I have a 1967 27' Chris Craft Commander Sport Express with origan haul FSA 27 2001. She is a very nice boat. I see there is not one of these listing in your master list of commanders. I can forward the info I have if anyone wants it.

Please go ahead and post the information in this thread or another one you may wish to start, at your option. If you are unable to upload photos, please send them to me at chriscraftcommander@hotmail.com and I will upload them for you and put them into your thread.

Regards, thanks for the note,

Paul
forum moderator

Jake added the note,

"If any one is in Port Clinton Ohio, They should stop and see the boat. She really is a nice one. We are located inside Lakefront Marina on the West Side of Port Clinton Ohio, directly on Lake Erie.
"

I am wondering if Mark Weller has seen this boat, it's right in his back yard. Might have even passed on the water one day?

Regards, Paul
















See additional photos in following post..................




(thanks for the great photo documentation, Jake!)

Regards, Paul





More photos and scans of the 27' Commander !
http://www.network54.com/Forum/424840/message/1184000227

The more I see of the 27, the more it looks like a big runabout. Just look at that rear seat! With twins that boat would be a lot of fun, especially in an open boat with a soft top.

The transom area looks like a big Lancer

JB

27' Commander files, and brochure scans
http://www.network54.com/Forum/424840/message/1169150953

A 27' Commander discovered in France !!
http://www.network54.com/Forum/424840/message/1169173084

Jake's boat looks like a twin engine version, which suggests it has a pair of 283 motors. That is some NICE power in a 27' boat


I know, I know, I need to update those MASTER INDEX FILES !

Paul

Yes my 1967 27' Chris is the twin engine model. Orginally with T-185 HP but has been upgraded to T-260 somewhere along the line. She is a very nice boat. She cruisers 3200 RPM @ 30 MPH and at 4200 RPM @ 40 PMH. Stop by and see it if you can!

Seriously, with that much power in a 27' hull, I'm guessing the better part of 45 with speed props. I will bet it can reach 4200 with ease. In any case, beautiful high powered Chris Craft, great style, and very usable configuration. I'd love to have one, but it wouldn't do too well in the Gulf of Mexico with all the fishing gear we haul.

Roy

There are about a hundred people out there who may notice this is the 27' boat appearing on pages 33 and 34 in "The Legacy of the Fiberglass Chris Craft Commander". Congratulations Jake, you sent in the best photos of an original condition 27, and we hope this new-found fame will catch the eye of Hollywood producers and TV reality show syndicates for you.

Seeing one in this shape is pretty noteworthy. I have never seen a twin engine 27 like this in person, in any condition, so you guys who have seen them, savor the moment. A fast little good looking hot rod like this reminds me of some of the musclecars of the 1960s, notably the roofline of some of the big Galaxies.

with the fast planing hull and flat aft section of the hull bottom, this would be one fast little runabout/cruiser.

Regards,

Paul

Boat is a open day sailor model.
Boat has been stripped of everything cleanned & new bottom paint. Twin screw it needs rebuilt engines. First 800.00 takes it.

Can you please contact me offline about the boat? kfitz22@aol.com

Kevin

Hello,
Do you still have the boat for sale.
I am very interested in restoring one of these!

Best Regards

Jose

Please contact me concerning your boat at the about email address

On Harsens Island there is one for sale. Twins, soft top, rough shape, but not too bad.

At Island marina, John Kloka has seen the boat I think.

Kevin

Hello to Everyone:

I am in Portugal, and i am having a project in the last few years.
I want to have an restore a twin engined 27' Chris Craft Commander Sport Express, with a Hard or a Soft top (not with a flybridge).

Your Forum is a fantastic resource of information and experience.

For such a small country(myne is), we are blessed with the most fantastic waters and shore spots, and we have an ancient history with the Seas...
But we don´t have Chris Crafts...

Vintage ones of course!

Can someone help me finding this project?

Thank you for your attention

Jose Carvalhal
Lisbon, Portugal

Hello Jose, and WELCOME ABOARD!

I posted this note under your name with a modified title in order to attract attention to the posting, in an attempt to help you find the boat you are looking for.

Chris Craft boats were built in Italy for a period of years and many still exist. Most of them were using the same hull castings as the American built boat but we often see some changes in the top of the box. The construction was sometimes called "shoebox" construction, where the basic hull was the bottom part of the box, and the top deck was the top of the box. It was pretty easy to change the top of the box and make an entirely new boat or give an American design some European flair.

