McKee Craft Boats

While the history of McKee Craft Boats is an illustrious one, the future doesn’t look so bright. The McKee family surrendered control of the company to Huntingdon James in 2008. Since then, the company became indebted and ceased trading. It is now mired in legal proceedings in the North Carolina Business Court. McKee Craft Boats also bred the famous Henry O’ McKee, who became a boat builder in his own right, and founder of Henry O and Sons Boats.The McKee Craft Boats product range was a successful one built around open and center console designs. They used a special construction technique which made the boats almost unsinkable. This attracted the interest of the US government who bought a number of them for water duties around the country. This added to an already burgeoning reputation as a serious, quality boat builder.

Pricing

Despite the recent difficulties, owners of McKee Craft Boats tend to keep them. They have a loyal following, which means used prices are keen. There are plenty on the market though, for example a 2005 196 Marathon can still command $21,000, a 2006 Freedom 22, $22,000 and a 2007 Freedom 28FS around $110,000.