Carver Owners Forum

Wow... been lusting after sailboats since boy scouts.

As a (wannabe) pirate that looks at 60 (the new 50), I took the plunge on the dark side and bought a 1984 Carver 3607. It wasn't without decades of looking, admiring, lusting...

Lust for the sailboat, but 'practicality' of the 'floating condo' won out. Yes, I regret burning the dinosaurs and would love a hybrid - solar and batteries would be great, realistic? Survey revealed some issues, and I have addressed the safety, bulbs. Lots to learn about AC DC strainers filters radios unlabeled switches and pull switches ...

The dock master, Earnie helped us move her into her new covered slip in Washington, NC. All the neighbors have been extremely welcoming. I immediately admitted to being an 'newbie' and was welcomed, although there were some hints of 'snipe hunt' and 'left-handed smoke shifter' over adult beverages at the dock.

Today, we took her out by ourselves - it was early, the wind was light, and we just had to do it for the first time. Got out of the slip well, progressing 15 mins in a no wake zone and the starboard engine alarm goes off - looks like low oil pressure, so, I turn her off. I forget to take her out of gear, but chalk that up to inexperience. Anyway, restart the starboard engine, and no problem after that, but watching the oil pressure gauge all the time. We test cruise for about an hour, do some backing and spinning on a dime to practice backing into a dock. Got her up on plane somewhere above
9 and then she seemed to jump to 14 without any more throttle - the gps is real old, but seemed to track knots well.

Made it back to dock without any issues, but the 'neighbors' were there to help with the lines if needed, but for the most part (with no wind or current), we managed by ourselves.

It felt wonderful!

Welcome to the forum and Carver, Ken....good stuff, sounds like you have good support where you are, have fun and good luck.....

Welcome! I have an 83 model of the same boat, so if you have unlabelled switches, just post a pic and I might be able to help out (if they were not add-ons by a PO!). I really like the classic look of these boats, with a little bit a flare to the bow.

Welcome aboard!

Welcome Aboard. I have an 81 3007 so you have the bigger sister to my boat. You will enjoy all the room that an aft cabin model provides. Take your time to learn how she handles. Winds will be a factor with these boats although yours will be a bit heavier than mine. In all honesty it took me about a year and a half to get fully comfortable handling my 3007. Now I have no issues sometimes I even look like a pro coming into the docks.

Hope you get lots of enjoyment from your 3607.

Oh yeah, we love pics so post em when you got em.

Welcome aboard.

Welcome!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Welcome aboard! I have a Mariner 330 with V Drives. Similar to RGrew, it took me a season to get the feel of docking in different weather conditions. The hardest part for me to get familiar with was using throttles to compensate for wind/current. Once I mastered the effect of horsepower to direction of bow/stern, it all fell into place. Just remember the "golden rules". Keep your rudders straight and trim tabs up, stop before spinning, don't panic! Rubbing on something slow is way better than hitting something with momentum. It is easier the buff out a streak, instead of patching fiberglass. Your boating colleagues will always help. ( Sailing is wayyyy too much work, and harder on relationships )

Cooler

Nine months and a near miss by a hurricane later, we spent our first night on the hook.

Biggest issue was dodging the crab pots, but found a quiet spot on the Pamlico near Aurora on a cool night, so we didn't have to run the generator for A/C.

It was everything I'd dreamed about when buying a boat. I even kayaked out to get some pics. Grilled shrimp, Jimmy Buffet on the radio. And, the boat started up in the am!

Made me forget the new starter, A/C unit, running out of gas, etc. Even did a pretty good job backing her into the dock.

Lots of small projects - leak at stuffing box - not sure if tightening or repacking needed yet.