I am looking at this 1968 42' Sport Fisherman. It has complete crate engine 454's and trannys that are 6 years old. Excellent condition overall. Complete new bottom gelcoat and paint with warrenty. Price is $89500.00. Is this boat worth it. Thanks in advance.
Thats the question we all ask ourselves all the time, and with boats, it is never worth it from an accounting point of view, but it sure is from the fun point of view.
I do a lot of shopping on boats.com. Here is one for sale there now. You can get some comps there.
The danger in shopping like this, is you can ALWAYS find one cheaper, but the condition generally drops with the price.
This one has rebuilt diesels. That could be good or it could be bad. Diesels take a lot of cash to keep running. And if there's something wrong, they're tough to haul out and fix. This is serious boating.
Your 42 has gas engines, that could be good or bad too, depending on how you plan to run it. How good a condition are those gas engines, what kind of use did they get. If it was a charter, they may alredy be shot.
My advice is to look at all the comps you can find, make a chart, list the cost and the equipment, and most important list the condition. One in pristine shape will resell, and then it IS worth the extra price you may pay.
If it is any consolation, most of the 42 SF I see are listed at over a hundred clams, some more than that. The one I found here was the cheapest one I could find.
I almost didn't recognize the boat since it doesn't have the blue hull. It's apparently been painted, which isn't necessarily a bad thing if it's a good job.
The SF he’s talking about is the first series of glass 42s, the one that came with the blue gelcoat hull. That boat weighs in at 22443 to 25621 depending on 427 or 8V53 power. This series called the “Sports Cruiser” ran from 1968 to 1972 and (only) 99 hulls were built. I photographed the one in the pic (that’s Sandy Iemma!) at South Haven, Michigan a few years ago. This is essentially a lengthened Commander 38, with the same 13’ beam as the 38 series. I think it's a pretty darn cool boat. I like the wider 42 also, which is a lot more boat in my opinion, but this one is narrow enough for some speed, and pretty rare too. I think they're good lookers too.
The later series of 42s ran from 75 to 77 (don’t ask what happened in 73 and 74) and they weighed in at 33,000 pounds and only came with 8VA29, with a 14’ beam. This series of boat sells for over $100,000 routinely, and some even get into the $200,000 range. I guess the market will bear whether those are good prices or not.
I can't comment on the price, because like vintage cars, "condition" is many times a more important factor than age or hours. I would try to find two others for sale, look em over and you'll be able to make up your mind fast after that!
Thanks everyone. I appreciate all the info. It fills in a few blanks on the boats history. This one has had interior updates including L seating, wall coverings, and new fridge. The boat is chartered, but only on the weekends. The port engine has 772 hours since new, and the stb. has 22 since rebuilt. The engine was rebuilt becuase a mechanic thought the ticking sound was a rod or wrist pin. They took apart the engine and could find nothing wrong, but the owner had all internals replaced while it was out. While putting the engine back in they found the there was an exhaust leak on the inside of the manifold that was radiating the sound up through the engine. This was shortly after blisters were found on the hull and all the gelcoat was ground down and replaced. The engines fire up like they were brand new from the factory and the gen set starts and runs like a diesel. The engine room and bilges are as clean as any boat I have seen short of being new. Looks and sounds like I might have found a keeper. My biggest concern is a rock solid boat worth repowering with new diesels in the future. Thanks again everyone and hope to be chating with you all in the future.
The boat sounds good to me, the early series 42 is a very cool design. I would take the time, with this kind of investment, to look at the later series 42 also, because they are a LOT of boat, and very sea worthy. If you are planning on repowering with diesel, you may actually be better off buying one with a good diesel in it now.
In any case, the boat you are describing sounds like it would be a lot of fun, it's a very good looker, and a pretty rare model too. Keep us posted!
I prefer that model over the newer 42 because of speed and fuel economy
July 3 2006, 7:12 AM
Unless you are going to be out in big water like the Gulf, on on the Great Lakes during a blow, you may actually be looking at the "better boat" for some uses. With gas engines like the boat you are looking at, it weighs 10,000 pounds less than the newer 42 series. Hauling around 5 more tons of weight won't do a lot for you unless you are planning on some serious offshore work, in which case the heavier boat is the way to go. With gas engines, the 42 will probably feel a lot like a 38 SF, which weighs almost the exact same.
The heavier boat almost requires diesel power, and they were not offered with a gas option.
I would consider that boat a stretched 38 Sport Fisherman
July 3 2006, 7:33 AM
Roy is correct about the weight factor. Here’s a scan of the 38 Sedan and SF models, interiors are essentially the same, but the SF has the depressed rear deck, no rails, and various internal engine configuration (generator) deviations. The later series 42 (1975-77) is “a lot more boat” in the same length, weighing in as Roy noted, at an additional 5 tons, with a foot wider beam.
At 20 boats per year, this was not a big seller, not many made (99 total during the 5 year run). 15 boats were built in 1968, 45 in 1969, and 39 during the last three years of production. I would consider this a stretched 38 Sport Fisherman. I think owning one would be a lot of fun, one of Dick Avery’s designs and a good one! I noticed the top speed of the gas powered 42 Sports Cruiser is 29-mph with twin 300-hp gas (427) motors, and that’s 2-mph slower than the fastest 38 (according to published Chris Craft information, but we know some of them would go faster). So many boats, so little time!
Interesting list of options ! Note the teak aft deck that you see Sandy Iemma sitting on in one of the previous photos, was standard. I thouht all along that they installed that custom, but it came with the boat and it was just well maintained !
A better appreciation for the boat, several years after! (Still one of my favorite Commander models)
Most of them are undoubtedly still in the water today, it would be fascinating to see a map of the US and find out where they are. I have seen them either here on the forum or for sale in all of the salt water exposures of the US, but most are probably on the Great Lakes. It stands to reason, that there are some of these on the hard at obscure marinas tucked away in backwaters needing attention too. Compared to the later sport fisherman and tournament fisherman models, this one has an "old world" look. I like this model a lot.
99 units built makes it a rare sight to find these days, but not as rare as the SF and TF models that followed. The 42 TF only made it to 41 hulls, and the 45 only made it to 59 units. Those are the rare ones!
how about this one! Good looking boat, looks like it is a user and ready to rumble! I have always admired this model. She has the same 13' beam as our 38' Express, TRADITION, and they were offered with 427 gas power or 8V53 GM diesel power. The latter models (beginning in 1975) were offered with one engine option of GM 8VA29, and they weighed in around 10,000 pounds more than the Sports Cruiser in this photo, of the same overall length.
99 of the 42' Sports Cruisers were built between 1968 and 1972, and 41 of the 42' Tournament Fisherman models were built between 1975 and 1977. I have no data for what happened in 1973 and 1974, as the Essential Guide has no 42' boats listed during those two years.
Paul
Here are two more links to the 42' Chris Craft Commanders, cross referenced for easy access. There are two models, one early model that is essentially an elongated 38' Commander hull, and the later model which is a robust purpose built Tournament Fisherman, much heavier. Here are a couple of related links to the great looking 42' boats.
