38 Riviera Restoration

Thank you PropBet, but...

If this does not end soon, I will be drinking heavily well before that day, and can assure you with what's left, it will be the cheap stuff. Sometimes it seems we will never get to into port. On her Maiden Voyage, we shall salute and shout: "Patience is a Virgin!"

For Gerconst

I was just looking at your thread... caught this.. you sold your Commander for a 41 Roamer! Which one, which year... what's going on with it now, where is it?

Last year someone bought the Logina, which was a 1969 38' aluminum Regal on Seneca Lake with new 427's and a near perfect interior. Homer inspected her transom. Somebody get a great boat for a song.

I think someone who is looking around for a Roamer may want to hustle up to Alex Bay NYS and peek at that 41 "Island Roamer." Usually boats up there are in good shape. I know that exact marina and that boat looks cherry. Things are so depressed up there.. you never know unless you ask. I have my eyes on that 41 "Island Roamer" and hope she is in good shape and goes to a good home soon.

Roamers are rare and dispersed... wonder how many are around the Washington DC area.. not many so makes the Rendez - Vous parties hard to organize if not impossible for Roamers. The Comander Club lets us in so that's nice... Now those boys have a club.. it's a big one and they do some cruisin!


Gerconst says:
"I would like to see her go to a good home. I recently purchased a 41' aluminum roamer so it is rime to sell. I will negotiate less the fishing equipment, autopilot, or any other equipment that I can put on my roamer."

Thank You

It is not something to do on the cheap. All these people think they are going to be able to do it on the cheap or get some bargain. The Roamers are nice sure, but they do need to be properly restored or all you have is a stinky old boat with another slapped-on coat of paint.

I have worked on this for several years over time, have had some great help and some really bad too. It is for people who know what they are doing.

Your Commander interior looks nice. According to Jim Wick of Chris Craft parts LPX, The Roamer is the most seaworthy and the best in a following sea, also gets on plane faster, goes faster and takes less fuel than all other Chris Craft models. He was a manager at the Holland Michigan plant way back then and bought up the last of all the Chris parts. Three fellows know these boats best, Earl Stihlson, Jim Wick and Dick Avery. I have spoken to them all.
I also spoke with Stephen Julius years ago, the Oxford educated fellow behind Chirs Craft's revival.... who grabbed the current designers from Riva in Italy. He was a real nice guy on the phone too... very down to earth. I hope to get to meet him one day in person.

I can't say.. I have never been out in a Commander.. but always thought they were super boats too.. real thick fiberglass back in that era.

It seems cool to tell the story.. every Roamer has a story.. it's part of the fun to hear other people's stories too. I would like to hear more about other people's stories.

This thread has been out for little more than a month and is approaching 5,000 visits... Amazing!!

So, before I joined, I would read it all the time.. So, ALL YOU REGULAR GUESTS OUT THERE... how about joining and tell us about your Roamer or the one you are thinking of trying to find!

We would all like to hear from you too!

Told you 427's Fly!

You did not believe me now did you!
Please do not mind the out of order sequences... the way it is...

She's a Roamer...

Ridden hard, put away wet, no ands ifs or butts,
Here we go with the bad spelling again.

Where's the Beer?

Yeah, like we really are going to run out

It does something to them...

The shwabby's stray off course, hit the sand bar and you can't pull her off.

The Roamer Crazies...

It makes them go mad... Exercise extreme caution men...

Man your stations....

Her comes the night shift...

Where's the Peanut Gallery?

OK... all you out there reading threads and not throwing in some of your photos or Roamer tidbits, we want to hear from you!! At least if you know of any Roamer orphans with no home will let us all know where they are or will bring one home to restore to her former glory. Please introduce yourself... who are you? Where are your photos??

Today's classified ad:

Wanted, new Roamer photos and at least one new member today... where are you? Who are you?

Where are you?

OK... where are is today's Roamer guest who is going to convert to a member... we see you reading and watching but we do not see your photos, your Roamer or the Roamer you are going to save?

Why's that? Do you want us to start posing Bayliner and Sea Ray photos?
Oh NO, please, Not that!!!

OK then....

Washington API: Roamer 38 Outruns Donzi 18!

Unidentified Roamer siting...

We saw her from affair passing by the Jefferson Memorial on the Potomac... My buddy hit the Nitrous buttton on his 1968 Donzi 18, She stood on end, the Roamer knowing it was most certainly another classic beast looking for some trouble, hit her throttles... But wait a minute, we are pretty sure he had something special under the hood, perhaps a pair of Commander Cody's supercharged Hot Rod Lincoln 462's... moments later the Roamer 38 vanished.

Ya think...

These are several years old, but still low hours. Studied them all, Yanmar is the lightest, fastest and most fuel efficient. This is the last of the 370LY common rail mechanicals putting out 730 foot pound of torque each. 427's put out 430 and 462 Lincolns pt out 480.

They run on Old Milwalkee or Pabst Blue Ribbon with a little Boones Farm additive for boost and are no louder than gas, perhaops even quieter. Also system has Centec lift mufflers... very quiet. No vibration either, unlike many Cummins. They are speed diesels, not work diesels.

Yanmar is not as torquey as the Cummins, Volvo or Cat... but they are much lower profile, lighter, smaller and faster... aluminum blocks. We geared her heavy at 2.4 to offset the lower engine torque.. she has 23 by 31 (4) blade wheels.. monster props so is real good in the big waves, pick-up is fast and mid range boost quick.