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pros and cons of older carvers
Discussion in ' Carver Yacht ' started by timvail , Mar 20, 2010 .
timvail Senior Member
We have just recently sold our sea ray and are looking to purchase between 35 to 40 foot MY. We have been looking at carvers as we like the layout. We have recently heard some discouraging news regarding the older ones. Any comments or suggestions would be most helpful.\tks tim
wscott52 Senior Member
I don't know specifics, someone here will, but the Carvers I've been on didn't seem very well built. I think Sea Ray is generally a better built boat. I did have a marine surveyor once, after ragging on Carvers, tell me Silvertons were surprisingly well built boats.
CaptTom Senior Member
My family and I had a 1987 34 Silverton Convertible for 17 years. Based in Long Island, NY, we cruised all over the south shore, around Manhattan, tons of offshore ocean fishing, even up the Hudson to Albany. Nice, solid hull, all glass at least below the waterline. Drilled a hole in the bottom for a transducer and the plug had no wood or coring. Had it in 6+ footers a few times. It's not always the build of the boat that makes an experience good or bad but the experience and knowledge behind the wheel. Anyway, sleeps 4 comfy, 6 is possible, you'll have more options with kids (i.e. took the dinette table down and had my infant son sleep on the dinette floor on blankets, worked well. 40-fotters around the late 1980's had same type of layout but much more room, which may suite you.
RER Senior Member
Not sure what you mean by 'older' ...some people think a 2002 model is old. With an older boat, and I'll assume you mean at least 10 years old, I don't get too hung up on model year or brand. If it's 10 years old or 15 years old what matters to me is the care the boat has received and the condition that it's in. When I buy an older boat I look at it like I'm paying the seller for care and upkeep during the period of time he's owned it. I value a knowledgeable owner/seller as much or more than a particular brand.
mbgator New Member
Older Carver's Last summer we purchased a '85 Carver Riviera. 28' with twin crusaders. Very well maintained. We are the 3rd owner, first had it for 17 years and loved the boat dearly. The 2nd owner just kept it at the marina and didn't use it. After a thorough survey, weeks of cleaning - we are very proud of her. Solid boat for a 28 footer.
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By older we mean something late '80s. Specifically we had been looking at 3607's or 3807's. And in the mid '90's, perhaps the 355. We'd always thought Carvers to be solid, well made boats....there are certainly a number of them around here, and are popular, but after doing a little research, have heard a number of sources tell us that they are not as solid as they appear. mbgator: contrats on your Riviera! Just a few years ago that was our "dream boat". But at the time, they were out of our range and now we'd like something a little different. Nice boat though!
Fireman431 Senior Member
I have a 2001 Carver 374 Voyager. I am the second owner and picked it up after realizing what a decent boat they really are. I have done a lot of research on the Carvers, Silvertons, Meridian (Bayliner), Maxums, etc. The older Carvers, generally older than the early 90's, weren't constructed as well. They had foam and coring below the waterline and lots of wood in their stringers. As the manufacturing process progressed, they had to come into compliance with stricter guidelines for the NMMA certifications. My vessel has no coring (fiberglass only) below the waterline. TONS of sealent between fittings and with all fasteners, very nice fit & finish to all fiberglass parts--no giant gaps to fill in with caulking. The interiors are some the best in their mid-range cruiser class. Just make sure that the boat has been preperly cared for and all maintenance completed as scheduled. Good luck on whatever purchase you make.
geriksen Senior Member
We work on a lot of them here. Quality is between Silverton and Sea Ray. The biggest problem we see is that they had layup issues that lead to massive blisters. Big, deep ones. I have seen some that almost go all the way though the hull on Carvers.. The Santego's are actually great boats but don't sell very well. The old 4207 was a great boat with 3208 cats. Some of the other models are just plain goofy. We call the Mariner "the orthopedic shoe" After 2001 they all sort of look like plastic bubbles like Meridian, Silverton, etc.
