A Restoration in Progress
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The following link will take you to what Jamie and I fondly call our "work
in progress", a 1968 31-foot Chris Craft Commander Express. The boat was
purchased on November 1, 2001 out of Pompano Beach, FLA. (home of
Chris Craft headquarters for many, many years). She is our delight, and we take
great pride in her, even in her current state of "needs work".
We invite you to peruse the pictures often, as we will be updating them
frequently as we make progress in bringing back this great example of fine
design and beauty. If you're interested in learning more about the Chris Craft
Commander line of fine cruisers, please visit our club at: www.commanderclub.com
Thank you for your visit.
Rob & Jamie
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Showing off a little, with her twin 351's
"cooking", as she makes a fine 'roostertail' in
the Southern Branch of the Elizabeth River, Norfolk,
Virginia.
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| My Many
"Thank You's" |
| Jamie Rolison
(for putting up with me during this restoration process -
and for lending his expert decorating advice)
Lee Dahlen (for turning all of the wrenches and
most importantly, for his friendship)
Mitch Newell (marina owner, and terrific
boatwright, who
specializes in wooden boats)
Jim Wick & Bob Bothum (of
LPX/Chris Parts) for their friendship and for carrying just
about everything I need to make CONFERENCE beautiful again
Cathi Davis (wallpaper "queen")
George Stevens of A&L Upholstery (for always doing a bang-up
job)
Lamy Marine (the best A/C & Refrigeration guys in the business)
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May 2002, as
we spent a beautiful holiday weekend wallpapering the
interior of CONFERENCE.
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Labor's
Love owned by our dearest friends, Lee and Jodie Dahlen
(a 1966 27' Commander)
Last
Update: 04/10/2004
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| Resting
comfortably in her temporary slip, in Elizabeth City, North
Carolina. This was her first "big journey", shared
with best friend and chief mechanic, Lee Dahlen and his
mother, Nora Dahlen. |
| The
Purchase of CONFERENCE |
| CONFERENCE
was originally delivered to Jefferson Beach Marina, in St.
Clair Shores, Michigan in the early summer of 1968.
At some
point in her life, she was transferred to Florida, where she
served owners in what appears to be heavy fishing use.
According to the owner, from whom the boat was recently
purchased, the boat sat unattended for several years. It
seems a gentleman in the Armed Services owned her, and
decided wedded bliss was far better than boat bliss, and
simply took off with his bride, never to return to the boat.
The marina acquired the title, and then sold it to Marc
Bracken of Pompano Beach, FLA.
Mr. Bracken
decided a slightly smaller boat, and one needing less
attention was more to his liking, and fairly soon after
purchasing the boat, put it up for sale.
Jamie and I
discovered the boat, advertised on the Internet, and sight
unseen, purchased it and have never regretted it.
We are
aided by our dear friend Lee Dahlen, who turns wrenches and
dabbles in other projects aboard when he is able (owning a
27' Commander himself), and delights in running her, too. He
is an ace mechanic and no stranger to the water, maneuvering
CONFERENCE ably and easily.
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The "new" 1968
Chris Craft Commander Double-Cabin Motoryacht purchased by Rob
and Jamie in April 2004.
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"Command
Performance" (formerly CALLIOPE) with previous owner
Sanders McNew.
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Boat
Information:
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Year
Built:
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1968 |
| Built
By: |
Chris
Craft |
| Delivered: |
June
10, 1968 |
| Hull
Number: |
FXA-31-3086-T |
| Power: |
Ford 351's |
|
RECENT NEWS - April 2004 |
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CONFERENCE's new owner,
Sanders McNew
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| CONFERENCE Goes
to New Owner |
|
In what can only be deemed a most unusual deal, ownership
of CONFERENCE has been turned over to New York lawyer
and Commander Club member Sanders McNew. In return, Rob and
Jamie have taken ownership of McNew's 42' Commander. A simple
trading of the appropriate documentation, and each owner was
ultimately delighted with their new toy. McNew is looking
forward to many happy hours cruising the waters of Virginia
before taking CONFERENCE further up north, while Rob
and Jamie work on getting "Command Performance" (the
42') prepared for stylish cruising along the ICW and
Chesapeake Bay.
And while further improvement on CONFERENCE is in
the hands of a new and very capable owner, a look back at CONFERENCE's
resurrection might interest you. Below are links to pages
uploaded during the restoration of this fine 31' motor vessel.
Sit back and enjoy the show!
In the beginning...
Moving along...
The beat goes on.....
It's a boat again!
More projects
A voyage to Elizabeth City
More fun aboard CONFERENCE
A video of CONFERENCE
Our "First Born" (a 27' Commander)
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On the Intercoastal Waterway
Recent
Upgrades...
Conference is
getting a complete makeover at her helm station. Re-chromed
controls, a complete and newly built platform for her gauges and
new knobs and ID rings. For more information on this project, Click
Here.
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At home on the Elizabeth
River, Norfolk, Virginia
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