Carver Owners Forum

I am replacing my Davit with a Presto Marine XL500 hydraulic lift so in preparing for the install I removed my current davit. Access to the the hardware is thru the 4 access holes on the platform deck. When I opened the covers I discovered really poor craftsmanship in the attempt seal the cellulose core. The installer simply smeared silicone sealant around the edge which of course did little to seal over time. They did not seal the actual frame of the access hole so water just seeped in.
As a result I have quite a bit of rotten core to remove. As far as can tell, the damage is limited to an inch or so in from the cuts, the core is just soaked so over the next few 90 plus days I will leave all the holes open and see if it will dry out enough for me to dig out the bad core and replace with reinforced filler to seal. I can detect little or no soft areas on the deck so I am not planning to tear up the deck. there were two Weaver Snap Davit plates still installed and I found that there was no sealant nor even nuts on the bolts!
Word to the wise, before you hire modifications done to your boat that is near of under the water line, make sure you get specifics on what the plan is to seal the area. There are a lot "mechanics" out there that either have no clue or just don't give a damn about their work. This is why I NEVER let anyone touch my boat. I am blessed with the background and experience to do my own work and I know that not everyone is. I feel so bad for those who are held hostage and have to rely on the "professionals" to do the job right.

That's a shame. It appears you have have the oem carver dock box also. Looks the same as my 405. Theres has been lots of issues with these boxes and this also allowing water intrusion. I was lucky my boat has lived in a covered slip but still had some rot to deal with. I would strongly suggest (did I say strongly?) Remove and inspect and/or reseal with epoxy or your method of choice. Carver did not seal the mounting holes where it is mounted to the deck. I found no sealant. If it is the box I think it is. It's 2 pieces you will have the inner liner that is caulked in to remove. Once removed you can then access the mounting hardware and inspect the deck there also and repair or reseal. Better to know what's going on especially now that you are already working in the area.

Thanks g36, I will heed the advice!

Carpe Diem wrote:Source of the post ....I feel so bad for those who are held hostage and have to rely on the "professionals" to do the job right.

I feel for you but we shouldn't paint everyone in the industry with the same brush. A "professional" wouldn't do it that way! A "professional" would have removed the core around the cutouts and filled the voids with thickened epoxy.

That is why the Professionals is in quotes, I know that most of the professionals out there will do the right thing, I feel for the customers that get screwed by those that don't. I spent my life as a professional aircraft mechanic that ran my own shop and saw many repairs to aircraft over the years that were well below standards. I was embarrassed as a member of the community that there were those among us that would do such poor work but charge big money for it because the owner had no clue as to what was being done.

I agree with you there for sure. I'll be the first to admit that some marine techs shouldn't be in the business of fixing anything, and they give the rest of us a bad rap.

Unfortunately very common....too bad really when you consider the cost of these assets.

Well the good news is after sitting open for three days in the arid California air, the core is completely dried out, probably since at the moment the platform looks like swiss cheese due to so many mounting bolt holes that will be abandoned. Now I will countersink the holes, fill with Dyna Glass filler, hog out the affected core and fill that area as well. Ill let it sit for a few more days for insurance.

If you do pull the dock box i be curious to know how the mounting holes look.

g36 wrote:Source of the post If you do pull the dock box i be curious to know how the mounting holes look.

I started looking at that project and an not too excited about it. They used a lot of caulk on that! I an very curious though about the sealing if the mounting holes. I would think that with no skimping on the rest of the caulk how could there be no sealant on the mounting hardware? Oh yeah, it is Carver we are talking about! Since they are out of business I don't mind ribbing about the goofy things I run across. Please, as fellow owners, don't take it personally. It is in no way meant to denigrate those that own and enjoy their boats. I just have a pet peeve about crappy workmanship found in American made products when we were raised in a era that touted "Buy American" and that good ole American quality is number one!