CaptTom said: My family and I had a 1987 34 Silverton Convertible for 17 years. Based in Long Island, NY, we cruised all over the south shore, around Manhattan, tons of offshore ocean fishing, even up the Hudson to Albany. Nice, solid hull, all glass at least below the waterline. Drilled a hole in the bottom for a transducer and the plug had no wood or coring. Had it in 6+ footers a few times. It's not always the build of the boat that makes an experience good or bad but the experience and knowledge behind the wheel. Anyway, sleeps 4 comfy, 6 is possible, you'll have more options with kids (i.e. took the dinette table down and had my infant son sleep on the dinette floor on blankets, worked well. 40-fotters around the late 1980's had same type of layout but much more room, which may suite you. Click to expand...
carver boats Thanks everyone for your help. I hope a good surveyer can locate the concerns that may arise in the boat we choose.
Regarding your surveyor: 1) They hate it, but watch everything the surveyor does. I had the survey done on my boat and they provided everything including compression tests on the engine. They indicated each cylinder pressure, took oil samples for the engines and genset, pulled the boat and checked the hull, out drives, shafts, seals, etc. However, I discovered that they forged the cylinder pressures because there was a broken plug that they missed plus one that was seized in the cylinder head. That was because the big fat surveyor couldn't get his bug butt on the outboard side of the engines. 2) Get a reputable company. There are fly-by-night compaines that won't certify their results. Get someone that's beenin business for a while. 3) By sticking with the surveyor and asking questions, you're likely to learn somehing about the vessel and what to look for on your own. I learned a lot about what to look for on the hull and shafts when I pull the boat for zincs and visable inspection.
geriksen said: We work on a lot of them here. Quality is between Silverton and Sea Ray. The biggest problem we see is that they had layup issues that lead to massive blisters. Big, deep ones. I have seen some that almost go all the way though the hull on Carvers. Click to expand...
NYCAP123 Senior Member
Fireman431 said: Regarding your surveyor: 1) They hate it, but watch everything the surveyor does. I had the survey done on my boat and they provided everything including compression tests on the engine. They indicated each cylinder pressure, took oil samples for the engines and genset, pulled the boat and checked the hull, out drives, shafts, seals, etc. However, I discovered that they forged the cylinder pressures because there was a broken plug that they missed plus one that was seized in the cylinder head. That was because the big fat surveyor couldn't get his bug butt on the outboard side of the engines. 2) Get a reputable company. There are fly-by-night compaines that won't certify their results. Get someone that's beenin business for a while. 3) By sticking with the surveyor and asking questions, you're likely to learn somehing about the vessel and what to look for on your own. I learned a lot about what to look for on the hull and shafts when I pull the boat for zincs and visable inspection. Click to expand...
joe miglio New Member
mbgator said: ↑ Older Carver's Last summer we purchased a '85 Carver Riviera. 28' with twin crusaders. Very well maintained. We are the 3rd owner, first had it for 17 years and loved the boat dearly. The 2nd owner just kept it at the marina and didn't use it. After a thorough survey, weeks of cleaning - we are very proud of her. Solid boat for a 28 footer. Click to expand...
Capt J Senior Member
wscott52 said: ↑ I don't know specifics, someone here will, but the Carvers I've been on didn't seem very well built. I think Sea Ray is generally a better built boat. I did have a marine surveyor once, after ragging on Carvers, tell me Silvertons were surprisingly well built boats. Click to expand...
Joe Thanks for reaching-out. We loved our Riveria and occasionally discuss how much we enjoyed the boat. When first purchased, the survey returned a single page of recommended items, all cleared-up within a weekend. Very little was noted, and nothing structural. Very solid boat, easy to handle and a breeze to dock. While not as fast as a 30 Sundancer, she was easily as stable and had twice as much 'livable' room aboard. Fuel consumption is relative, but I ran her at 17 - 18 knots and averaged about 20 gph at that speed on Lake Michigan. I could keep her on plane at as little as 15 knots before she fell-off. One downside to note - she's not a 'dry boat', the bow doesn't have enough flare to keep all the spray off the windshield, but that wasn't a problem. Does the boat you are looking-at have A/C, is it gas or diesel, genset installed? Keep us posted.
Cindy F New Member
We are also looking at a 1986 Riviera and would appreciate any comments about the boat. It has been completely restored inside with all new cushions etc. It seems to have been very well maintained. I 've read a lot of negative reviews about Carver boats, especially the older ones. We don't plan on any long trips, just want to explore the SW Florida coastline. I'm wondering if it may be a good little boat for us, as its very roomy below. The price is $30,000, so for the money, we can't expect too much. The engine has been refurbished and has 700 hours. Any thoughts on this boat?
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