Carver Owners Forum

Hi all,
My wife and I are seriously looking at a 05 Carver - 33 SS. I have a huge concern and hopefully I can get some opinions from some of you. We absolutely love the layout of this boat. It is designed into basically 3 zones and we love that. 1. entertaining 2. cooking/dining 3. sleeping/head area. Our concern (and its a big one) is the v-berth bed. When you lay on that bed with your head forward toward the V (which is the way it is designed) it is so tight that your nose has about 6 or 8 inches of clearance from the top of the boat. It is close to the point of being somewhat claustrophobic. We have been on 2 of them so far and crawled up into the bed both times and we just can't get past the fact it is so close in that area. We spend a lot of time on our boat and when your spending the kind of money that a 2005 demands, it scares me to think that something isn't perfect. My hope is that someone else on this site has spent some time on this model boat and can give me their opinion. It would be much appreciated.

The 33SS is a beautiful boat, and was renamed the 35SS in 2007 and the 36SS in 2008.



Why don't you folks look at a 36 Mariner, which has a similar sedan bridge layout and may address your concerns? I don't seem to experience the same low headroom you are describing in my Mariner bed.




Good luck on your search and purchase.

Go with your instinct - don't let someone else talk you into purchasing one if already you feel that it's got issues for your boating style. Consider what After Taxes suggests - I guarantee you that with the concerns you already have, regret would set in very quickly.

After Taxes wrote:The 33SS is a beautiful boat, and was renamed the 35SS in 2007 and the 36SS in 2008.



Why don't you folks look at a 36 Mariner, which has a similar sedan bridge layout and may address your concerns? I don't seem to experience the same low headroom you are describing in my Mariner bed.




Good luck on your search and purchase.

Thank you for your input. I actually have looked at a 36 Mariner and you are exactly right.......nice boat and no issues at all with head clearance. I actually like the 35 also. Huge bridge area and great for entertaining. I just have a chance to buy this 33 SS at a really good price, but if there are concerns it would probably make no sense to pursue that boat.

Lyndon670 wrote:Go with your instinct - don't let someone else talk you into purchasing one if already you feel that it's got issues for your boating style. Consider what After Taxes suggests - I guarantee you that with the concerns you already have, regret would set in very quickly.

That is very good advice. We just are struggling because there are a couple things we really like about this boat that other Carver models don't offer. Sometimes I feel like no boat has the perfect layout for us.

We did the exact same thing. There was a 33SS in Chattanooga, and while I liked the layout, that headroom over the bed was just way too close. We found an 04 36SS in Hendersonville (and then moved there near it, instead of moving it to Chattanooga) that fit the bill.

Bonus of the 36 over the 33, headroom over the bed is much better, dinette is up and has a really nice 360 degree view out the forward windows and to the rear, with the stairs going down into the sleeping/head area off center and curved, there is no straight sight line from the dock through the large sliding glass door down into the sleeping area. Adding further to privacy, and the very separate living areas. Cockpit, Helm, dining/cooking, sleeping. It is amazing what the couple of feet added gave that boat.


I'm a bit biased, but look for a '04 36SS.

I didn't think they were all the same hull, the LOA changed with each model. Also, look at the Silverton 33SB - it's an awesome take on the style.

Good luck with your search

CaptBob wrote:We did the exact same thing. There was a 33SS in Chattanooga, and while I liked the layout, that headroom over the bed was just way too close. We found an 04 36SS in Hendersonville (and then moved there near it, instead of moving it to Chattanooga) that fit the bill.

Bonus of the 36 over the 33, headroom over the bed is much better, dinette is up and has a really nice 360 degree view out the forward windows and to the rear, with the stairs going down into the sleeping/head area off center and curved, there is no straight sight line from the dock through the large sliding glass door down into the sleeping area. Adding further to privacy, and the very separate living areas. Cockpit, Helm, dining/cooking, sleeping. It is amazing what the couple of feet added gave that boat.


I'm a bit biased, but look for a '04 36SS.

Thanks for the info....we looked at this boat 3 different times and just can't get past the fact that the bed is so tight to ceiling really bad design. My brother had a 04 36ss............very nice boat. Don't like the toilet in the shower, but could live with it.

With absolutely no disrespect intended to anyone with that model, I would like to comment on the head which is located within the shower stall. We moved to the Carver from a Cruisers Yachts 320 Express, with one reason being that we disliked showering with a wet toilet, and so we very much wanted a boat with a separate shower, and are enjoying it immensely. If this is an important feature for you and family, it may be worth your consideration.

After Taxes wrote:With absolutely no disrespect intended to anyone with that model, I would like to comment on the head which is located within the shower stall. We moved to the Carver from a Cruisers Yachts 320 Express, with one reason being that we disliked showering with a wet toilet, and so we very much wanted a boat with a separate shower, and are enjoying it immensely.

I agree. When I took my first look at my 81 3007 Aft Cabin I was mildly surprised to find a separate shower in a 30' boat. I too like having a shower that is separate from the head area.