CigaretteSam

I have a Scorpion "Stinger" edition 230XL

I don't think that there ever was a 23' Stinger that the company built....there was only the 23' Scorpion. As far as I can tell.....there was a special edition version of the Scorpion 23, called the Stinger, complete with custom imron paint job and different interior.

Here is mine:

http://www.chriscraftstingers.com/ga...w%20York%20230

Smokinlegend

http://www.chriscraftstingers.com/models.html

Stinger390X

I'm sorry to say that all of guys are wrong(no offense)

I owned a Stinger 260 Scorpion and my buddy had a 260 SL, both similar vintage-mine was an 87 and his an 86

Parked side by side the differences are as follows

1-My Scorpion had 4 hatches on the sides of the hull and my buddy had none on his.
2-My boat had a raised upper deck of about 4 extra inches of headroom and my buddy had a flat upper deck (see last picture)
3- Mine had drop down bolsters, buddys boat did not have same upholstry as mine with stripes.
4-Mine definitely had twins, a pair of stock 260's and Alpha outdrives. Quite frankly I have been boating for many years and NEVER seen a 260 with a single big block??? I could be wrong there, but I have never witnessed one. I had a 230 with a single years before.
5-Mine had factory stainless thru hull exhast and my buddy's SL had exhaust through the outdrives - stock!
6-Mine also had factory installed docking lights on both sides and my buddy's boat had none!
7-I had twin motorized windshield wipers, my buddy didn't have any.
8-Mine also had the classic "SCORPION" lettering on both sides of the hull and of course my buddy's had none.
9-mine had big horns and buddy's little ones
10- mine was "bright" surround on windshield and the sl had teak surround
11-Mine had a moulded fibreglass swim platform with four strips of teak as non-slip surface and two grab handles on the transom, my buddy's boat only had a stainless tube frame with a teak wood swim platform.
In lamens terms, mine was a Lincoln and my buddy had a Focus...






If you look at this pic from the brocure you can see the upper deck is relatively flat, thus less headroom inside the cuddy.

I beleive the radar arch was about a 4 thousand dollar option on that boat when purchased new! Mine had the factory holes in the deck but covered with twin peices of teak as step plates on the upper deck. I saw another boat with a stainless radar arch and he told me he paid a grand for it! I made mine myself in my shop for 28 bucks worth of tubing, a bit of mig welding and a couple bucks for grey spray paint. It's an exact copy of the thousand dollar chrome plated one!
I hope that answers your questions regarding the difference between these units as best as I could answer then.

hantunca

Stinger390X,

Most of the differences you describe between your buddy's Stinger and your Scorpion sound more like the differences made when the Stingers were redesigned in 1985. Previous to 1985, the Stingers had a more squared-off windshield, lower deck, etc. The redesign in 1985 included raising the deck profile and transom height, new dashboards with VDO gauges, increased headroom in the cabin, and a new curved, tempered glass windshields. For example:

1985 Stinger: http://www.chriscraftstingers.com/ga...lassDave%20260

1986 Stinger: http://www.chriscraftstingers.com/ga...0Trouble%20260

The other differences you mention, i.e. windshield wipers, were options. I used to own an 84 Stinger 260 and it had windshield wipers and 4 cuddy portholes.

As for the difference between a 260 Stinger and 260 Scorpion, I'm not 100% sure. The differences I see most between Scorpions & Stingers of the same "model" are layout in the cockpit - i.e. the Scorpions had back-to-back seats on the port side while the Stinger would have a bolster seat. In my talks with Ernest J Schmidt (ex President of Chris Craft during that time) a lot of the naming schemes came down to "marketing". One of the stories Mr Schmidt gave me during my interview of him for my website was that of someone asking Richard Genth what limited meant - his reply: "it means these models are limited to the number we can produce”.

Funny you should mention single-engine Stingers - I know of at least three - all 1987 models. The first one I happened to find near Lake Geneva, WI (I was going up to see the auction of the Miami Vice Scarab): http://www.chriscraftstingers.com/ga...ms%20Bay%20260. The other two came up for sale on the Internet: http://www.chriscraftstingers.com/ga...Konstanz%20260 and http://www.chriscraftstingers.com/ga...iamsburg%20260.

As for the differences between standard & limited, typically the limited had different paint schemes & colors, and more options standard I believe.

Han
www.chriscraftstingers.com

hantunca

As for the 230 XL Stinger - the Chris Craft brochures a price list show a 1984 Stinger 230 XL. I believe in the brochures you can see the "Scorpion" chrome log on the side. Chris Craft of course made a 230 XL Scorpion in other years, but the brochures do list the 1984 model as a Stinger. I put it down to "marketing" again, but I do consider it a Stinger.

Han
www.chriscraftstingers.com

heatbuzz

89 stinger

heatbuzz

89 scorpion

Wes Burmark

I had an 85 Stinger 260. It had a flat deck (taller windshield with wipers), drop down bolsters and twin 260 h.p. 350 cu in engines. I believe the raised deck with shorter windshield came out in 86. The boat hit 58 m.p.h. stock on radar with 21" 3-blade clever props. My speed was backed up by magazine tests at the time. IMO a few others who claim 70 m.p.h. speeds stock, or 90 m.p.h. with hoped up 350s are smoking some pretty amazing stuff... I built up both motors with aftermarket heads w/ roller rockers, high rise GM iron intakes (worth the $$s if you are looking for a single bang-for-your-buck mod), tall filter/arrestors, and crane 272 cams. This allowed me to move up to 23" pitch 3-blade clevers. Top speed went up to 62 m.p.h. It would hit 63 on fumes. The Stinger was a nice boat. I thought long and hard about getting another one but the age of the boats kept me away.

hantunca

Wes - you're right, the 85s did have the flat decks. The Stingers were redesigned occurred in 1985 and showed up on the 1986 model-year boats I believe. I used to have an 84 Stinger 260 - loved it and miss it. Someday I hope to get an 84/85 312 or 390. Someday.

CC230

My '87 230 Scorpion LTD is a cross between those two ads. Has the tall deck, which I always thought was the Scorpion and the Stinger had the flat deck.