Need Advice: To-Be Owner of 85 Carver SantaCruz

[SteveNKristi]

Hi all! My husband and I looked at an ‘85 26’ Carver Santa Cruz today. I’m including the description below. We’re pretty excited to be first-time boat owners and were impressed with the boat and the current owner. We live in Bellingham, WA in the San Juan Islands and we’re itching for something to tool around the islands in. Summer is blissful here, and even more so on the islands.

I’m sure it gets tiring to hear from to-be boat owners on this forum asking for advice, but if anyone sees this and has any advice to offer, we’d love your input. The owner is INCREDIBLY motivated to sell and we think we can get it for $10K. We’re up for a challenge and adventure — and my husband as a former construction worker is very handy with technical equipment (we also have a travel trailer that he enjoys upkeeping), and we have the right truck and a big shop to store the boat in, but we just want to make sure we’re not biting off more than we can chew.

Thoughts? We’d really appreciate it! Thank you! We’d love to make a decision by Monday.

1985 26' Carver Santa Cruz - very clean, rebuilt motor, 290 Volvo duo prop drive out-drive - everything works as it should - new batteries, full tank of gas, hot water heater, shower, electric head, 3000 watt inverter, not much for electronics but has a Lowrance, GPS, depth finder. Also has fuel flow scan, electric Windlass anchor, Bimini top on fly bridge, fly bridge cover, Bimini for aft deck. As you can see in pictures - interior is in great shape, - comes with EZload bunk trailer - $15000 OBO -

[buster53]

Sounds like you are new to boating.
If so, enlist the help of a buddy who is a seasoned boater to take a look at the boat with you and then after you buy this or any boat, spend a little time with you on the water to help show you the ropes.
Absolutely, take a boater safety class from either the Coast Guard Aux or the US Power Squadron. Then follow up with the Seamanship class that both offer. Both classes are well worth the time spent.
If you pursue buying this boat, have a written contract saying acceptance of the boat is contingent on satisfactory survey and sea trial. Once you come to an agreement with the seller, GET A SURVEY.

[Viper]

Welcome aboard.

Certainly get a survey as mentioned. I know it's hard but try and keep emotions out of this or you'll end up with something that could potentially cost you way more than what you pay to take possession. There's a lot of boats out there so if expensive red flags come up, walk away and move on to the next one.

Nice boat but the my first red flag would be those sterndrives. I'm not a big fan of sterndrives in salt water. They are a heavy maintenance item ($$) to begin with and the salt water environment increases that ten fold. Those lines of Volvo drives are also starting to become difficult to get parts for as some items are now discontinued. While some parts may be available through aftermarket manufacturers, some aren't and can be a challenge to find. If available, these parts parts are usually very pricey or heavily used and their longevity is questionable.

You'll want to inspect the drive and transom assembly components closely. Check the gear lube, and I would go as far as removing the drive and checking for water in the bellows. If you don't and there's water in there, it can be a very expensive repair. Some of those transom assembly models also had bearings that required engine removal to replace. Lots of components in the transom assembly so be diligent here or it can cost you big later. Having said that, when you're buying a sterndrive application, you must budget for annual maintenance and actually do it or it will get away from you and could eventually end up costing you a substantial amount of cash.

The other red flag for me would be who installed the inverter. This isn't something you want to take for granted as a DIY installation can be down right dangerous if done incorrectly or substandard hardware is used. If the unit is installed in the engine compartment, that's your first sign that it wasn't a professional install as there's only one brand safely rated for gasoline engine compartment installation that I know of.

Ask to see the documents for the engine rebuild. An "engine rebuild" is too vague IMO. What exactly was done, engine removal and complete rebuild top to bottom? A good rebuilder will have a record of exactly what they did with that engine. I trust the engine is fresh water cooled (coolant in block/manifolds)?

Other than that, the usual concerns apply as would with any brand; condition of stringers, transom, deck, flybridge deck, any area that's cored, mechanical systems.

Don't mean to put a damper on what is likely an exciting time for you but I don't have any emotion invested in this and am trying to point things out that may cost you a lot of money later. If you discover major defects later, what you think is a good deal now won't seem like it later.

Good luck and keep us posted.

[bud37]

Only thing I can add is to get a survey from a qualified surveyor......the last thing you need is one that just catalogues all the equipment on board so ask around first.

Sounds like you have a great situation with the shop to put it in and a trailer. Repairs if you need them will be fairly easy with that going for you.

Boats are great but the expense after buying can be astounding if bad luck strikes......good luck with your adventure here.

[bud37]

One more thing, just occurred to me......if you are asking here for specific issues with that model.....here is what I say.

Any boat that survives this long must have something going for it, but I will say , IMHO, that the condition of older boats has more to do with who has owned them over the years and how they were looked after far more than the name on the side.