I'm sure regular readers of the forum know Bill Thomas has acquired a Chris Craft Commander 45’ Tournament Fisherman, and he’s in the process of bringing the boat up to a high standard of finish. Here are some photos, hot off the press, and they speak volumes. I've often said "a photo is worth a thousand words" and these photos not only tell a story about the design and manufacture of the boat, they tell a lot about what it takes to own, maintain, restore, and refurbish one too. The boat appears to be in excellent overall condition, and in the hands of a good owner like Bill, is sure to be the pride of the fleet once again in the near future.
Projects like this separate the men from the boys pretty quickly, and just looking at that magnificent hull gives me some idea of the work, cost, and total commitment it takes to pull something like this off.
Seeing a 45 on a trailer like this, sure shows off the massive proportions of this boat.
Thanks Bill, for sharing this daunting project with everyone. We see photos of lots of great looking boats, but on occasion we get an inside peek at what it really takes to make them look so good.
It takes more than cash to take on a project like this and do it to a high standard. It’s like running a military campaign; lots of coordination, logistic problems everywhere, sourcing the proper parts and obtaining them in the proper time sequence, finding craftsmen who can help, doing lots of the work yourself, and having the personal knowledge about the boat. Oh yes, one more thing, bring lots of cash too, because everything about a boat is expensive, and when they come this big the issues are compounded.
These boats represent the height of Chris Craft Tournament Fisherman history, they’re very strong and they represent one of the nicest designs you’ll find anywhere. Of course they represent a tremendous value too. They don’t wash themselves, nor do they repair themselves, so that’s where the owners have to step up to the plate and take action to maintain the breed.
The boat probably has not received this much attention since it rolled out of the Chris Craft plant, but rest assured, there were a heck of a lot of man-hours and TLC put into the manufacture of this hull. Human hands were all over this one.
You certainly have my admiration and respect, Bill, not only for doing the job well, but for knowing “how” to negotiate through the minefield of problem solving it takes to actually get something like this under way. Congratulations, we’re anxious to see photos from time to time as the work progresses!
Some of the most fun times I've had working on projects, were taking on the big ones that seemed so difficult. When I look back I remember the experience, but some of the times I wished I'd taken a little more time to really savor the moment. Projects like this one are special, I hope you're stepping back and enjoying what has to be a heck of a lot of work (and hopefully fun too).
Regards, all the best,
Paul
FXA 38 3004 R
Regards, Paul