Crownline’s manufacturing roots are in Illinois, United States. The company started in Whittington and later established its main plant in West Frankfort.
What types of boats does Crownline build?
Crownline builds fiberglass powerboats. Its range has included runabouts, deck boats, cuddy cabins, cruisers, and watersports models.
What is Crownline best known for?
Crownline is best known for sporty recreational boats with family-friendly layouts. It is also associated with broad model variety and long-running production in the American fiberglass-boats market.
Crownline is an American boat builder founded in 1990 and first producing boats in 1991. The company began in Whittington, Illinois, and later moved manufacturing to West Frankfort, Illinois. It builds fiberglass recreational powerboats, including runabouts, deck boats, cruisers, and watersports models.
History and shipyard
Crownline’s first boat, the 182BR, was completed on March 25, 1991 in a small Whittington, Illinois facility. Early production was limited, with fewer than 25 employees and no signed dealers at launch. The company soon outgrew its original site and moved to a larger temporary location in West Frankfort before opening a new permanent plant there in December 1994. Sources describe Crownline as an independently owned American manufacturer that expanded rapidly in its first years.
Model range and reputation
Crownline has produced a broad range of fiberglass pleasure boats over time, from smaller open-bow models to cabin cruisers. Its catalog has included bowriders, deck boats, cuddy cabins, cruisers, and watersports boats, with model lines such as the 238 DB, 264 CR, and E 235 XS appearing in current listings. The brand is associated with family-oriented recreational boating and a focus on sporty styling, layout flexibility, and performance-driven hull design. Reported production totals exceed 30,000 boats, with later sources stating more than 50,000 boats built.
Request offers
Find a boat