Cherokee
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Cherokee Boats
McKenzie Boat Mfg. Co.
Division of McKenzie Industries
McKenzie, Tennessee
An unrelated manufacturer, the Rathburn Boat Company of Maple Rapids, Michigan also made Cherokee Boats but used sheet plywood and molded plywood hulls.
For the 1961 Chicago Boat Show, McKenzie Boat Co. showed a sterndrive-powered aluminum runabout, the KX-919-1 (see article photos below). A prototype in 1961, it originated with Kaiser Aluminum's Department of Industrial Design who conceived and designed the boat along with the Valco welded aluminum catamaran prototype. Carl W. Leveau was Kaiser's marine industry sales manager at the time and responsible for the display at the Chicago Boat Show. The boat was powered with a 100 HP Interceptor engine and Eaton Marine Powernaut outdrive was independently tested, reaching an average top speed of 38 mph on a 1-mile long salt water course.
Model Information
1957 to 1958 Cherokee outboard boat models
1959 Cherokee outboard boat models
1965 to 1966 Cherokee outboard boat models
1967 to 1968 Cherokee outboard boat models
1969 to 1971 Cherokee outboard boat models
1957 Information
1957 Cherokee Boats Ad
1957 Cherokee Boats Article
1958 Information
1958 Cherokee Boats Ad
1961 Information
McKenzie KX-919-1 prototype sterndrive boat
McKenzie KX-919-1 prototype sterndrive boat
1963 Information
1963 Cherokee Avalon 17' Ad
