A 200-horsepower Volvo D3 diesel also is available. Volvo’s lineup for the Capri 21 starts with a 5.0-Liter, 270-horsepower GxiC with Duoprop outdrive, and tops out with a 320-horsepower 5.0-liter Gxi inboard with Duoprop. Mercury options gain about 40-horsepower per engine choice, topping out with Mercury’s the 300-horsepower MAG MPI inboard. Perhaps the toughest part of fitting out your own Capri 21 will be in choosing from one of the nine-yes, you read that correctly, nine-power plant choices, offered by either Volvo-Penta or Mercury Marine. If you want to keep it simple, standard power is from Mercury Marine’s 4.3-liter, six-cylinder, 220-horsepower MPI ECT gas inboard engine with an Alpha One Drive. In its ooh-la-la interior, the Capri 21 has dazzling details and a traditional feel. Stainless handholds are strategically placed in and around the seating areas for when things get rough. Teak and holly line the cockpit floor (which has an access hatch in the middle) and padded vinyl-covered cushioning trims out the rest of the interior. The aft portion of the cockpit has a three-person vinyl bench with stowage underneath. Twin swiveling vinyl captain’s chairs sit to port and starboard of this central dash and are reinforced with high-quality, beefy, stainless-steel tubing. The helm is situated forward to starboard with engine instrumentation and electronics mounted in an automobile-style dash on the centerline. Actually, no expense is spared anywhere on the boat - base MSRP at the time of this publication is a hair over $67,000, so the Capri 21 is obviously not built with cost-cutting in mind. The nicely appointed five-person cockpit is where most of the action happens and no expense is spared in regard to seating and interior finishes. Additional thru-hull components, tankage, and electrical panels are easily accessible and uncovered by other machinery or structure.

A standard automatic/manual fire suppression system is mounted aft of the engine, but with good access from both sides. Access to all sides of the engine is excellent, which should make filter changes and fluid level checks a breeze. The hatch serves as a relaxation area when fitted with the standard vinyl cushions.

Access to the Capri 21’s mechanical space is via a teak and holly-clad, single-piece, insulated hatch with gas-assist shocks. Teak inlay highlights the bow, engine hatch, and swim platform. There are pop-up stainless deck cleats at the bow and stern, hefty deck fills for fuel and water at the stern, and Chris-Craft’s unique stainless bow element up forward, which incorporates the navigation lights and a burgee holder into one piece. Deck hardware and finishes are top-notch, as you’d expect with this caliber of boat. A well-executed hull to deck joint accents the lines of the boat. There’s plenty of flare up forward, with a deep-vee hull that transitions into the aforementioned vertical bow element. Standard female mold fiberglass construction is employed for the hull and deck, and paint or gelcoat options are available as final finishes. The whole package is sleek, graceful, and smart-looking in the best ways. These include a forward deck with an intricate, alternating light and dark wood inlay pattern a graceful, sleek cockpit windshield curvy, sensuous tumblehome at the stern with an accent rubstrake that carries forward from the integral swim platform and a vertical bow element that enhances the look of the Capri 21’s deep-vee hull. So, what’s so “retro” about the Capri 21? Upon closer inspection, you’ll see many of the trademark design cues that have been part of Chris-Craft’s DNA since the early 1900s. But don’t’ let the megayacht tender idea fool you this is a luxurious and capable runabout that’s great for short dock-bar runs, raft-up gatherings, creek exploration, and evening happy-hour cruises around the harbor-not just for ferrying the rich and famous to shore and back. The Capri 21 is part of the Sarasota, FL, manufacturer’s Corsair lineup which has models ranging from 21 to 36 feet in length, including the popular Corsair 22 and the eye-catching Corsair 25. Eye-candy? You betcha - few would argue there are better looking boats than the Chris-Craft Capri 21.

Chris craft runabout