Carver Owners Forum

Can anyone tell me how to remove the radar arch on my 1996 Carver Voyager 320? How hard is it and how many hours are involved?

Sawzall.
Just kidding.

I have no idea, but when we bought our projectm, we had to take ours down to get under bridges.
The big surprise was the weight of the thing. It was just my wife me.
Get help if you do it yourself.

I have a 320 Voyager as well, thought of taking it off as easier to strip and repaint, but I have the same question as you regarding pain vs. gain. Good Luck!

Look for access ports or panels that can be removed close to the bases of the arch. There should be 3 or 4 bolts on each base. Cut out any caulking around the joint before you start unbolting. Depending on what you have fastened to the arch in terms of wired accessories will dictate what has to be disconnected or cut before the arch can be removed such as wiring for lights, radar, antennas, etc. I wouldn't cut a radar cable, and while you can cut coax cables and mend them with a coupler, every connection you introduce increases signal loss.

Fast forward to today - I almost died putting the Radar Arch back on the boat after it was taken off the truck and put in the water. First, the arch is extremely heavy. I had four people including myself and it was a struggle, primarily because the way the arch fits into the angel of the windshield on both sides. The best way to do it is tying the arch to a forklift or a crane so all you have to do is guide it in place. I almost fell off the back of the boat - about a 10' drop onto the engine covers trying to manual lift and juggle the arch into the windshield on both sides at just the right angle. Don't tempt death! Use something to do the heavy lifting for you or get six or more people.

Thanks for sharing your experience. We all can learn from it. Glad it worked out in the end.

Thanks for the update ....that is very helpful info..

Since I have the same boat, a bit curious as to why you removed the arch?

If you don't have a crane or forklift handy, you can also rig your own "gin pole" with a long 2x4 or 4x4 to take most of the weight. A block and tackle would allow the person running the "gin pole" to raise and lower the arch while the folks on each end guide it to the points where it ties in.