Carver Owners Forum

i am surveying my 1999 new purchase ( subject to survey ) Sept 10.
I am a very experience boater and my last 4550 Bayliner Pilothouse which I owned for 12 years was fantastic in most areas even though Bayliners reputation for building quality boats in terrible
The 1987 4550 was lacking for sure in finish work..electrical and fixable upgrades like that...BUT...
Her semi displacement hull was amazing. I was a rough sea cruiser. Along the Atlantic Coast a couple of miles off shore running from East Rockaway to Montauk was often done in 3 to 5 and sometime 4-6 seas. She ran like a champ...I ran along side Hats and Vikings and while i could not keep to speed wise, my 4550 was seaworthy and took the seas well.
NOW FOR THE 450 VOYAGER
1. I have been told from research and a former Carver salesman the following:
2. Hull thickness is lacking
3. Glass windows are too thin and can break easily
4. in a 3-5 Sea the 450 Voyager borders on dangerous with a pounding ride and she is a very very wet boat
4. There is an issue with tabbing ( not trim tabs but the tabs attachments connecting the hull to the house)
WOULD SP APPRECIATE ANY CURRENT OWNER IN PUT ON THIS
MANY THANKS SCOTT SGRODY@GMAIL.COM

Interesting. I'll be watching this thread.
And welcome aboard!

Thanks Waybomb...I hope I get some answers...

Hi 450 Voyager Owners or Owners to be...
I had a 1 hour conversation with a Virginia owner. What a great guy and a very experienced and knowledgeable yachtsman!
He has had his for 3 years and is selling in now to buy a sailboat and do a circumnavigational trip...WOW!!!
He has upgraded his Voyager to the enth degree and from what he told me they were all the "right upgrades" nothing that was critical but important if you want a near perfect vessel ( nothing is ever totally perfect)
He is a cruiser and does not push or cowboy the engines. He said his bow thruster is a tremendous help when docking.
He likes to always operate at a level two on the controls to maintain better control of the engines because the lower rpm level one is just toooo low.
He said that at lower speeds the boat is a good sea keeper in a sloppy ocean and the ride is just fine. He said the boat is NOT a wet boat...unless your on the pins in a 2-4 short chop. She handles well is all sea conditions...following,head,quarter beam and full beam sea.
He said he would take $170 and its listed for $180 and in my humble opinion well worth it. Its a 1999 with 16 hours and listed on Craigs List. Good Luck!
Scott

I have owned my 450 Voyager for two years now. We purchased it on MD and brought it to Lake Champlain Vermont. We ran off shore from Cape May to NY harbor in a variety of seas building to 12 foot plus. The boat ran and handled flawlessly without any wet conditions at all. I am planning to retire with this boat bringing her to Narraganset bay for the summer then down the coast to Florida, the Bahamas and Cuba. I couldn't imagine any issues with this boat.

There is a David Pascoe article that focused on a Carver years ago that brought into question "hull thickness" as a factor of strength. The internet folly ran with this and Carvers have been condemned since this report with inaccurate, uneducated comments about poor designs with flimsy hulls due to hull thickness.

There was a time in ALL CONSTRUCTION where wall thickness was thought to increase strength. This is simply no longer true and has not been true (in marine construction) since the science of fiberglass construction became mainstay. As with unibody construction on cars, it is the design of components of the construction that is the key to its strength. Who needs a hull that is 1/2 inch thick? Can you imagine the sheer weight and power required to move it at planning speeds? It would simply not be affordable or economical.

The thickness of the hull is basically only a factor on places where two pieces of materials are being joined and one or moth of them are going to be experiencing a torquing moment, a load bearing variable or a potential impact. Decks, keels, swim platforms are such areas.

My 506 is a tank. I have drilled through my transom to install underwater lights and am happy with the 3/8 thickness of the transom. My boat weighs more than my best buddies 50' Searay by a thousand pounds. Does that mean mine is stronger and his is weaker? No, just a different design.

Our boats are all designed to safely navigate nearshore and inland lakes and rivers. Would I run my boat from Miami to Bimini? Absolutely, and in 12 years when I retire I will by doing exactly that. But p, as my boat is not a Norhaven or Grand Banks or Kadey Krogan, I will pick my day of departure wisely - just as the Captain of the Norhaven, Grand Banks or Kady Krogan would.

Your 450 Voyageur is a fantastic blend of style, comfort and utility. Get a hull and engine survey and enjoy your Carver.