Chris-Craft Launch 27 Review, Price and Ownership Guide

Chris-Craft Launch 27 at a glance

The Chris-Craft Launch 27 is a premium open-bow runabout for buyers who want a boat that looks like it belongs in front of a lake house in 1955 but runs, steers and shelters like a modern sterndrive. Chris-Craft's current spec lists it at 27 feet 8 inches overall with an 8 foot 6 inch beam, 6,180 pounds dry with a Mercury 380, and a single Mercury or Volvo Penta V8 sterndrive from 300 to 430 horsepower.

The name dates from the 2018 model year, when Chris-Craft renumbered its Launch range and the Launch 25 became the Launch 27 with the same published dimensions. The current boat, which Chris-Craft calls the reimagined Launch 27, appeared on the builder's site in 2026 with a longer listed length, a 21-degree hull, redesigned swiveling helm seats, integrated grab rails, an optional power-actuated bimini and upgraded upholstery. It sits in the Classic Open Bow range alongside the Modern Open Bow Launch GT models, and starts at $212,960.

From Algonac mahogany to Sarasota fiberglass

Chris-Craft's story starts with Christopher Columbus Smith, who built his first wooden boat in 1874 at age 13 on the St. Clair River in Michigan. By the late 1920s the company had brought assembly-line production to boatbuilding in Algonac, and its varnished mahogany runabouts became the boats every American lake family wanted.

The brand moved to fiberglass, then went through decades of changing corporate owners. In the early 2000s Stellican Ltd. reunited the boatbuilding business with the Chris-Craft trademark and rebuilt the company in Sarasota, Florida, around premium, design-led runabouts. The Launch line was central to that revival, and a Launch 25 was already on Chris-Craft's website in 2002. Winnebago Industries bought Chris-Craft in 2018 and has kept the Sarasota focus on high-end, heritage-styled boats.

That history is not just marketing. The Launch 27's tumblehome transom, chrome cleats, script logo and bright hull colors are a deliberate continuation of the brand's most famous designs, which is why the boat holds its value better than most bowriders of its size.

A 21-degree hull under the heritage styling

Under the classic lines of the current boat is a modern deep-V with 21 degrees of deadrise listed by Chris-Craft. That is steep for a runabout and should pay off in the wakes and short chop of busy lakes, the Chesapeake or Biscayne Bay. The 2018 to 2022 Launch 27 spec sheets listed 20 degrees, so check which hull you are looking at on a used boat.

Draft is 3 feet 1 inch with the drive down and 1 foot 8 inches with it tilted up, so you can approach a sandbar carefully. Bridge clearance is 4 feet 7 inches to the top of the windshield, which matters for lakes with low bridges.

Chris-Craft does not publish official speed or fuel figures for the Launch 27, and we have not found an independent test of the current boat. Performance varies with engine choice, prop and load, so ask for a sea trial with the exact engine you are considering and watch the GPS rather than the speedometer.

Choosing between 300 and 430 horsepower

All Launch 27s run a single gasoline V8 sterndrive. On the current boat the Mercury options are a 6.2-liter V8 at 300 hp (standard) or 350 hp and an 8.2-liter V8 at 380 or 430 hp, all with Bravo Three drives, and the Volvo Penta options are the V8-CE 5.3-liter at 300 or 350 hp and the 6.2-liter at 380 or 430 hp with Duoprop drives. The 300 is the entry point, while the bigger engines make the boat feel more effortless with a full load and tend to be easier to sell later.

Mercury versus Volvo usually comes down to your local dealer and service network rather than the boat. Volvo's Duoprop drives give excellent grip and handling, while Mercury's Bravo drives are equally common and widely supported. Pick the brand your nearest good marine mechanic knows best.

With 69 gallons of fuel on the current boat (77 gallons on 2018 to 2025 boats), the Launch 27 is a day boat rather than a long-range cruiser. Chris-Craft does not publish fuel curves, and a big gasoline V8 at cruise is thirsty, so plan a fuel stop for longer outings and log your own burn figures.

• 300 hp V8: lowest cost, adequate with light loads
• 350 and 380 hp V8: the balanced choice for most owners
• 430 hp V8: maximum performance and best resale

Teak, chrome and where everyone sits

The bow has deep wraparound seating for socializing at anchor, with the walk-through windshield separating it from the cockpit. Behind the helm and companion seats is a large U-shaped aft seating area, and at the stern a big sun pad over the engine hatch leads to a teak swim platform with a boarding ladder.

Details are where Chris-Craft justifies its price. Chrome-plated hardware, teak accents, a heritage steering wheel, thoughtful storage and high-quality upholstery all feel a step above mass-market bowriders. The new swiveling helm seats turn the cockpit into a social space at anchor, and the power bimini option makes shade a one-button job.

There is a 13-gallon fresh water tank for a transom shower, and a Porta Potti or Tecma head can be added from the options list. There are no berths. This is a day boat in the classic sense.

Launch 27 or the Launch 28 GT?

Shoppers in a Chris-Craft showroom usually end up comparing the Launch 27 with the Launch 28 GT. The GT is 28 feet 9 inches long, starts at $280,740 and is offered with sterndrive, outboard or surf power, with crisper, more contemporary styling.

The Launch 27 is the purer heritage boat. Its lines are closer to the brand's mahogany ancestors, it costs nearly $70,000 less to start, and its single V8 sterndrive keeps the stern clean for swimming and lounging. If you want outboard power or a wake surf setup, the GT is the answer. If you want the boat that looks most like a Chris-Craft should, buy the 27.

Earlier boats on the used market include the Launch 25, which carried the same published 26-foot 8-inch dimensions as the 2018 to 2025 Launch 27, and older Launch 28 designs. They offer similar styling at lower prices but lack the reimagined boat's swiveling helm seats and updated upholstery, so compare layouts and ride on a sea trial before deciding.

Buying a used Chris-Craft Launch 27

Used Launch 27s typically ask about $110,000 for the earliest 2018 boats and up to $235,000 for nearly new examples in 2026. That is a big premium over mainstream 27-foot bowriders, but Chris-Craft depreciation tends to be gentler, so the difference often comes back at resale.

Many Launch 27s live on lifts or in dry storage on freshwater lakes, which is good news for buyers. Freshwater boats with low hours and a garaged trailer are worth the extra money. Saltwater boats need closer inspection of the sterndrive, the exhaust risers and the chrome hardware.

Annual running costs, excluding depreciation, are about $8,000 to $18,000 depending on storage, fuel use and insurance. Sterndrive service, impeller changes and winterization in northern states are the main recurring costs.