CHRIS CRAFT COMMANDER FORUM ® .......A photo-intensive technical reference file and ongoing newsletter featuring the original fiberglass Chris Craft Commander. Our mission at this not-for-profit non-commercial enthusiast driven web site is to "have fun and share information" for your individual personal use. Our main reference feature is the ever expanding MASTER INDEX Files which contain exhaustive photo and technical information on the Chris Craft Commander line (like these original 38' Commander brochure scans) , (an awesome collection of Chris Craft 427 tuning and specification information), and a few words about how to use the information in the forum, etc. Be sure to look at the information about the 2008 Lake Erie Chris Craft Commander Rendezvous scheduled for August 22 - 24 at Huron, Ohio near Sandusky!! If you're a Commander fan, this will be an event you won't want to miss.

We extend to you a cordial "WELCOME ABOARD !"

This forum is registered as chriscraftcommander.com

Chris Craft Commander Forum, Inc.

Chris Craft Commander Forum, Inc.
Running a Commander on the top of the Great Lakes, USA!  
  
Toe rail replacement on a Commander is expensive and a LOT of work, but the results are spectacular!   Heidi and Paul, somewhere in France, after crossing the English Channel in their 31' Commander !    TRADITION – II about to embark on an evening sunset cruise on Old Hickory Lake, Tennessee!!!!!   The 38 Commander uses steel channels to support the roof and flybridge!!     Out of sight and out of mind?  Better check those throttle and gear controls !  
ABOVE, from left to right (previous photos of the day, earlier this week):
PHOTO - 1. If you are ever considering a teak toe rail replacement, this thread should be in your three ring binder!

PHOTO - 2. Heidi and Paul kicking back in France, after crossing the Channel in their 31' Commander !

PHOTO - 3. Payback time with the fiberglass Sea Skiff restoration, running the big Lake in central Tennessee. !

PHOTO - 4. 38' Commander roof and flybridge construction, and how to add stabilization to reduce flex !

PHOTO - 5. Throttle and Gear Selector cables need maintenance. Here are some exploded drawings and good tips!

Some of the special images from previous PHOTOS OF THE DAY....(in case you missed them!)
A selection of past photos of the day can be found by clicking this link!

PHOTO OF THE DAY ! (Above Left)
It's not a Chris Craft.......................It's a lifestyle!...........................Don't miss part of this lifestyle at the Commander Rendezvous at Huron, Ohio, August 22 - 24 !!
(ABOVE:)
You find Chris Craft Commanders in all the strangest places! Where-ever in the world there is good cruising water and access to fuel, you are likely to find a Chris Craft Commander. We have members of The Forum reporting in from all parts of the globe, from remote places like Martinique, Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, the Mediterranean, North Atlantic, Eastern and Western Seaboards here in the US, and of course all over the Great Lakes, heartland river systems, and Gulf of Mexico too. It is amazing where these boats have gone. For instance, check out what showed up (photo) at a Commander Rendezvous I helped organize many years ago way up at Drummond Island, at the top of Lake Michigan where it meets up with Lake Huron. These are traveling Commanders in the photo, one of which (not in this photo) traveled a total of 700 miles round trip to get to the event and back. The captain of the boat happened to be close friend Todd Heinrich, also a fellow co-founder of the Chris Craft Commander Club.

For more photos of Chris Craft Commanders running on what looks like the top of the world, check out this following thread that happens to be dedicated to my good friend, Curt Radford. Scroll down a few threads, look at the photos Curt took from the air, they are just amazing!
A thread dedicated to Curt Radford, also featuring some great photos Curt took from the air, of Commanders cruising on the northern tip of the Great Lakes !



Have a special story or photo photo you want to share with the Forum? If so, send it in and we'll post it as the feature!
Need help with photo posting? Click here for help!

Huron Yacht Club and Boat Basin, the home of the 2008 Lake Erie Commander Rendezvous, at Huron, Ohio!!    One of the buildings on the grounds, overlooking the harbor where our Commanders will be docked.   The location on western Lake Erie near Lake St. Clair, at the epicenter of Chris Craft Commander ownership.   The Huron River, at the Huron Yacht Club and Boat Basin.   View of the 2008 Lake Erie Commander Rendezvous dockage area.  First Class all the way !   CHANGING CHANNELS, a spectacular 38' Commander Express, serving as the event flagship !  


