Carver Owners Forum

I am looking at purchasing a 1996 Carver 355 aft cabin with twin gas Crusader 454 XL engines rated at 350 HP each. The engines are very clean with only 470 hours and are NOT fuel injected. I have searched all over the internet for realistic cruising speeds, gph, and mpg rates and the numbers are all over the place. I would like to get some real world information from someone who actually owns and uses this same boat and setup. My wife and I really like the layout and space for the size of the boat. We will mainly cruise in the PNW (San Juan Islands) where everywhere is within 40 miles or less. Also, any known or common issues with this model to look for would also be helpful. I already know the aft aux fuel tank inside the swim platform are known to leak. (This one does as well)

I have a 1998 370 Voyager which is built on the same hull but less structure. Mine has 454 Merc's which are fuel injected and cruises at 20 kts and burns 30 gals/hrs.

You both might consider buying a GPS enabled FloScan for your fuel burn.
I installed one on my 4207 gas engined boat when I had it. You would be surprised how much difference in few burn per hour a few degrees of trim tab and a few hundred RPM make.
I believe I paid for my instrument in one season.
So much so that I have one in my 3697. Again, slight changes make huge differences.