TOPIC: Introducing the 1978 Chris Craft - Lancer/ Stinger

1978 was the last year "Chris*Craft Inc" made boats (After that Chris*Craft was called "Chris*Craft - Murry" (yeah the lawn mower people...)
The Lancer model boat was one of their most popular, selling from 1968 to 1978 (manufactured from '68 - '77).
1135 were made in those 10 years of production. And, the size of those boats was anywhere from 17 foot to 26 foot with the 23 foot being the most popular. (And, my little 17 foot the least produced) In 1977, Chris Craft in Holland Michigan produced only 38 - 17' Lancers and out of those 38, Chris Craft made 20 that were called Lancer "Stinger", (a 17 foot lancer came standard with back to back lounge seating, typical of boats of the era, and a 185 HP six cylinder motor.) The 17' "Stinger", however, was basically a mini version of a Scarab, Fountain, Donzi or Checkmate boat of the time.
It had front bucket seats, a rear sun pad over the engine and (for a boat of its size...) a Chris Craft, 305 C.I. motor, pushing 235 HP connected to a Volvo 270 out drive (1:62 ratio) fitted with a 19 pitch prop...! All housed in a 24 degree, deep vee, hull.
My hull number is 8009 (being number nine of twenty).

The following year (1979) Chris*Craft moved their plants from Michigan and Pompano Beach, Florida to Bradenton, Florida and began producing real offshore "go-fast" boats to compete directly with Fountain, Donzi and Cigarette (Their smallest boat was a 27 foot racing style hull with two - 350 C.I., 350 HP motors. they called then Scorpions.
If you watch the first episodes of Miami Vice, you will see Crocket and Tubbs cruising through Miami in a 31 foot Scorpion. (that one was fitted with twin 455 CI motors pushing out better than 550 HP!)

So, here is my Chris Craft Lancer ~ Stinger... A really nice boat (and really rare...!) I am having an enormous problem finding parts or even another boat for parts...

Thanks for sharing the history and the boat. Nice boat... and I bet it can handle rougher water like the average longer boats like 18 or 19 footers. Good luck in your parts search. I skied behind a v bottom 17 foot 1970s crestliner with a 302. It would run over 50 and really surprise the traditional modern 4 and 6 cylinder crowd that just could keep up... and it was solid orange with orange interior to boot!

Just a little bump for an update...
Check out the recent pics of this Fiber-classic gem on my web site at:
www.oldcanterbury.com/lancer/lancer_stinger.htm

Nice page of pictures and info. I too am a user and believer in Sea Foam... always worked for me. That boat looks like it would handle cutting through other boat wakes of similar sized vessels without jarring your teeth loose...likely bounces little compared to my outboard stuff that just doesn't have the weight of your inboard mounted engine.

I’ve owned this 78 -19ft Lancer since 1980. It has been a great boat but it’s not a Stinger. The 280 Volvo Penta drive has never been apart and this boat is all original. I’m sure you will enjoy that 17 footer.

WOW is that a pretty boat. I also have an oddball lancer 17--mine is an outboard version. #26 of 60.

The story is long but this boat once was my Dad's in the early 2000's except I didn't know about this because I lived far way at that time. My friend bought it in 2007, and I had no idea it was my dad's boat. It was given back to me recently so I am embarking on the journey to make her shine again. The lumber in the pic was a rafter roof to cover the boat in 2011 and there she sat.

WOW is that a pretty boat. I also have an oddball lancer 17--mine is an outboard version. #26 of 60. 1971

The story is long but this boat once was my Dad's in the early 2000's except I didn't know about this because I lived far way at that time. My friend bought it in 2007, and I had no idea it was my dad's boat. It was given back to me recently so I am embarking on the journey to make her shine again. The lumber in the pic was a rafter roof to cover the boat in 2011 and there she sat.

The vhf still works.

I am going to start a different thread to help me document what this boat goes thru to come back to life. I have no illusions that this will be economical in any way at all. I believe that this boat came to me at the right time in my life so that I have a place and tools and some skill enough to restore this cool boat to honor my dad and his funky choice for his second Chris-Craft. The first was a 1969 Tournament Sportfish Flybridge 30. 40 years later, I am again scraping the hull of Dad's old boat.

Looks like a beautiful boat. And it was your dad's. Are you planning on stripping the old gelcoat or just sanding it back to sound and repainting? I recently "inherited a 1973 Crestliner with gel coat peeling off on one side and cracks throughout the bottom.

There was a bunch of what looked like patch up paint applications in a bunch od places over top of the gelcoat. Someone added a white bottom to what was a red hull so to answer your question, I used a paint softener on the topsides and it made the gelcoat pretty soft. I was able to scrape it off with a sharp painter tool. This took it down to smooth glass with a whitish layer under the red gel almost all of it came off nicely. I hadn't necessarily started off with that the plan but that is how the product worked for me so I rolled with it.
I intend to get it all stripped back as best I can then I plan to cover the whole thing with a few coats of epoxy high build primer and sand the thing eternally until it is ultra smooth and then paint it back all red with the white boot stripe. I have to fix what at some time was a big crack in the foredeck likely from big person standing up there too much or who knows. The old repair was not a success. Its going to take me all winter but I need something to keep me out of trouble anyway.

I thought I started the new thread but I don't see it. If I am stuck in moderator land, I will have to see.