The Gatsby

Last Friday (June 19th 2026), I had the opportunity to jump in the Gatsby for a short cruise. Please keep in mind that the video is choppy, bouncy, and exposure isn't always right on - I am going for the audio, not the video...and yes, Clare can change seats that fast.... The Gatsby Gatsby is a 1949 Chris-Craft Custom 20 runabout powered by an MBL 158-hp engine. The Custom 20 was the first new design offered by Chris Craft after WW II and introduced the bleached mahogany two-tone styling carried through the next several generations (Riviera and Capri) of Chris Craft runabouts. The first Custom 20s were produced in 1946, with only 366 hulls built until production stopped in 1949. Gatsby is hull number 364, so one of the last built before the introduction of the Riviera in 1950. The previous owner, Mark McCarty, contracted Matt Zimmerman (Zimmerman Boat Works) to do a complete keel-up restoration (no-soak bottom, engine re-build, new interior, etc.), taking over three years to complete. When finished, the boat was in showroom condition. Larry and Clare Baumgardt purchased Gatsby (formerly named Sea-Three) in 2025.