I got the salon entryway sliding screen tracks machined and am now waiting for the painter to finish spraying ICA polyurethane base coat clear on the mahogany panels that the screen tracks fit into. There’s lots of other progress being made on the Roamer, but I also have a 1968 Chris Craft Commander 42 that needed some maintenance. I took a week off work and drove the boat to the closest marina with a travel lift, had it hauled, and have been sanding and painting the bottom. She splashes at noon today.
Commander 42 coming out of the Potomac River
While the boat was being blocked, I strolled around the boatyard to check out the relics on purgatory row. There was one boat that caught my eye…and what a surprise!
At first, I thought this was an old woody
Gryphon looked like a planked wooden boat from a distance.
It’s definitely plank construction, but that’s funny looking wood
Gryphon’s planked with aluminum!
Back to the Roamer…
I set up my ShopSmith to machine the screen tracks
Ready to go!
Looking good!
The other track is trickier
These sliding cabinet door tracks I’m using are different top and bottom. The upper track is shorter than the bottom one, so I’ll have to machine the tops off to get the second track down to the same height as the first. It has to be the same height so it’ll fit through the jig I made that holds the track in position as it goes past the router bit.
Next I sanded the tracks to smooth the machine marks
Nice fit…but that’s an ugly screen frame
Might as well replace the screens since I’m in here
400 grit sandpaper + Collinite 810 Chrome Wax cleans up the aluminum nicely
Ohhh! That slides smooth, like butter
Second screen frame is cleaned and waxed
Looks good!
The tracks and screen frames fit perfectly!
Now I just have to get those mahogany panels installed…once they come back from the painter. In the meantime, there’s lots of other stuff going on.
Next up in our 1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Polishing Stainless Safety Rail Stanchions
1969chriscraftroamer46 
Thanks for explaining that the screen tracks move instead of having a tall grove in the top track.
Slick work. As you know, the screen tracks are usually 2X taller on top so you can lift the screen up over the bottom track and have the top track still holding when it drops down into the lower track. With both tracks equal, how will you get the screens into the tracks?
Hi Doug!
These screens are oriented horizontally at the entryway to the salon. A couple of articles back, I think I mentioned that they retract into the ceiling, between the headliner and the cabin top. If you look at the article on the new salon entryway panel, I put a horizontal groove into the panel…that’s to accommodate the track.
If that doesn’t make sense, stay tuned…I’ll have them installed before long.
Cheers,
Q
Pump the brakes! You have two vintage Chris Craft Yachts? Are you some sort of super human? I have enjoyed following your work on the 46 for quite some time. Please organize a launch party when it is time to splash. I feel like I need to be there.
Thanks, Kevin! Will do!
Yup, I’ve got a 1968 Commander 42 and this Roamer 46. There were about three months seven years ago when I had those two plus our 1967 Constellation 52. Being a woody, maintenance was high. The Roamer refit was moving along, so we sold the Connie and got the fiberglass Commander as the knock-about ‘temporary’ boat. Once the Roamer’s in the water, we’ll get rid of the Commander and just be a one-boat family.
No more projects for me!!!
Cheers,
Q
A Canadian airplane manufacture during WW2 AVRO was looking to diversify In the late 50’s and came up with aluminum planking for boats.
It certainly was a novel approach!
Cheers,
Q