Carver Owners Forum

I'm a new member, hi everyone. My wife and I are considering purchasing a '99 Carver 380 Santego with twin Cummins 330B engines (so 660 HP total). We're based in Seattle and will be using the boat for cruising throughout Puget Sound and as far north as the Broughtons. We've been shopping for about six months. We started out focused on '80s trawlers, but then decided we wanted to have something a bit newer, with better maintenance support, and a vessel that could get up and go when needed. However, we anticipate running more slowly (~8-12 knots) the large majority of our time on the water. We really like the layout and functionality of the 380 and it will fit into a 40' slip, which are much easier to find that anything larger.

So, what I am interested in hearing is input on how this 380 Santego will handle typical Puget Sound cruising conditions (meaning in decent weather). Will the boat ride reasonably well at slower speeds? How will it handle increasing wave and wind levels? What kind of conditions would you consider to be it's comfort limits? Is this a good hull/vessel for cruising in Puget Sound from Seattle through to Broughtons?

Thanks for your help!

Welcome to the board. I'm sure you would enjoy that boat but you should check the id plates on the engines. The 330 Cummins in my '99 404 are actually 210hp.
..Aaron

Please don’t run 8-12 knots. All you are doing is wasting a lot of fuel and kicking up a big wake which won’t make you any friends.
Either run at or below hull speed, around 7-8 knots or get up and go on full plane, probably 17-18 knots and above.

Good comment, buster53. Yes, I should have said that I'd be cruising at hull speed the majority of the time, which should be around 8 knots as you said.

Welcome Aboard and good luck on your search. We love our Santego, but unfortunately I can’t help you with the area where you will be boating.

Santegos are very roomy boats hope you have many good times aboard yours.

That Santego is a sweet boat. All kinds of room for comfort and guests. It is a planning hull, so a little flatter deadrise. I wouldn't call it "get up and go", but more like "ggeeeeeeeetttttt uuuppp & go. Top water rider, and feels like a Rolls Royce at hull speed in light wave action. Can get caught up in windy conditions in tight space. Would not want to go out in one of your Pineapple Express conditions. Great to sit at dock when that happens. If you want spec info on the engines, call 1-800-DIESEL with one of the engine serial numbers. That is Cummins and they will have more info than you need. The boat is actually 41'8" LOA. If you get into one of those picky marinas like mine ( absolutely no overhang out side of slip ) then 40' will be "off by just that much". I do not want to talk you out of a Carver, especially that Santego, but you may want to look at a Main Ship. They marry the trawler design and MY design pretty darn good. They will have more bite in 4 ft seas due to the bow design. Good luck. Let us know how the transaction goes. er

Thanks for your comments, Cooler. I definitely will stay home when we get a storm brewing here. I'll follow up with Cummins on the specific engines, as you suggested, thanks for that tip!

seabigoh, did you end up buying the diesel Santego ?

Jcamp wrote:Source of the post seabigoh, did you end up buying the diesel Santego ?

Seabigoh hasn’t posted in almost 2-1/2 years. Doubt you will be hearing from him.