This is an original Craig Craft 168, nicknamed the Porsche Jet Boat, due to its uncanny similarity to the Porsche 993, which was the newest and most advanced iteration of the 911 in 1995 when this boat was built.
This boat is powered by a General Motors derived 4.3 liter V6 which powers a Berkeley jet drive with a hydraulically actuated reverse bucket. With a length of 16′, this unusual vintage powerboat comes with its own single-axle trailer.
This is an original Craig Craft 168, nicknamed the Porsche Jet Boat, due to its uncanny similarity to the Porsche 993, which was the newest and most advanced iteration of the 911 in 1995 when this boat was built.
The Craig Craft 168 Boss Jet Boat
There isn’t a whole lot of information available on the Craig Craft 168 Boss, we know that at least two were made and both had 993 styling – so it’s unclear if it was made like this at the factory or modified later.
The upper fiberglass section resemblance to the Porsche 993 is quite literally only skin-deep, and it doesn’t seem to have been officially licensed by Porsche in anyway shape or form.
Much like the Porsche that influenced it, the boat is rear engined – power is provided by a six-cylinder unit but it’s not a flat-six, it’s a 200 bhp GM-derived 4.3 liter V6 which is mated to a Berkeley Jet Drive model 12JE with a Dominator hydraulically actuated reverse bucket.
The interior is decidedly automotive-influenced, with twin bucket seats up front, a center console, two rear seats, and it has a car-style windscreen, rear vision mirrors, cup holders, and a stereo. The internal sides of the boat are padded for safety, there are speakers front and back for the stereo, and the center console has a lockable cubby for keeping items like phones and cameras safe from splashing water.
The hull is finished in teal over a two-tone teal and yellow interior. It has a ski pylon at the back and a small rear deck/platform for launching and recovering skiers and wakeboarders. The dashboard contains gauges for speed (in mph rather than knots), engine speed, voltage, oil pressure, coolant temperature, and fuel level.
The boat is relatively compact at 16 feet long, and it would make a great weekend lake boat for exploring, water skiing, wakeboarding, and just general fun out on the water. It comes with a white single-axle “Shore Land’r” trailer that has a rolling tongue jack, a hand winch, carpeted bunks, lighting, and 13″ steel wheels.
This boat is powered by a General Motors derived 4.3 liter V6 which powers a Berkeley jet drive with a hydraulically actuated reverse bucket. With a length of 16′, this unusual vintage powerboat comes with its own single-axle trailer.
This unusual “Porsche” jet boat will probably attract plenty of attention from Porsche owners, particularly 993 owners who are looking for something to match their car.
It’s now being offered for sale with a clean Michigan watercraft title in the current owner’s name for the boat and a bill of sale for the trailer. If you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can visit the listing here.
Images courtesy of Bring a Trailer
Articles that Ben Branch has written have been covered on CNN, Popular Mechanics, Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, Autoweek Magazine, Wired Magazine, Autoblog, Gear Patrol, Jalopnik, The Verge, and many more.
Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
