This Chris-Craft Silver Arrow is a striking example of a craft that embodies the optimism and change of its time — as the world moved from post-war austerity toward the swinging sixties. Ostentation became the order of the day, alongside an embrace of new technologies. The future was arriving fast — America had launched its first artificial satellite just a year before this boat was built! American builders and engineers were experimenting with new materials and bold styling, and the Chris-Craft Silver Arrow is a perfect product of that spirit.
"Lady Penelope" offers the chance to own a piece of boating history. The Silver Arrow was one of the first boats to bridge the gap between traditional wooden construction and the emerging world of GRP. In fact, she is a true hybrid: a spruce-planked hull overlaid with a fiberglass skin. Only around a hundred were ever built, as the composite construction proved too costly for Chris-Craft to produce in volume — making the Silver Arrow a rare and cherished entry in the annals of boatbuilding.
It wasn’t just the construction that made the Silver Arrow special. She features a medium-V hull with lifting strakes, delivering a smoother ride and sharper handling than many of her predecessors. Powered by a Chrysler/Chris-Craft V8, she was capable of a thrilling 30 knots.
"Lady Penelope" underwent a full hull restoration in 2022, when she was stripped back to her wooden planks, resheathed with new fiberglass and epoxy, and repainted in her original pink Awlgrip finish. Her engine was rebuilt in 2025, with the block re-bored, new pistons fitted, the crankshaft polished and re-shelled, and a new carburetor installed.
This Chris-Craft Silver Arrow is a true head-turner — a rare, glamorous survivor from an era when style, speed, and optimism ruled the waves.