John and Jennifer Scanlon live in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, and have a long history of freshwater boating on Green Bay and Lake Michigan. Native Midwesterners, they have a love of the water, which only grew stronger when they met and married in 1990.
A Chaparral 2350 served them well for a time, until they got out of protected waters. “We took a vacation across Lake Michigan one summer and got caught in some good-sized waves,” Jennifer said. “We made the crossing safely, but it was quickly obvious that, with a growing family and a desire to cross open waters, we needed a bigger boat.”
The boat they chose was a used 1969 Chris-Craft 35 Commander with a sport bridge. Over 164 were produced between 1969 and 1972.
The Scanlons have owned their Commander for 17 years, since they bought it from the boat’s second owner on Lake St. Clair, Michigan. To get the boat to Green Bay, they ran up the eastern shore of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula, passed through the Straits of Mackinac, and crossed upper Lake Michigan. The shakedown cruise convinced them that this was the boat they had hoped for, but there were upgrades in the offing.
One of their first projects was to replace all the AC power wiring and add a new Blue Seas breaker panel. John also added NMEA 2000 network wiring, a new radar and a Fox Marine engine monitoring system. Along the way, they also replaced the marine head and did a myriad of small projects. “It’s an older boat,” John said.
They also sprang for all new upholstery and replaced the foam seating and berth cushions, which were no longer comfortable to sit or lay on. “They looked dated with the typical multi-colored plaid coverings from the late 1960s and early 1970s,” Jennifer said.
Their 35 Commander was originally powered with a pair of 230-hp GM/Chris-Craft V-8 gas engines. It ran well, but was underpowered, particularly in a following sea. John had just put new cylinder heads on both engines and replaced the mechanical points with electronic ignition when fate intervened. A boat in a local marina caught fire and was not salvageable, but its engines—425-hp Crusaders built in 2007—were intact.
They wanted faster cruising speeds, but the extra power made the boat squirrely. John talked with other Chris-Craft Commander owners online and learned that the hull had a built-in trim-tab feature, essentially a lip at the transom edge of the hull, which pushed the bow down and caused the nose to turn. Theyworked with SkipperBuds’ Quarterdeck Marina technicians in Sturgeon Bay to have the hull feature ground down. “The handling improved immediately,” John said.
These days, the Scanlons typically cruise in their home waters of Green Bay, and occasionally visit not-too-distant destinations like Milwaukee. For many years, they explored some of Michigan’s 83 Harbors of Refuge—inlets, towns and harbors on the shores of Michigan’s Upper and Lower Peninsulas.
“The Great Lakes offer some of the best cruising in this country, and we’ve just started to explore them,” John said. “This summer, our plan is to head to the North Channel, cruising along the Canadian coast of Lake Huron behind Manitoulin Island, for an extended voyage. The kids are grown now, and we’ve retired. This trip has been on our bucket list for years.”
WALKTHROUGH
Boarding the Chris-Craft Commander 35 is possible from starboard or port via coaming steps and inboard ladders. The coamings lead forward to walkable sidedecks with handholds on the deckhouse that offer good safety. The aft deck can be enclosed with canvas and at 10-feet wide offers plenty of room for folding chairs. It’s on the same level as the bridgedeck, which sits under a hardtop. There, the lower helm is to port and a companion bench seat is to starboard. A centerline ladder leads to the flybridge, which has a portside helm.
A companionway door on centerline leads down into the main cabin, which is well-lit by large, sliding windows on both sides. To port, a dinette for four converts to a double berth, while the lounge to starboard converts to upper and lower bunks.
Forward and to port is a head compartment with sink and shower. Immediately to starboard is an L-shaped galley equipped with electric stove, oven, sink and refrigerator. A privacy door on centerline leads to the owner’s cabin, which has a wardrobe to port, a locker to starboard and a V-berth.
BACKGROUND
Christopher Columbus Smith built his first wooden punt, or duck hunting boat, in 1874, at the age of 13. His interest in craftsmanship and affordability came to the fore in 1881 when he and his brother Hank began making small boats on a full-time basis in Algonac, Michigan. By the early 1920s, their mahogany speedboats were the heart’s desire of the wealthy. In the late 1920s, Chris and his sons began to focus on mass-produced wooden boats made for middle-class owners and named the company Chris-Craft Boats. In 1955, the builder became one of the early adopters of fiberglass. The company has changed hands six times over its 162-year history, yet it remains one of boating’s most iconic brands
This article was originally published in the April 2023 issue.
