Carver Owners Forum

HI:

I am looking to move up from a 25ft Crownline. There is a couple of Carvers for sale in my area (Lake Lanier, Ga). All Mid 80"s boats. A 1985 3227. New engines with 75 hours on them. Boat looks very nice. Another one is a 1987 2827.

Can you tell me of any common problems with these boats that I should look for or steer clear of.

Thanks

Bruce J. Scheck
Crownline 250 CR
Lake Lanier, Ga

There's no thinking about it. Get it surveyed and buy it. Then welcome to the Craver world of boating!

Survey, survey, survey. Money well spent with the right surveyor.
Ask around from people that have used a surveyor - they will lead you to a good one and away from bad ones.

I think you'll find that for the most part, pretty much every boat of that vintage is going to have similar concerns like above average moisture readings on the deck around anything that's bolted to it like stanchions, anchor hardware, hatches, etc. Unless you know what to look for yourself to narrow it down to a couple of possibilities that deserve surveying, it's kind of tough to pick a couple of contenders without really knowing if they're even close to being good possibilities based strictly on their physical condition.

Look for obvious things like stained headliner and any other evidence of leaks that may indicate a bigger underlying problem. While some spider cracks in the gel is normal, wide cracks could indicate a structural glass issue in that area. Look for discoloured areas in the gel, this is usually an indication of a repair. This isn't necessarily a bad thing unless the repair involved a structural remedy that wasn't done properly or the discolouration/colour match is so bad that it'll just keep bothering you.

Look at how the boat was kept and maintained. The lack of maintenance or cleanliness is a pretty good indication that the owner just didn't care and is a good indication of the condition other systems may be in and that you may be in for some additional spending. While it's understood that every new purchase no matter the boat usually entails additional expense to update/upgrade, the last thing you want is to have to replace hardware on a regular basis because it keeps failing due to lack of maintenance by the PO.

Try to get Service/repair records. You want to see regular maintenance like oil changes every year, tune-ups every few years, impeller changes, etc. Were there recommendations made but no repairs to remedy? Was the boat being used/run or just sitting there? Have a compression test done, and a vacuum test. Do a visual on the exterior of the engines looking for things like cracked hoses, bad belts, wiring, rusted components, etc. Check the condition of engine oil and tranny fluid.

Do a visual of the wiring throughout the boat. You're looking for proper connections using approved marine connectors, not marrettes! What condition are the batteries in? Will they hold a charge? Are they clean connections? Is there a smart charger?

I've only touched on a fraction of what you should be looking for. There's a lot to consider but if you can get past the butterflies when you first get on board a potential candidate and look for what's really important, you'll start to see things that will help determine if it's the right boat for you or not. Then you can start thinking about what colour carpet you can go with. Start looking for a model that fits your needs in terms of room, storage, accommodation, seaworthiness, etc., then go through some of the items above, and take your time looking through each boat, and take notes.

A warning, you may come to have an emotional attachment once you buy a vessel and acquire some memories but when buying, you must put emotions aside and make a decision based on facts, needs, wants, etc. Put your business face on.

Good luck in your search and keep us posted, we're here to help.

Thank you for that great info.