These photos were taken at the 2003 Rendezvous in South Haven, Michigan. A good time was had by all.
The boat with the blue hull is a what? Perhaps it's a 41, not sure, but it belonged to Tony Iemma, and that hull was originally delivered that color from Chris Craft. Power by twin 427 engines, of course, as original power, and with an aft deck even larger than the 38. One beautiful boat for sure, and pretty rare. The boat next to the blue hull is Patty Wagon, I believe, owned by Dick and Patty Morland. I believe the next boat in line belongs to Dick Vandish, but I'm not sure.
Here's one of my favorites, and in super clean condition too. Whoever owns Fandango, lemme know when you want to sell this beauty!
As far as I know, this boat (Grosse Ile) is "the standard" for all original condition 38 Commander Express models to follow. It belongs to Todd Heinrich, and it's in about as good a condition as any Commander I've seen, including under the hatches. There ought to be a law against having an original 38 Commander this clean.
Grosse Ile
Grosse Ile For anyone viewing this site who may be unfamiliar with the early fiberglass Commander series, that pointed transom is a noteworthy feature of the boat. The centerpoint is a "glue line" where the port side of the hull, and the starboard side are joined together. A similar glue line occurrs at the very center of the bow. The entire bottom structure is one piece, and the sides are bonded to the bottom above the water line. One bullet proof design that has lasted 40 years with "no failures" I've ever even heard about.
Grosse Ile approaching the docks, and showing off those beautiful lines that made the Commander an instant success and an instant collectors boat.
Not only is Grosse Ile in great cosmetic condition for a "user boat" (this is no boat-house Queen, it's heavily used each year) it's also in great mechanical condition too, having made "numerous" 700-mile trips in the past. This view shows Todd demonstrating what 4000-RPM feels like out on Lake Michigan. We can do this on open stretches of the Cumberland River, in Tennessee, but we have to back down when we see fishermen anchored along the banks (for obvious reasons).
Hope you enjoyed the memories from 2003.
Paul
1966 38 Commander Express
Original 427 power
