45 Commander Sport Fisherman

Although the Chris 45 Convertible was in production for nearly a decade, she never achieved the widespread popularity among hard-core anglers of the Hatteras 45 and 46 convertibles or the Bertram 46. The 45 Convertible went into production in 1972 on a heavy, broad-beamed hull with a sharp entry and a nearly flat bottom at the transom. A conventional two-stateroom, galley-down interior was standard, and a three-stateroom layout was also available (one of the first three-stateroom arrangements ever offered in a production boat of this size). Notable features include overhead rod storage in the salon, a big tournament-style flybridge, and good storage throughout. The large and well-organized cockpit includes two fish boxes, a livewell on the centerline, and a wide transom door. On the downside, a transom door was never offered and the wood salon bulkhead requires a lot of maintenance. After playing around with the idea of gas turbines in early production models, a variety of optional diesel engines were offered over the years. Among them, a pair of 425hp 8V71 Detroits cruise the Chris 45 at 18–20 knots and top out in the low 20s.