There were some models that were produced almost identical to the American boats and Herb Pocklington, who is a great friend and mentor of this forum, opened and managed the Italian plant, and was in charge of European distribution and sales (as well as design, marketing and sales). He once requested Chris Craft send him a 1968/1969 36' Chris Craft Corvette (wood hull, designed by Jim Wynne of offshore racing fame) so he could take a mold off of it and make a fiberglass version in Italy. Chris Craft at the time didn't think too much of that idea and did not comply, however, Mr. Pocklington was not the sort of guy who took "no" for an answer and he had one imported to Italy anyway. At that time he flew his favorite stylist, Dick Avery, to Italy to get a taste of the Italian culture so he would be able to provide the proper topside design for the boat Herb wanted to produce for the Italian (and European) market. The result was the 37' fiberglass Corvette of 1977, and it has a totally European look to the boat, but that hull is pure Jim Wynne from the mid 1960's. The boat did not sell well in the US because people were looking for more of a family cruiser than a narrow beam deep V v-drive powered offshore speedboat, but in Italy with a pair of Perkins diesels, Herb said they sold a lot of them and I trust there are still a lot of them still in service. They would be an ideal boat for the rough waters of the Mediterranean.

You are probably now wondering where I am going with this story because you are looking for a 27. The reason for the story is just to let you know there is a difference between the European Chris Craft boats and the ones built in the US. The 23 Monte Carlo, for instance, another Pocklington product, featured some "top of the box" changes to give it a special identity and more adaptation to the Riviera lifestyle.

So if you are looking for a genuine 27 Chris Craft with a pair of small block Chevrolet inboard motors, you are faced with finding one already imported to Europe or finding one here in the US and having it shipped to Portugal. It is a buyers market here in the US now, and I dare say you can buy a LOT of boat for a very reasonable price these days. Once restored, that boat would get a LOT of looks in Portugal or anywhere else for that matter. The lines are crisp, designed by Dick Avery, and the boat looks as good today as it did when it was first introduced to the public.

The 27 is a fast planing hull, two feet wider and four feet longer than the deep-v 23 Commander. It is an efficient and fun boat with one engine, and with twins it has robust power, dual control manuverability, and the limp home mode of safety if one engine has trouble. It is not the smallest boat CC built with twin engines, but it is the smallest boat they built with a pair of V8 motors. These motors are easy to rebuild, parts are available, and I would recommend finding one with a pair of 327F motors. The 283F and Chrysler 318 were also offered, but the 327F is the best of the breed in my opinion, and parts are readily available.

Good luck with your search, perhaps some of the reader/participants here will help you locate a boat you can ship to Portugal.


Regards,

Paul

It is a pleasure to know more about this subject, and i Thank you again for that.

I think that you got to the point exactly!

I am looking for the strongest fiberglass construction (before the beggining of the seventies), the looks of this boat is very, very European! It is safe for kids, it has the safety of 2 engines, you can spend an weekend there, and you can find "Dolce fare niente", speaking of Italy!

There is a strong Chris Craft presence in Sweden, bigger than Italian Chris Craft community (from what i know). It is hard to find a Chris Craft here in Europe, at reasonable prices! Reasonable is because you have to spend some money... and not just for shipping... For example, in order to import a boat to Europe you need to comply with CE marking, regarding safety and emissions for example; they are not more restrictive than US ones, but you still need to make some tests and spend some money... Unless you buy the Boat, bring it to Portugal with no engines, and buy a couple of used Mercruisers here.

I still would like to buy the boat running, even in poor condition, and restore the boat and engines.

Anyway, i am having some quotes on importing the Boat to Portugal, and you're right: I still have a lot of boat when i arrive to Lisbon... I sill have to find the right boat.

Thank's for the warm welcome, and i can only say: If you come to Lisbon i will be your guide and you will feel at home!

Hello Jose,

You are certainly among friends here on this boating forum, as it is the friendliest and best informed venue I hve found anyqwhere for the classic glass Chris Crafts. I think you are wise to look for a boat that is already running even if it is running poorly. Even if the motors have to be rebuilt you still know you have a complete boat and all the main parts are still functional.

Good luck with your search,

Tom

It is an all original, fresh water only, 1967 Chris Craft Commander Sport Express with twin 283 cubic inch, 185 horsepower engines. It seats 14 people comfortably. Everything is in excellent condition and fresh. Used 2 months per year then stored inside the rest of every year. Less than 500 hours on the motors. Included are the original flag poles, original mahogany swim ladder, built in spot light and drop down canvas drape for running in inclement weather. Virtually everything works. Comes with a custom built, triple axle, steel trailer. Second owner. Asking $20,000 net to owner. Please contact me and I will send pictures.

send pic

I am currently the owner of the 1967 27 Cpmmander Sports Express that has been posted in the forum and am looking to sell. It is a great boat and currently on the water in Huron, OH.
Please send an email if you are still interested.
j.kaatz@insight.rr.com

I live on Lake Erie & am looking for a 27` C-C commander twin screw. Prefer 1967-70 vintage & soft top. Salt water boat refurbishment & long haul shipping costs require me to focus looking at fresh water boats .

Model Year: 1970
Asking Price: $7,500 and will entertain offers E-mail:
tknapp1@rochester.rr.com

Home Port: Sodus Bay Yacht Club in Sodus Point N.Y. Phone:
315.483.4864