1962 Chris-Craft Constellation

LUXURIA

 

"Our purchase of classic motoryacht LUXURIA closed Nov 7, 2014. She's a 1962 Chris-Craft Constellation, 43 tons of mostly rich teak and gorgeous mahogany, 55'-9" at the deckline, about 60' length overall. Triple stateroom, three heads, salon, galley, large pilot house and enclosed aft deck, encompassing nearly 1,000 square feet of living space on two levels. Our Chris-Craft friends may remember her previously as FALLEN ANGELS. Much like our previous Chris-Craft, ITINERAS, we were drawn to LUXURIA for her good bones, good mechanics, and mid-century nautical charm & craftsmanship. And being preservationists at heart, we couldn't resist the opportunity of undertaking her restoration with an emphasis on highlighting her spectacular old growth Philippine mahogany that these mid-century motoryachts are famous for. We named her LUXURIA because to us the name embodies a classic, elegant mid-century ocean liner. We wanted to bring that look and feel into her renovation. We'll take our time, enjoy the process, and add photos to the two albums below as we go along."  -Mike & Steven

Restoring Motoryacht LUXURIA Photo Album  |  Enjoying Motoryacht LUXURIA Photo Album

 

"Memory Montages", YouTube videos since 2015 when we bought LUXURIA. These eclectic collections of photos and video clips are compiled each year-end mostly for us to look back on decades from now to remember what an amazing gift of adventure the universe gave us, much of it centered around life onboard.

2015 Memory Montage | 2016 Memory Montage | 2017 Memory Montage

 

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ABOUT

As a 43-ton twin-diesel Chris-Craft Constellation, LUXURIA is a classic mid-century cruiser designed for comfort and extended cruising. She was constructed in Alganoc, MI in 1961 as a 1962 model. The 1962 base list price was $86,900 ($729,977 in 2018 dollars).

 Hugo Lizza, whose family owned Golden State Fireworks Co. in California, first purchased LUXURIA in 1963, bringing her first home port to Los Angeles, CA.

 Her moorage moved up the west coast to Astoria, OR when ownership changed hands in 1966 to Vernon and Mary Jo Moncur, owners of L.P. Gas Service in Wyoming.

 Following the Moncur’s death in a plane crash in 1969, her moorage moved further up the west coast to Seattle, WA in 1970 with her purchase by Dave Kellog.  Her home port has remained in Seattle since.

 As the seventh owners, Mike Schultz and Steven Sanford purchased LUXURIA from Harry Thompson in 2014. Having previously renovated 1962 50’ Chris-Craft Constellation ITINERAS, Schultz and Sanford were ready for a new, larger classic yacht renovation with LUXURIA, starting in January 2015 with the restoration of her rich mahogany interior spanning 1,000 sq feet on two levels.

 While restoration was ongoing, work stopped in the summer as warm weather brought LUXURIA out to play in and around beautiful Puget Sound.

With most of the restoration done, and ending an era of classic motoryacht restorations, in May 2019 Schultz & Sanford sold LUXURIA to Bill & Karolyn Wehrenberg and Karolyn's brother Ed Backholm. Schultz & Sanford went on to continue acquiring and renovating ocean front income properties.

 

 

SPECS

Year 1962
Make Chris-Craft
Model Constellation
Length 56'-6", 60' LOA
Beam 15'
Draft 4'
Gross Tonnage 43 Tons
Construction White oak frame covered in mahogany with teak decking and fiberglass superstructure.
Propulsion Twin Diesel Caterpillars D-333, 500HP total
Maximum Speed 18 knots
Cruising Speed 12 knots
Fuel Tanks 400 gallons
Fresh Water Tank 150 gallons
HoldingTank 83 gallons
Electrical 30/50-amp 120v shore power, 32v batteries, Kohler diesel  10kw generator, Trace electric 2,200 watt continuous power DC to AC inverter and Newmar 32v to 12v converter.
Heating System Built-in electric forced air.
Configuration Three staterooms (one fore and two aft), three heads with shower, salon, galley, dinette, pilot house, aft lazarette and mid-ship engine room below salon.
Original Base Price $86,900 ($729,977 in 2018 dollars)
Previous Names BAR-SHY, ANDIAMO III, FLYING M, TERRY K, DAHLHALLA, FALLEN ANGELS, AMANI, LUXURIA, MOONGLOW (current)

 

 

OWNERSHIP HISTORY

Oct 19, 1961 | MI, Algonac, the vessel was built in the Chris-Craft factory, certified by Master Carpenter James B Russel. She was then transported across the country to Los Angeles, CA.

Jun 1963 | CA, Los Angeles | Norwood Marine sold the vessel to her first owner, Hugo Lizza.

Owner #1  Jun 1963 - Jul 1966 | Hailing Port: CA, Los Angeles Owner: Hugo Lizza

    Hugo Lizza was the son of Italian immigrant Patrick Lizza, owner of Golden State Fireworks Co in Redondo, CA. Following the plant’s violent explosion in 1940, the Lizzas rebuilt and also acquired Bermite Powder Co in Saugas, CA in 1942. During WWII, the plant produced more than one million rounds of 29-millimeter shells. Golden State was featured in national publications for its fireworks shows. At the time of Patrick Lizza’s death in 1965, Hugo was the Vice Pres and Asst Gen Mgr of Bermite Powder Co , described as one of the largest firms in the country in the field of researching and producing solid fuels for the space program. Whittaker Corp purchased Bermite (and Golden State), then run by Hugo, in Oct 1967. Just before the sale of his company to Whittaker, Hugo sold the vessel and her hailing port moved up the west coast to Astoria, OR.

Owner #2  Jul 1966 - Nov 1970 | Hailing Port: OR, Astoria Owners: Vernon W and Mary Jo Moncur

    Vernon and Mary Jo Moncur owned L.P. Gas Service Inc in Wyoming, selling the business to California Gas Corporation in 1968. In Oct 1969 The Moncurs were aboard their twin-engine Piper aircraft traveling from their home in Wyoming to Albuquerque NM when the plane crashed near Greeley, CO, killing them both. A spade of lawsuits following alleged the airplane fuel was contaminated with water, causing the crash. The vessel was then sold by the estate and the hailing port moved further up the west coast to Seattle.

Owner #3  Nov 1970 - Jun 1982 | Hailing Port: WA, Seattle Owner: Dave Kellogg who changed the name to TERRY K.

Owner #4  Jun 1982 - Feb 1989 | Hailing Port: WA, Seattle Owners: Jerald B and Marian I Dahl who changed the name to DAHLHALLA

Owner #5  Feb 1989 - Jun 1996 | Hailing Port: WA, Seattle Owners: Donald K Lewellan and Laurel C Cormier

Owner #6  Oct 1996 - Nov 2014 | Hailing Port: WA, Seattle Owner: Harry A Thompson who changed the name to FALLEN ANGELS

Owner #7  Nov 2014 - May 2019 | Hailing Port: WA, Seattle Owners: Mike Schultz and Steven Sanford who changed the name to AMANI, then LUXURIA, and undertook an extensive four-year restoration.
 

Owner #8 May 2019 - Present | Hailing Port: WA, Seattle Owners: William Wehrenberg and Edwin Backholm who changed the name to MOONGLOW.