Carver Owners Forum

This is my first winter with my 1996 Carver Aft Cabin 355. I think I will be okay with a small electric heater in the cabin to keep things from freezing. (We are on Pickwick Lake between TN, AL and MS) EXCEPT, the swim platform shower seems susceptible to freezing. Can anyone tell me where the shutoff valve is located for the swim platform shower?

Jerry, my 1998 355 does not have a shut off valve(s) for the swim platform shower. You could pull out the assembly and add a pair of valves. Also your dock side water connection is most likely next to the shower and also doesn't have a shut off. All of this piping is in the cavity between the inside (swim platform side) and starboard side of the hull. This area is not insulated and will not benefit from any cabin heater you may keep running. If you have periods of below freezing weather, you may want to rethink this.

Thanks
Tom

Tom, When I did the sea trial the swim platform shower didn't work. I put it on the list to fix and was told it was just disconnected for the winter, and it was back on. I'm going to try to contact the previous owner through the broker.
Thanks, Jerry

I agree with Tom. These will be the most susceptible items as they are right up to the hull in unheated spaces. Try pulling the shower fixture off. They may have simply capped off the hot and cold water lines there. You'll need to winterize the valves and shower head though or they may freeze and crack.

The shore water inlet may also freeze so you may want to cap the line to it but you should blow through it also so that any water in the valve/regulator doesn't split it too.

Do you have an ice maker or sink in the cockpit that will be exposed to freezing temps too that you need to be worried about also?

If I were in the same conditions, I would plumb in shut-off valves in an accessible space in the boat with a means to drain those lines like a T and drain valve. This would make it easy to prep for winter without having to undo lines every year.

Jerry, you can get to the ice maker and wet bar water line thru the wall panel at the foot of the aft cabin bed. it'll be above the opening. You'll have to cut it and cap it or do as Viper suggest and put in a valve with a drain. To my knowledge, unless the previous owner put it in, there are no shut off valves on anything. you will have to put ur own in or disconnect and cap any lines you want to drain for the winter months. Our 1998 355 AC/MY is plumbed with 1/2" Pex, hopefully your 1996 is too. Watts makes some great fittings and valves, inexpensive and easy to work with. Mike

Thanks for the help. I was talking with another owner at the pier and he brought over his shop vac. We turned off the water pump, took off the shower fixture, taped the shop vac on, opened the cold water valve and opened up each water fixture (one at a time) and blew out all the water int he system. He said that's what he does, never a problem. The aft deck sink and ice maker valve idea sounds good. I'm going to try that.

Jerry, after you disconnect the icemaker line and its empty, run the icemaker until it quits making ice, that should get all the remaining water out of the ice maker. Mike

You must winterize the lines and valve so they're empty as Mike suggests. If there is no water pressure in the line, simply turning the unit on will not get rid of the water in the line or the water valve solenoid. You can disconnect the incoming line to the valve, turn the unit on and then blow air through it, that will clear the line to the water valve, the water valve, and the line to the cube assembly. You can vacuum the water out of the cube assembly or as Mike said, put it through one last cycle to get rid of the water in it from the lines you blew.

Do you ever use the boat in the winter? i also live in TN but I use my boat year round we still enjoy our mild winters in the south. I don't winterize anything but my outside ice maker I have 405 which is much like your 355. I have a bilge heater in engine compartment and one in the rear bilge area that heats the area where the shower and fresh water inlet are located in the molded in swimplatform this has been fine to keep this area from freezing. I can also remotely monitor my boat bilge and other temps from my phone

If you have a washdown for you anchor, you may want to drain that line as well.