Cruiser
Corsair
Name/Title
CruiserEntry/Object ID
2000.003Description
"Corsair" Boat Type: Express Cruiser Builder: Elco Model: 1946 40' Cruisette Hull Number: 3719 Original Power: Unknown Current Power: Twin Isota Franchini Diesel engines Length: 40' Beam: 12' 5" Draft: 3' Date Built: 1946 The Electric Launch Company debuted at the Columbian Exposition in Chicago 1893 as a builder of electric launches, making use of the new technology of batteries and electric motors. These craft were much simpler and quieter to operate than steam engines, which dominated motor-driven craft until that point. By 1900 it was clear that gasoline-powered or "explosive" engines offered greater range and power, and so Elco switched over to gasoline launches. It was at this time that the company built a boat shop and began making its own boats at Bayonne, NJ. The company made many types of powercraft, including submarine chasers in WW1 and PT boats in WWII, until the firm closed in 1949. "Corsair" is a 40' Cruisette from 1946, an updating of the Cruisette line that had been produced by Elco ever since the early teens. Advertising now called them Express Cruisers, and showed them making time high on a plane. The new Cruisette showed its PT boat heritage with a V-bottom, new drive system, and radically different styling. This particular model was only made in 1946-47. She is a fine example from the re-styled, post-war Elco fleet. More broadly, she is a good example of post-war aesthetics in manufactured good in the US. The contrast between "Alexandra" in 1928 (2007.012) and "Corsair" in 1946 is striking. "Corsair's" appointments are spacious and comfortable, with a large kitchen in the deckhouse opposite the helm. This was achieved partially by mounting the engines in the rear and powering the propellers through a V-drive. Elco called this their "Transfer-Drive" system, connecting the motors to the props through a universal joint and a water-cooled, self-lubricating 2.1 reduction V-drive gearbox. "Corsair" was restored by the Huckins Yacht Company of Jacksonville, Florida at a cost of $300,000 prior to her donation to ABM. She remains in prime condition for display or in-water use. "You own the best when you buy an Elco." EVS 08Collection
BoatsAcquisition
Accession
2000.003Source or Donor
Fierro, Jr., FrankMade/Created
Manufacturer
ElcoDate made
1946Place
Location
Bayonne City, NJEdition
Model: Express CruiserNotes
Early Date: 1946 Propulsion: Inboard, Diesel Engine: Issota Frnghini - Italy MPH: 24 0.000Dimensions
Width
12-7/16 ftLength
40 ftLocation
*Cleveland E. Dodge Memorial Launch Building
Doebler Bay 8, East
Stopper's Storage
Bartlett Point Barn 1