Carver Owners Forum

Ok so you guys are going to love this and some maybe very jealous haha... any who long story short here I was given the opportunity to own a 1987 carver santego for FREE...... yes free title was just signed over to me yesterday haha. The boat is not in the 70% 80% percent range let say its a solid 50% good to go lmfao. i need to do some engine work but nothing i feel that is going to be a problem for me to fix.


while Im cleaning the boat and trying to get the batteries figured out, how many need to be there. Is it 2, 4, or 6, battery bank? Are the house batteries 12v, or 24, volt system? and would any one know what is the base daily amp hour that is listed by factory? Im trying to design a solar power system system around the boat that will power what every i need and could have enough battery power to last over night with everything on. not that everything would be on at night, im trying to be about over kill lol. i will be doing a 6 or 8 battery bank with the solar all agm deep cycles.

any pictures would be much appreciated or electrical diagrams would be tatas too thanks boys/gals

Welcome aboard.

While not the best setup, most applications have two banks; an engine starting bank and a house bank all controlled by a battery selector switch depending on the loads you're using at the time. How many batteries each bank contains depends on your particular boating habits and power use. When a generator applies, it usually has its own battery.

Don't know the type of battery charger you have but if you're going to spend money on AGMs, you should ensure you have a smart charger. They are better at maintaining proper charge levels and offer the option of selecting different battery types including AGM which old chargers don't. This is important as different battery types have slightly differing charge and float voltages.

In your case, it's likely that it's a 12 volt system unless a previous owner made changes.

Welcome to the forum......just a little advice here, consider making darn sure that the boat itself is structurally solid before you go ahead and make all these fairly expensive upgrades......Just my opinion, good luck with your new boat.

I agree the boat will likely be 12volts.

Post some pictures of this vessel. Depending on condition, the priority of fixing or upgrading needs to be firmly established before money is spent. Batteries would be pretty low on the priority list if there are structural issues that need to be addressed. I.E. If you buy new batteries today. Park the boat for a significant amount of time to do repairs. Those new batteries can be adversely compromised.

Ok, when you say you want a system that will power everything you want, what are you trying to power? Lights, stereo, refrig, TV? Do you want to hook up an inverter and try to run an air conditioner or other 120 volt appliances?
Yes, 99% chance your boat is 12 volt. Just because you might have 2, 12 volt batteries doesn't mean you have a 24 volt system. 2, 12 volt batteries connected in parallel, still gives you 12 volts, but doubles the amps. 2, 12 volt batteries connected in series will give you 24 volts.

Bud37 has very good advice. Make sure you have a sound, sea worthy vessel before doing anything. There's a reason why this was a free boat. Unless a good friend or relative was just being nice by giving you this boat, it was free because no one was willing to buy it.

I'd recommend paying for a survey. Just like if you were buying it. I used my survey as the priority checklist for initial maintenance when I purchased our boat - it was a real help. that will also let you know if there is something there of a critical nature that you don't recognize.

If its a 27 santego with no genny it most likely had 2 batteries from the factory with a 1-2-all switch. It will be 12v.
If its bigger and or has a genny most likely 3 batteries.
Again 12v configuration.
As others have mentioned check out the structure thoroughly before you spend any money. Make sure the stringers and decks are solid with no rot.
If it is outdrives and they are the old Volvo units parts can be hard to find and will have a premium price.
If it has the old mercury 3.7 liter 4 cylinders again parts are hard to find and expensive.
Go over it well before you start buying a battery bank.
Sometimes the cheapest boats end up being the most expensive.

Good luck and keep us posted.

Netfish...there's a lot of good advice being offered here by some pretty seasoned boaters. Proceed slowly and having the boat surveyed is a great idea. Yes, it will cost you $7-800, but it will be money well spent. I assume you are planning on getting insurance for your boat and chances are 99.9% your insurance company will insist on a survey.

I hear all the advice that everyone is saying. And I probably should have stated that im a diesel tech going on 10 years so needless to say what ever the boat needs itll get even if it needs stringers or whatever. Im am not by any means scared to go in and get stuff done. As far as engines go and getting parts I have ways of getting things haha. This post was more or less just making sure its 12v and was hoping for some pictures of the battery connection and whats what. Because im finding it a bit difficult to find wiring diagrams to make sure I have power going where it needs to. Here are some of the picture that I have of the boat now. She will be coming out of the water over the winter and will be gone through and when I feel I am at a good point to have the boat surveyed I will alot of supplies will be left overs from jobs from cleaning supplies miscellaneous items or bartering before i get surveyed then after that my upgrades will start. Most of anything now is ideas and planning and researching on how, and best way to get the most of my money. So really to keep it short I've been around boats know somethings or two, im good with my hands, can think out of the box and im not a wining little baby, and will be very very very smart about how I go about this. [image][/image]

I agree with everyones advice. No point in doing anything on this boat until at least one can determine if the hull/stingers/transom are sound. You can throw all the money/time into mechanical and cosmetics but if the foundation is compromised to a certain extent it may not be worth it in the end. Not saying this is not feasible, just that when people give a boat away there is sometimes a valid reason and is not always a stroke of luck. Welcome to the forum.