ClackaCraft History

Over the years, ClackaCraft has gathered a diverse experience in fiberglass boat building. For many years the company specialized in building 41 foot offshore commercial fishing boats for Alaska fishermen. The boats were powered with either a Cummins 555 or a Caterpillar 3408 diesel. They were turn-key ready and complete with masts, hydraulic anchor winches, hydraulic gurdies, refrigerated 8 ton fish holds, high frequency and VHF marine radios, loran-c, radar, three hydraulic helmsman stations, and a host of amenities for crew comfort. ClackaCraft has also had a hand in building a blue water sailboat in the Under 30-foot Sailboat market.

Even before the huge increase in jet boat popularity, ClackaCraft designed a very durable, 18 foot fiberglass jet sled. It was designed to be used for both sport fishing and family outings such as water skiing. It was designed to be aesthetically pleasing to the eye, as fast and maneuverable as the nicest fiberglass ski boat while being able to withstand the rock impacts that one would normally encounter while navigating a rock filled whitewater river.

The water jet propelled boat was powered by either a Ford or Chevrolet V-8 engine and a Hamilton pump. ClackaCraft's dynamic abuse-testing program demonstrated to us that properly applied hand laid fiberglass was able to stand up to the demands of shallow whitewater rivers. ClackaCraft also has built an 18 foot, two person canoe for the naturalists. It was a wide beamed model designed for stability and it balances out level with either one or two occupants. It was constructed with hand-laid fiberglass, which made it almost indestructible.

The Magnum Drift Boat was another ClackaCraft innovation during the pre jet sled days. It is common knowledge that drift boats only go 8-9 mph no matter what size motor is powering it. Due to the shape of the hull, the nose points to the sky. ClackaCraft did several modifications that together allowed a drift boat to scoot along at about 23mph with a 15hp motor and a propeller guard surrounding the propeller to protect it from rock damage. Disbelief was the general reaction when seasoned drift boaters were told of the Magnum Drift Boat. Then disbelief was replaced with shock and amazement when the product was unveiled along with a video at a sports show. Ten to 15 people huddled around the television screen to watch this drift boat. It hovered in one spot in the flowing water, slowly backed up, then sprang to life by turning circles in the whitewater and jumping standing waves like a dirt bike. As a grand finale, the little go-cart like boat turned a circle at full throttle and then took aim at the boat launch while going full speed. The momentum caused the Magnum to slide up the asphalt 8-10 feet. The operator then shut off the outboard and stepped out on dry land.

The "pioneering attitude" at ClackaCraft might be summed up as:
"Good Is Not Good Enough!" or as so aptly stated by another:

"To be content with Mediocrity is a tragedy." - Ruth Smeltzer