Carver Owners Forum

My name is Jim and my wife's name is Alberta. We are looking to purchase our first Carver and complete the Great American Loop.

My grandfather taught me to operate his 14' fishing boat with an 18hp Evinrude when I was very young. Alberta and I have been boating all our lives but never anything bigger than 18'.

Anyway, our hope is to acquire a Carver, move it to a lake near Fort Worth, TX and learn how to operate it. Ultimately taking it to Galveston to start our journey.

We are considering an 2002 Carver 410 Sports Sedan. Any thoughts about that model? I am trying to figure out how to calculate the fuel burn on the different models and configurations. Any suggestions?

It is great to find this group and we hope to become official Carver owners within a year.

Welcome aboard and good luck with your search.

Welcome aboard!

Welcome Aboard and hope you find the Carver of your dreams.

Below is a write-up from the PowerBoat Guide Book. Those 410's look like nice models!

Fuel burn will definitely be dependent on your cruising style, but you can probably expect 0.5-1.0 MPG on gas. I see diesel is an option, and if you're really looking at long distance cruising you might try to find out outfitted with them. Won't save much on fuel costs, as diesel has been more expensive than gas for a while, but will greatly extend your range.

er... if you're range increases with diesel, then you burn less over the same distance... so you do have lower fuel costs...

however: quite an adventure to get your first big boat and great to have such a trip as first journey!

Phrancus wrote:Source of the post er... if you're range increases with diesel, then you burn less over the same distance... so you do have lower fuel costs...

however: quite an adventure to get your first big boat and great to have such a trip as first journey!

All depends on the cost of the fuel. Back when gas and diesel were about the same price here, that would have been true. For the last (many) years though, diesel prices have risen to about 50% more than gas (just saw a quote this morning of one place where it was 75% more than the gas at the same station!). So, even with diesel propulsion generally being about 30% more efficient, you're still losing the battle on the overall price at the fill-up place.

It all depends on the relative prices though, so that may vary quite a bit country-to-country.

Welcome aboard! Ask any questions that may come up. Going from 18' to 46' is a BIG step. If you have a specific 410 in mind, make sure to have a very good surveyor do a comprehensive survey on the vessel. Also, find a very good marine mechanic to go through the power package. Engine hours and how the vessel was treated during it's existance is paramount to how nice she looks. If I were thinking The Great Loop, I would highly recommend diesels. Fuel consumption is important, but can't really be reliable in a formulatic approach, due to all the different conditions impacting the engines performance. Throttle level, water action, tides, temps, etc. You will figure that consumption out by cruising experience only. The vessel is very good quality, especially when considering cost/value ratio. Good luck & congrats! er