Carver Owners Forum

Hello, I am looking at the Carver 444, 2001. I would really appreciate some input on a couple of things before I make an offer.

Is a bow thruster an essential item to have on the 444?

How low an rpm can I cruise at for long periods without adverse effects on engines? I would be content to operate at trawler speeds most times

Thanks in advance for any input you might have!

What engines does it have? With diesels it's essential that you are not over propped. If that's the case you can run at 80% of WOT all day long. Running at trawler speeds all day is fine but try to spool them up for the last 1/2 hour so.

If you dock in a Marina, I see no need for a thruster. Rivers and currents can be dicey. I had a gas 4207 and never needed a thruster, and a gas engine swings smaller props.

CYO Admin wrote:What engines does it have? With diesels it's essential that you are not over propped. If that's the case you can run at 80% of WOT all day long. Running at trawler speeds all day is fine but try to spool them up for the last 1/2 hour so.

The engines are 370hp Cummins diesels. I have read that diesel engines need to run at around 1800 - 2200 rpms to come up to temp otherwise you do damage to turbos and rings. I would like to get max range and mpg rather than speed on long trips, around 1200 - 1500 rpms.

waybomb wrote:If you dock in a Marina, I see no need for a thruster. Rivers and currents can be dicey. I had a gas 4207 and never needed a thruster, and a gas engine swings smaller props.

Thanks for input, the diesel eng 444 I am considering does not have bow thruster. I only have experience docking a single engine 28 footer.

The 370's are great engines... might be worth joining http://boatdiesel.com/ ... worth every penny, IMO.

"The engines are 370hp Cummins diesels. I have read that diesel engines need to run at around 1800 - 2200 rpms to come up to temp otherwise you do damage to turbos and rings. I would like to get max range and mpg rather than speed on long trips, around 1200 - 1500 rpms."

Not true.

With any engine, you want to warm them up before leaving the dock. Diesels do not like idle, so once fired up, throttle them up 200rpm for a bit until they are warmed up. Most trawlers are diesels and run at 1500 rpm for hours on end. My 506 is on a big lake in central Ontario and to get to Georgian Bay, it takes me 8 hours at about 1100rpm (8kts) through the Trent River system. That is hull speed, and the engines aren't even breaking a sweat. Even out in the big water, my "cruise" is nowhere near the recommended cruise or WOT. I also am in it for range and not speed.

Tomion wrote:Hello, I am looking at the Carver 444, 2001. I would really appreciate some input on a couple of things before I make an offer.

Is a bow thruster an essential item to have on the 444?

How low an rpm can I cruise at for long periods without adverse effects on engines? I would be content to operate at trawler speeds most times

Thanks in advance for any input you might have!

I have one with a thruster. Love the boat. I'm in a windy area, run the boat every weekend just about but don't use the thruster all that much. The thruster is really nice to crab to/off fuel docks for example. Anything over a 15 mph wind the thruster is overpowered. I also don't like to use it much because current draw is about 500 amps.

The higher the rpm the more fuel you will burn. Hull speed on this boat is about 8 knots. I have volvo 63ps in mine and it's about 1300 rpm to run hull speed. On plane I run 400rpm off of WOT at about 17knots fully loaded.

Good luck and ask any question you have.