Not everyone can access this forum while aboard their Commander, but Chris Wade can!  Now this is a properly equipped Commander!!    Tim Toth's beautifully maintained 427 marine motor, Sandusky, Ohio.   These cousins traveled 1000 miles to be with each other aboard Uncle Pauls 38' Commander Express.   A new 4-blade prop sized for speed and economy, with the added benefit of smoothness too.   Didier and Ms. Bonnot, aboard a 27 Commander they discovered and subsequently restored in France.   Paul LeRoux perfecting the official Chris Craft Commander Salute, aboard SEASPRAY somewhere in France.  Paul, we salute back to you !  
Chris Wade in the process of replacing his teak toe rail on FEEL GOOD !   Dean Beliveau, of Ontario, Canada (left) and two buddies working on a Carter AFB !   Terry and Donna Hart and their 45' Tournament Fisherman, BELLADONNA, circumnavigating Lake Huron.!   The 41' Commander belonging to Charles Fouquet, of Martinique, French West Indies, anchored in front of palm trees, with freshly rebuilt 427s.!   Curt Hill, of Portland, Oregon, aboard his 38' Sport Fisherman, with new electric tachometers!   Janet Pletcher, of Nashville, TN, with her two visiting nieces aboard TRADITION, a 38' Express!  
John Austin throwing spray aboard his awesome 45' Tournament Fisherman off the coast of California.   Matt ODonnells 38' Flybridge Express, CHANGING CHANNELS, one of the best of the breed.   Didier Bonnot and children, somewhere near Paris, France, aboard their restored 27' Commander.   Dean Beliveau throws a post launching party in Ontario, Canada, after many years of restoration work !   PRETENDER photographed making her way up the Hudson River.  What a beautiful photo !   Steven's Dad is shown here with NICCOS 38 shortly after acquisition.  This is a 1971 model !  
Paul LeRoux putting the finishing touch on SEASPRAY, the official Chis Craft Commander Flagship of the English Channel !   Dean Trathen shows how to pull a three blade prop with a six inch gear puller !   Dave and Lily Varnadore saved MISS LILY, shown here under restoration.  The boat now feature a custom silk interior, new motors, and new fuel tanks !   BONAVENTURE, owned and restored by George Klein, showing off that beautiful paint job on Lake Erie !   SEASPRAY recently crossed the English Channel and cruised upriver to this beautiful village in France.  Photo by Heidi Pigeon !   John Kloka's 35' Commander, shown at anchor on Lake St. Clair, next to Steve Lendzion's 42' Commander.  

CONGRATULATIONS ! You have just found a huge collection of scanned information, thousands of photographs, and information about the styled-in-fiberglass Chris Craft Commander series of boats. We also feature some of the Commander's close cousins on the Chris Craft family tree, built during the same "golden era", and in some instances built under the same roof. This information is submitted by individuals, recognized by an internationally circulated boating publication, and viewed by people all over the world every day. This perpetual newsletter and reference file is posted for FUN and as a public service! The main featue of this NON COMMERCIAL site is the MASTER INDEX file !. This file has an organized archive of worthy posts, an absolutely awesome collection of photos, scans, links and data that have come in from all corners of the world. Happy hunting! If you need help, or have questions, information or photos about the Commander series you think others would be interested in seeing, please feel welcome to post here on the Forum.

This site was originally started to serve a need to include photographs and scans within threads in mid-2005, and as a result, it has become "photo intensive" with a treasure trove of information. This site received 17,000 page reads during it's 4th month on line, and it could now surpass that in very short order. The forum is being accessed by people all over the world. If you're interested in Commanders or Chris Craft boats in general, be sure to visit the Chris Craft Commander Club ~~ and ~~ The Chris Craft Antique Boat Club sites too, because they each have a wealth of information, good people, and lots of social interaction. The Chris Craft Roamer Club is also a great source of information about our steel and aluminum close cousins who share a lot in common with the Commander series, both being built under the same roof.

From time to time the informative technical posts and photos are consolidated in the Master Index, and some of the chatting files are deleted, so people can find and use this information more easily. There are some really special threads here: of particular note, be sure to see Oliver & Sonja Oelgart's great thread about how they found a 41' Chris Craft in a German warehouse with only 12 hours on the hour meter! ~ Also be sure to see their web site for some absolutely STUNNING photography and photos of them touring the South of Spain after they restored this great boat. ~.~ Don't miss the tribute to Warren Pateman, a very special Commander owner from Australia, and the article he wrote about his total restoration and refitting of BAMBI, a 38' Commander.

