I am about to install a wireless remote helm control to the 506 drive and thruster system. I developed the system a few years ago for my Searay and installed and used it to single hand the boat as my wife is not comfortable handling the lines on the larger boats of late. I built and installed several of these systems on Cummins powered Sea Rays with electrically controlled drives and electric bow and stern thrusters. Installation on the Sea Rays was pretty simple and straight forward with the dual controls with separate drive levers so the remote receiver could be mounted adjacent the electronics locker and a short wire run to the controls harness. On the Single lever Volvo powered Carver 506 I have to parallel the drive control in the engine room and run a wire loom to the helm where the receiver will be mounted. I am wondering what the path is for the engine room wiring loom from the Helm to the Engine room. Are there any 506 owners here that have done any of their own work requiring wire runs from the helm to the engine room?
I have an owners manual for the boat but Carver's manuals suck compared to Sea Ray, My next stop will be to call Carver for specific drawings.
One I have the system installed and working Ill post if anyone is interested in one for their boat. It is similar to a Yacht Controller for a fraction of the cost.
CarpeDiem

In the water today! Hope to bring her home on Sunday.

Hello,
I need to find a replacement rudder port for a 28ft Mariner. The part number on the casting is 51232 but I'm coming up empty searching on-line. It's for an 1-1/4" shaft and by best measurement appears to be a 12 degree angle. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.

I'm a new Carver owner - 1986 36' - and batteries are not charging. Here is a shot of the starboard alternator. It looks shot to me and have a mechanic coming out 4/20, but what is the rectangular item wired to it? The regulator? See pic below

Spider Crack Repairs

As spider cracks are a universal issue (even on new boats), I thought I would start a thread on various ways to repair spider cracks that occur on boat decks.

This IS something you can do yourself.

Shallow cracks (gel coat only):

- Fill with a product called MagicEzy (made in Australia) https://magicezy.com/. I haven't tried this but have bought some and will post results of my experiment. With MagicEzy you just clean out the existing crack and fill. No dremmeling. No gelcoat afterward. There is also a video for an epoxy product called Araldite Standard (http://www.go-araldite.com/outside-the- ... r-standard) which demonstrates the same principle. Clean the heck out of the existing cracks using denatured alcohol, and press a long working-time epoxy down in the cracks with a plastic edge. Wipe off excess. Practical choice for large surface areas.

- Dremmel cracks (don't go beyond gel coat) a bit wider and fill with gelcoat. This is only practical for small areas.


Deeper cracks (into underlying fiberglass):

- Dremmel cracks into the fiberglass a bit wider and fill with epoxy to below the surface, properly prepare (wash and sand), and cover in gel coat

- Deeper cracks that appear to result from continuous stress (e.g. under ladder stanchions) should be reinforced from underneath with an additional layer of fiberglass roving and epoxy.

- For several or larger repairs on non-skid surfaces, a recommended suggestion is to roll on Kiwigrip (again from those innovative folks down under: https://www.pyiinc.com/KiwiGrip/) onto the entire non-skid area after repairing with epoxy. No need to deal with gelcoat, texture matching, color matching, etc. Recommended by a very good (and meticulous) marine surveyor.

Regarding gelcoat finishing:
This should be done with wet-sanding using soapy water. Surface should be prepared with 120 grit prior to applying gelcoat. After applying gelcoat, instructions generally start with 250-400 grit and finish with 1200-2000 grit, with at least two stages in between (i.e., increasingly finer grit). Polish, wax.



Regarding gelcoat repairs (i.e., matching gelcoat, applying gelcoat over a repair) I recommend the following videos. They are EXCELLENT.

1. Gelcoat Color Matching (Part 1)


2. Gelcoat Color Matching (Part 2)


3. How to Apply Gelcoat


4. Sanding Gelcoat

Good day to one and all. Looking to get an air purifier for our boat to operate while we are not there. Is it worth it? Maybe to keep it from being stuffy while not there. Any suggestions or am I just wasting my time thinking this.

I want the wood flooring look for the swim platform of my carver 36 mariner

Anyone know where I can get it? Can I do it myself

Has anyone removed and cleaned out the track for the salon sliding door. I have a 2004 466

I have a friend who wants to buy a 1986 32’ Montego in Detroit and have it shipped to Phoenix. Any suggestions on who to use? The boat does not come with a trailer.

New to owning a Carver. My previous boat was a 40' Regal cruiser. After docking in windy conditions I have decided a bow truster might be a good investment. Doing some research and came across the sideshift.

https://sideshift.com/products/monohull ... thrusters/

Has anyone used one of these? Seems like a good fit at a very good price.

There are other external thrusters on the market but this seems to be the clear winner.