The all new 2017 Chris-Craft Commander 42 is a different kind of yacht for this builder, which has focused on runabouts and day boats for many years now. Yes, many years ago Chris-Craft did built large cruisers and motoryachts—but that hasn’t been the case for decades. Just how well have they taken on this renewed challenge? Step aboard with our reviewer Alex Smith, and take a look for yourself.
With sleeping accommodations for five, the full galley, and a stand-up head with a stall shower, Chris-Craft has certainly designed in everything you need for serious cruising. But does the boat hold true to the companies’ current styling and rich classic looks, that have proven so successful in the recent past? We’ll leave that to you to decide. After all, looks are quite subjective. But we note that the Commander 42 has curvaceous lines, a generous use of real teak and glossy finishes, and to our eyes, attains an enviable mix of modernity and classic appeal. That’s due at least in part to the efforts of the Italian design firm Austin Parker, which played a significant role in creating the Commander 42.
This new model made its debut at the 2016 Cannes boat show, in France, where we filmed the video. And in 2017 Chris-Craft says it plans to launch 36’ and 52’ Commanders. We expect these will likely be powered with the most modern of systems, pod drives, since the 42 carries a pair of Volvo IPS 600 D6 435 HP engines with pods. That’s quite a change from when the company launched its first vessel—all the way back in 1874—but it comes as no surprise since their entire line-up of new boats incorporates the latest in technology, and offers rather stellar performance. The Chris-Craft 25 Launch,for example, one of the builder’s bread-and-butter boats, can zip along at over 55 MPH. And the 36 Corsair, which we named among the Top 10 Cruisers We Love in 2013, runs in the mid 40’s. So, it seems, the more things change, the more they stay the same.
For more information, visit Chris-Craft.
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