So its been somewhat of a long journey here; we are prior Egg Harbor owners (1974 33' Egg) and have looked at both Chris Craft and Eggs for our next boat. I have started leaning more to the Chris Craft side of things due to similar build quality and better design when it comes to water intrusion issues on the boat. Many of the Chris Crafts seem to have the Ford Engines with the Paragon transmissions; I have heard that those transmissions can be problematic and are difficult to find parts for and/or rebuild (don't know for sure?) So, that said, we are looking for a 31-35' boat; something nice to travel the Great Lakes on (at least to get back to home port of Erie) We do like the bridge style boats but have looked at some of the commander 31's that do not have the bridge; appreciate any thoughts - Greg
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New to Chris Craft Models - looking for our next boat.
New to Chris Craft Models - looking for our next boat.
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The 31 Express Cruisers mostly had Chris Craft small block Chevy conversions, a few had Chrysler 318s (when the CC engine plant was on strike). Most also had the Paragon P32s which are still fairly easy to rebuild and there are a couple of good transmission shops in the Port Clinton area that work on those. The later models had the flywheel forward arrangement (Q models) with unique cooling equipment - but most of those parts are still rebuildable. The bigger concerns are the intake manifolds (make sure you get the water out when winterizing) and distributors. Short electronic distributors are available or they can be retrofitted with a standard marine distributor using a collar.
Many of the 35s had SBCs as well, but some had the 427 Fords - great engines but marine parts like exhaust manifolds are hard to find and custom ones are expensive. A lot of boats that vintage have been repowered as well
31 might be a bit small for cruising the Great Lakes, not only seakeeping wise but they don’t usually have sufficient fuel capacity.
Hello Greg, I own a 1968 Commander 35'. It is listed for sale on this site. The boat has Paragon P-34B transmissions. When I purchased the boat I asked a local boat mechanic about these transmission's and he stated they were very reliable and also simple to repair. My boat has the 327's (small block GM) which was my preference when shopping for this model, easy to get parts if needed and simple to maintain. One of the reason's I was convinced to purchase the 35' over the 31' was the factory seating at the bow plus the 13' beam makes it very roomy. I do not have a fly-bridge and did not want one. My previous boat (Carver) had the fly-bridge and I didn't care for how it split up the people on the boat. Without a fly-bridge this Commander model requires zero disassembly to transport on land. Good luck with your search.
A 35 with 454's or modern power is your best option in my opinion. Yes Paragon is a fantastic transmission,
I found the 327f engine marginal in my mind and when I needed to repower there were too many negative stories, probably unfounded, of water ingestion by the 350 Vortec engine. It was then just being marinized and beginning marine applications. The 350 Vortec would have been my preferred option but too much rumor and too little fact led me to old time 350s. To revisit I would go with the Vortec. It loses the old time carb adds hp and torque without additional weight and fits the footprint....or you could do a Greg G. and try for 40mph in a 35!