A very big THANK YOU to Motor Boating Magazine, especially senior editor, John Clemans; art director, Gayle Van Wely; and executive editor, Jeanne Craig; with whom your forum moderator worked on an article featuring the 38' Chris Craft Commander and this web site, appearing in the June, 2006 issue, of Motor Boating Magazine! ~*~ Here is another link showing John in action, the day some of the photos were taken for the article! John Clemans in action, Cumberland River, April 1, 2006!

The Chris Craft Commander Forum, Inc., supports the stated missions, and high standards of the two non profit 501 C 3 organizations noted below. Both are internationally recognized for their own areas of expertise. Anyone interested in antique and/or classic boating should check them out!

The Chris Craft Antique Boat Club, a great resource and active network for just about everything regarding the vintage wood Chris Craft models, and fiberglass classics too!    The Antique and Classic Boat Society, Inc., with active chapters all over North America, conducting in-the-water boat shows and setting the standard of excellence for all brands of vintage boats!  

The Chris Craft Commander Forum, Inc., recognizes the two publications noted below, as major contributors to the cause of classic yachting, and antique & classic boating world-wide. One is a free online magazine, and the other is a paid subscription publication printed on fine waterproof cover stock, suitable for keeping aboard for reading material. Both are exceptionally well done, very informative, and are listed below as great reference books for any informed boating fan.
Classic Yachting Magazine, a free online resource all about Classic Yachts.  See the Commander article on pg 98, March/April 2008 edition written by your Commander Forum host!     Classic Boating Magazine, a long time favorite, this family-owned subscription based publication features great photos, stories, and tech info about antique and classic boats !  

PHOTOS ABOVE AND BELOW: Photos above are expandable if you click on them. Photos below are non-expandable thumbnail images taken from posts off the forum, to illustrate what type of projects and images are available within the threads and MASTER INDEX Files. . All photos can be seen in full size on their original threads.


SEE THE SITE MASTER INDEX FILES!,
IT'S EASY TO FIND Archived INFORMATION !
(Here is just a small sampling of what is in our MASTER INDEX FILE)!

1. Commander Models (Just about everything from 19' to 60').........................................................Updated February 21, 2008
2. Notable Restorations (Some fantastic resurrections, upgrades, restorations, and total rebuilds !)............................Updated February 22, 2008
3. Exterior Maintenance (A few tips for that gelcoat.)...............................................Updated February 22, 2008
4. Interior Refurbishing (How to really upgrade that old boat !)
5. Teak Refinishing (Only one thing looks better than varnish on teak!)
6. 427 Ford Marine Power (The largest selection of photos, scans, and tech tips for the marine 427 anywhere on the internet.)...........................Updated February 22, 2008
7. Small Block Chevrolet Power (Photos, specifications, scans, tech tips, and a "how to" rebuild thread!)..........................................Updated February 22, 2008
8. Lincoln Marine Power (Increasingly rare these days, the big Lincolns are fine motors!)
9. Chris Craft Commanders for sale (by owner).
10. And much more………………………...

Visit the MASTER INDEX for MOTOR DIAGNOSTICS.........SPECIFICATIONS..........COMMANDER MODEL IDENTIFICATION.......ORIGINAL SALES BROCHURES.......LOTS OF PHOTOS............and some great stories about Commander Owners and their Families !............... Visit the MASTER INDEX for DIAGNOSTICS.........SPECIFICATIONS..........COMMANDER MODEL IDENTIFICATION.......ORIGINAL SALES BROCHURES.........LOTS OF PHOTOS............and some great stories about Commander Owners and their Families!............... !
We also have a VIDEO FILE LIBRARY !,
Our boating videos are now consolidated in one index !



Thumbnail images above appear in full size format within the threads contined in the forum or the MASTER INDEX Files. Please visit the Protocol for Posting and then have fun! This non-commercial site exists to share information with people like you! Happy hunting!
Due to the strong international readership we are posting International Time of Day as a reference tool.

Going boating in the USA soon? Click on this link for LIVE TIME (animated) WEATHER RADAR in the USA.

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