CHRIS CRAFT COMMANDER FORUM ® .......A photo-intensive technical reference file and ongoing newsletter regarding the original fiberglass Chris Craft Commander. Our mission at this independent not-for-profit non-commercial 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 brochure scans, featuring the iconic 38 Commander designed by Fred Hudson) , (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 2009 Lake Erie Chris Craft Commander / Roamer Rendezvous, second year in a row at Huron, Ohio, held in August of 2009 !! If you're a Commander fan, this will be an event you won't want to miss next time around.

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Quality lives on................

April 25 2007 at 8:17 AM
Paul  (no login)


Response to Pluribus E Enum

Hi Eric,

The sad part about all this, other than the fact that all those boats got battered up in the storm, is the fact that some well-intententioned unsuspecting soul paid hard earned cash for each one of those boats.

When you are dealing with hand laid layers of heavy roving, saturated with premium resins, you get a product like the early Chris Craft Commander, which for all practical purposes has an indefinite life span, not unlike some air frames. If maintained, a glass Commander would likely last "forever".

The truthfulness, integrity, and longevity of welded metal construction is similar. If well maintained, those hulls will likely last almost forever too, and they are repairable.

The example of Warren Pateman, and his BAMBI project ring home. Here is a wealthy enthusiast who could have obviously gone out and purchased just about anything he wanted at the local marina, new or slightly used. Instead he chose an early Chris Craft product and used the known reputation of the hull as the basis for a very expensive total rebuild. That is one of the alltime great testaments to the Commander line, and I'm sure there are similar examples of people doing this with aluminum Roamers too (your project, although not as extensive as Warren's, comes to mind).

They may still build them like they used to, and if they are still building fiberglass or aluminum boats like the old Chris Crafts, you can be prepared to spend far more money today proportionally, than was necessary "back then" when quality like this was more of the norm coming from the worlds largest producer of pleasure boats.


Here are some photos showing the attention, skill, and money Warren lavished onto his vintage Chris Craft project. Putting this kind of effort into a 40-year old hull is quite a testament to the structural integrity.














A file of over 100-photos of this project can be found here
http://www.network54.com/Forum/424840/message/1150922798

Regards,
Paul







 
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