CC was known to install 427 power in the 23' Commander, the 31' Sports Express, and then the next boat to get this kind of power moving up the line was the 35' Commander. The information below was taken from a 1970 or 71 catalog, it is hard to tell by looking becuase there is not printing date or date reference of any kind. The clue, however, is the so called "second generation 38' Commander" appears in this same catalog, so that helps tie down the time frame.
The more streamlined styleing never seemed to be all that well received by the 38' crowd, namely because everyone had grown accusomed to looking at the original lines of the 38 for six years, and the change was "different". On the 35, however, the styling works better and the 35 shows the fact that this boat was a part of that "swoopy" design philosophy from the start.
To many people this is "the ideal Commander". It isn't too big, not too small, still able to take heavy weather. I point out that the 31' Commander is also able to take serious water, and this has been proved over and over again by Heidi Pigeon and Paul LeRoux during their many voyages on the English Channel in a 31' Commander.
The 35 is s significant step up in interior size, beam and heft, and of course with the optimum power offering, it is very well powered too. The advertized speed of a 427 powered 35 is 35-mph. That is by all accounts, fast enough to water ski behind!
Regards,
Paul
