Carver Owners Forum

Hi everyone! I’m new to the forum and looking forward to becoming a Carver owner. We are in the process of buying a 1991 330 Aft Cabin. My wife and I love the layout and the amount of space Carver packed into a 33-footer. The survey identified a few minor issues and one possible big issue. The surveyor reported that upon opening the salon door he faintly smelled gasoline. We have been on the boat twice and did not notice an odor. I have not owned a boat with engines under the salon so I’m wondering if this is normal. The surveyor checked the engines and visible areas of the tank for leaks, but all looked well. We have a sea trial tomorrow and I have asked that the gas tanks be filled to check the fuel fill hoses and top of the tanks. I bought an endoscope to check the back and top. I wouldn’t think aluminum tanks in a freshwater boat would be a problem. Possibly the fill hoses are degrading and are more permeable. Does anyone know if the fuel fill hoses are accessible?

Also, the survey noted that the escape hatch in the aft cabin appears to be fixed. Is that normal? Maybe we are missing something.

This is a great forum, and we are very appreciative of all the information you share.

Good luck. I hope your sea trial goes well. And, Welcome Aboard.

Welcome hope your sea trial goes well. You shouldn't have any smell of gasoline, it doesn't take very much to give off a smell bit I would be very delegent about checking every where for any leak. Check anywhere there's a hose clamp/fittings and fuel filters very carefully.

Welcome aboard!

Welcome aboard. The fact that the surveyor could smell a slight gas odor is concerning. The fact that you did not with 2 visits is perplexing. Are there stairs to the salon? If so, check to make sure the seams next to the stairs mold is sealed. Also, find out how long the salon was closed before the surveyor opened the door, or open prior to your visits. Gas smell is scary, so be extremely careful. If the boat was moved shortly before the surveyor got onboard, and the doors were not closed, he could have experienced more of the station wagon effect to exhaust odor in the salon. My Mariner salon doors have to be closed and latched to stop that exhaust odor when cruising. Sometimes there is a general boat smell in a vessel if the cabin is shut for an extended time, but that would be more of a mix of fiberglass, head odor, and just stagnant air. Should ventilate quickly when opening that door, but the initial smell is not pleasant. An odor neutralizer, like Kanbarra gel, will mitigate that. This is a head scratcher. Should not be a gas smell at all, if everything is normal. Good luck! er

Yes, it's an issue that needs to be addressed, but you could buy that boat without the issue and have to deal with it 6 months later. Inspect the fill and vent hoses fully. They could easily be cracking from age and might need to be replaced. I would not pass on an other-wise good vessel for something like that. Sometimes it's a pain to re-run those hoses, but far from the worst project on a boat.

Welcome to the forum.....

Really you can get a raw gas/ fuel smell after a boat has been sitting if a carb is leaking into the intake and a few other things......hoses and fittings are all replaceable easily, carbs can be rebuilt easily ...the one issue with an older boat is the fuel tanks corroding in hard to get to places. These are not easy to replace and can be an extremely expensive repair, just go slow here and cross things off the list.

Could even be the fuel tank vents, boat interior heats up and creates a chimney effect pulling air from outside. Lean on your surveyor and mechanic to help. Good luck going forward.

FYI...it only takes a very/very small amount of fuel for the human nose to detect the vapour.

EDIT..... Just to add, gasoline fuel leaks can be explosive under the right conditions so be careful if there is one and have your mechanic check ground/bonding continuity between the fuel fill fitting and ground system while you are at it.

I have a '92 33' AC. I also filled the gas tanks completely, until gas ran out the overflows, with the the cabin closed up. Then I waited about 10-15 minutes to re-enter the main cabin, pulled up the center floorboard, jumped in and did the nose test. That is the "static fill" test. Then, if no odor, I started normally, after opening up the cabin and running the blower, and moved the boat back to it's slip. I shut down and immediately did another engine room nose test. Then I closed it up tight, left overnight, and did a 3rd nose test the next morning. Any gas odor found MUST and fixed. I found none, the AL tanks looked good where they were visible, but the hoses would have been hard to reach. If you smell any....that's where she's gotta sit until fixed!

One cup of gasoline, fumed, is equal to 6 sticks of dynamite, I'm told. I have survived a gasoline explosion.....never again!!

If gasoline leakage is detected, I personally would continue to shop...lotta nice 33's out there! But that's just me!

My 33 passed the above, so far it is fine, but I always inspect the engine room immediately after shutdown, for gas odor, oil level, exhaust system elbow/riser/hose "touch" temperature.....too hot to leave your hand on means it's over 120 F...bad for the hoses and silencers.

And yes, the aft cabin "escape hatch" is non-removable. So if we are trapped by fire in the main cabin, I keep fire blankets back there and a large fire extinguisher to (hopefully!) use to smash out the plexiglass. I have not yet found an opening window kit.

Good hunting! It's a great layout.
Phil Little

Welcome!!!!!!!!!

Thank you everyone for the answers and the warm welcome! We sea trialed the boat and all went well. I checked the fuel system thoroughly and could not find any leaks or degradation of the fuel fill hoses. The tanks looked good with no signs of external corrosion. I gained access to the fuel fill and vent hoses through removable panels and checked them by rubbing a rag over them while filling with gas, no odor on the rag. There was a slight smell when first opening the salon, but it smelled more like normal engine/boat smell than gasoline. I realize it's a 33-year-old boat, so it's bound to have a few smells and issues to work out. We are moving up from a 1978 Trojan, so it seems like a new boat to me!

My wife and I are excited about the boat and we're glad to join the Carver family. I'm sure I'll have more questions. Thanks again.