If you shop for polyester resin these days, you'll notice you can buy the cheap stuff, or you can spend considerably more. An appropriate grade of resin for a fiberglass car, isn't appropriate for a boat hull that's going to stay in the water. Some resin is prone to absorbing lots of moisture and actually turns to a solid gelatin type substance. Some of it will drip chemicals out onto the surface of the hull when the boat is hauled,
BUT NOT CHRIS CRAFT !! (thankfully !!)
Chris Craft really did their homework. They paid the price during construction, and this price was passed on to the customer. We are the beneficiaries today, because the quality lives on.
Sir Henry Royce (of Rolls Royce fame) once said:
"The quality lives on long after the price is forgotten." No truer words were ever spoken with regards to the original series Chris Craft Commander hulls.
Chris Craft knew their reputations were on the line. If they produced a bad product, they could ruin 70 years of hard earned history that preceeded the decision to start building with fiberglass. Whoever was sitting at the board room table and demanded the use of the EXPENSIVE and HIGHER QUALITY resin, we thank you today, you did your job very well, indeed.
Today there are many examples of boat manufacturers (who shall remain nameless) who did not follow this suit. Some boats are known for absorbing lots of moisture and becoming substantially heavier. All polyester and fiberglass boats will do this to some degree, but it's quite obvious that the resin used in the original Commanders was the best possible product of the day.
Here's what CC was saying about their work "back then".............
