Thinking twice.

[bud37]

We did much the same thing you are thinking for much the same reasons, boat safety with the transom access and side decks to die for,.....but like I said we could only go so far with the boat years cause of the cost thing.....the newer layout is better for sure, they did make considerable small upgrades as the years went by and I have yet to figure out how they got down one more step to the salon.....good luck man...

[pepmyster]

Please don't get me wrong..... Love this boat, love all about it, love the lines and it handles extremely well.
Just those stupid thoughts when you see the other model come up. Really do not believe I'll be changing though.

[Midnightsun]

Pep, you been smoking that pot again?

[pepmyster]

Naw, Gotta stop going on my Yachtworld porn site. Thanks for everything guys!

[denpooch]

First let me 'second' Hans' comments on boating.
I own one of those 'quirky looking' Carvers and we love it! Went with an 2005 due to center berth. There is no doubt that Carver designed her with a 'function over form' philosophy. One might say 'T-Fal like' in appearance! (great one Hans!)
We looked at a bunch of other designs and manufacturers. Trawlers, express cruisers, downeasters, convertible cruisers, diesel and gas.
The admiral insisted that diesel was out of the question due to diesel fumes. The largest size that I can keep at our village owned marina was 36, so thats the size that I wanted. (41 would have been better). We found Carver and started focusing on the brand. We did look at 360 sport as well as 36 aft cabins. We inadvertently came upon the Mariner and once I got past the aesthetics, we were sold.
To this day, a friend has said "I love everything about your boat but the looks". Hey, I can appreciate that because it took a while for the looks to grow on me. But its kind of nice having a vessel that doesn't look like just about everything else out there. Besides, who is the boat for: 'us or them'? Now that being said... would it be nice to have a saloon that looks like it came out of a Moby Dick movie? Yes! It would also be nice to have a big wooden steering wheel ... but I don't. As Bud suggests, life is a series of compromises. After all, in my case the admiral and kiddies have to enjoy the 'digs' as well. (especially since one of my daughters is an interior designer and the Moby Dick look just wouldn't cut it!)
We are all very fortunate to be in a position to fulfill our passion of boating. Pep, you have a great looking vessel and you guys must remind yourselves about all of the good reasons that you decided to go with that model. I am sure that you and your admiral discussed the procurement in great detail before deciding 'thats the one'!
So think about Stephen Still's famous line: 'Love the one you're with'. Give it a few seasons; you can always take mjk's advice and move on. Stop stressing and enjoy your boat! Good luck man.

[pepmyster]

What a great read. Thank you for your time to write. Yes, this was only our first season with her. I was feeling much more comfortable with her at the end of the season. And , I do feel like the king of world while just puttsing down the river. We did buy it for us for sure. I want to thank this group for their inside and experience. Boat on and have a great season!!!!!

[RGrew176]

Did Carver design some "unique" looking exterior designed boats. Yes they did. But, they also made everyone of their designs very functional. They also did a fantastic job of utilizing interior spaces. IMO only 2 manufacturers were great at utilizing interior spaces Carver and Bayliner. Having owned both I will attest to that utilization of space.

Having said that I am speaking to boats that were built for the masses so to speak. I'm sure there are top of the line boats that I could have never afforded to purchase that also make great use of space.

[Midnightsun]

Having said that I am speaking to boats that were built for the masses so to speak. I'm sure there are top of the line boats that I could have never afforded to purchase that also make great use of space.

Not that I have seen. Got the opportunity to visit 3 brand new Italian Azimut yachts. They were delivered from overseas to the port of Montreal and were being driven down to Chicago for the boat show, fresh off the press so to say. They overnighted at our marina while en route, got myself a private tour of all three. What a disappointment when it came to use of space, even the head was almost unusable. Seemed like everything was designed based on aesthetics. I have been abord quite a few boats in my time and not yet have I seen anything that really makes my day practical wise apart from many offerings from Carver and Bayliner/Meridian.

As for Luxury yachts, they just build bigger to accommodate what is required and could not give a hoot about making use of what we consider valuable lost space. Sure wish I had a full height walk in engine room at times though.

[Cliffm]

We purchased a 2006 Carver 36MY which is an aft cabin model. We luv the layout and the room if affords, especially in the salon area. We like the enclosed patio area below the helm. The entry stair inhibit access by my parents as they both have hip/knee issues, and could not mange.

Realistically we both can foresee where dealing with stairs on/off the boat may become and issue. The "next" model will be direct access to salon, most likely NOT an aft cabin.

my 2cts

[pepmyster]

Thats a big plus for us on this boat. Since we love bungalows, walking direct from the dock to the salon is great!