Just as a wood-paneled station wagon effortlessly conjures visions of gracious country living, a mahogany runabout instantly evokes the good life on the water. This 1941 Chris-Craft Model 115 Custom Runabout is a stellar example from classic boating’s elite ranks.

In 1932, Chris-Craft launched a new 27-foot triple-cockpit model. Compared to the 28-foot runabout it replaced, it incorporated a wider beam and sturdier construction, which could in turn support more powerful engines. Yet the main draw was the modern styling, evolving which each year and consisting of unbroken lines that flowed from stem to the signature half-circle transom at the stern—a feature that gave them the nickname of “barrel back.”

By the time production of this model concluded in 1941, Chris-Craft designer Bill MacKerrer had masterfully refined its lines to create what could rightly be considered floating sculpture.

Replete with details typically only found on one-off boats built to special order, including a split cutwater and rounded-off decking, and a leather-trimmed cabin with an automotive-style dashboard and folding windscreen, these watercraft were truly worthy of the “Custom” in the model name.

Factory records indicate that Chris-Craft built just 62 of these 27-foot hulls over a 10-year period, a figure that includes 10 racing boat hulls. Only three were built in 1941; of these, this vessel, identified as hull number 27061 and known as “Runaway Jane,” is the sole known survivor. As Chris-Craft would gear up for military production following the outbreak of World War II, hull 27061 sits at the pinnacle of pre-war pleasure craft manufacturing.

Completed in May 1941 at Chris-Craft’s Algonac, Michigan factory, hull 27061 was delivered new to Danversport, Massachusetts. By the turn of the millennium, it is believed to have had a short chain of just two owners from new. In 2002, it was treated to a restoration by the renowned Morin Boats of Bay City, Michigan. It has also been repowered with a 502 cubic-inch Mercruiser V-8—a modern motor that, with over 300 horsepower, far exceeds the original Chris-Craft A-120 that would have been onboard.

With its masterful restoration still in excellent, well-maintained condition, and incorporating modern power that will let its new captain experience the potential of its sleek, classic hull, “Runaway Jane” is not merely a rare runabout—it is one of Chris-Craft’s finest and most exclusive creations, ideal for exhibition and enjoyment on the open water.