted hull with silver bullet painted stripes or silver bullet painted hull with aquamarine painted stripes, with upholstery insert vinyl and contrast stitching to match the paint choice.

Owners also receive a special 150th-anniversary burgee and steering wheel badge.

Performance and Handling: What Sets the Launch 27 Apart

The Launch 27 is a sterndrive powerboat that can be outfitted with your choice of Mercruiser or Volvo powerplants. The top speed with the 6.2-liter, 350-hp Mercruiser is about 51 mph, and it has economical cruising between 25 and 30 mph.

The boat performs nicely, and its deep-vee hull with hard chines makes for a nice, dry ride. While the boat has sleek, old-school aesthetics, the underside is modern. The boat also comes equipped with the Seakeeper Ride Vessel Attitude Control System, keeping an even keel in rolling water.

Luxury and Comfort Features of the Chris Craft Launch 27

The Chris Craft Launch 27 has enough seating to fit ten people comfortably. The bow area has wrap-around bench seating, and the backrests have a nice curve that allows for comfortable lounging from any position.

The helm and co-pilot seats are pedestal style, wrapped with a welcome stainless grab bar that looks good and is extremely functional.

Aft, you’ll find the main entertainment area. It’s a U-shaped seat with angled lounge backs on each side. You’ll find dedicated fender storage under those angled backs and tons of storage under all the removable cushions.

A removable teak table allows refreshments and an under-seat refrigerator is accessible and convenient. Under the electric-opening engine hatch, there’s dedicated storage for the teak table when not in use, and the bimini shade top folds down and completely out of the way when not in use.

The engine cover can be finished with teak decking. Optional removable cushions allow for making the engine cover a large sun pad, and the center cushions can be left out for easy access back to the ample swim platform.

Top-notch fixtures can be found throughout the boat. Oversized cup holders, teak grab handles, hide-away cleats, and a stunning Chris Craft logo plate are just a few items that turn heads.

Ownership Experience: What to Expect

Chris Craft is not a volume boat builder; they aren’t building these boats for a price point. The company makes less than 400 boats every year and aims to sell them to discerning customers who want to drive something different and special.

Owning a Launch 27 is all about the experience. You get a small piece of history without the woes of finding and maintaining a vintage runabout. Instead, you can have the convenience and reliability of a brand-new boat but the experience of driving the classic.

Comparing the Chris Craft Launch 27 to Other Runabout Boats

The Launch 27 isn’t alone in the retro speedboat market, and the classic boats revival may just be getting started. The best-known models of luxury runabout boats come from Italian boat maker Riva Yachts, which offers several mahogany-wrapped speedsters. Comparable models also come from Colombo and Finnish maker Barchetta.

The Chris Craft Launch series of boats also includes several larger versions of the popular classic bowrider boat, including the Launch GT line with optional outboard power and arch-mounted hardtops for watersports. The Launch GTs come in lengths from 25 to 35 feet long.

Is the 150th Anniversary Chris Craft Launch 27 Worth It?

The starting MSRP for the Chris Craft 150th anniversary Launch 27 is $223,417. Compared to other bowriders on the market, you may be getting one of the prettiest—but also one of the most expensive and limiting.

The classic aesthetics come at the expense of modern features you might miss—think walk-through transoms, side boarding gates, hardtop shades, and more versatile seating arrangements. But then again, from the helm of one of these classic runabouts full of class and style, you probably won’t miss those things much.