Carver Owners Forum

Happy New Year
First post on Carver forum ,
Boating long time ,
Retired couple ,
Ports - Cape Canaveral & Daytona
Recently selling a 2003 Regal Commodore 30 ft
Boatless since Aug , took advantage of this hot market ,
Needed a little break , time has come too start searching
I like the lines on the Mariner 35 ,
There is one tha has my interest 2000 ,
Has twin Mercruiser 6.3 or is 6.1 , 305 hp
Concerned about rising fuel costs , and mph use on a boat this size
Cabin appointments looks perfect for the two of us & dogs ,
Objective, water condo, few weeks travel within Fla ,
Owners what are the Pro's , Cons of this model
Room in engine room too work
somewhat easy access too fuel tanks, dirty water , A/C unit ,
seldom speed , most times 10 knots , what can i expect too burn per hour or per mile on twin engines described .
what are your thughts on that boat

Thanks

Welcome aboard! My friends had a later year (2003, I think?) and they loved it. They used it a lot and eventually moved up to a SR 48 Sedan Bridge. You have access to the engines from the hatches right above in the cockpit, but it is tight, especially if you have a generator. I'm not sure it was available on all years, but on his the rear cabin benches also lifted (electrically) to give access from the cabin too.

Here's a write-up from an older PowerBoat Guide:

Welcome aboard and good luck with your search.

A friend of mine has been running one for the last 10 years. Just loves it, puts the func in functional. The only negative he ever complained about was gas consumption. He has 8.1s in it. er

I had one of these.........the 6.1's are great on fuel if you keep the hull in the water around 6-7knots, at 10 you are pushing water and will use a ton of fuel more than on plane ( around 14knots )
Runs along nice, is stable, but I will say not fast.
Engine compartment Ok, on this year access is only from the cockpit hatches....the stairs do not lift inside, hatches leak if not watched and cleaned. Check the output shaft seal on the v drives for leaks. Genny raw water impeller change is brutal.....you are warned.
Great layout, stand up separate shower. Comfortable salon.
The bridge is big and is really good if the canvas goes all the way to the back, really needs a cockpit canopy to finish it off.
Nice wide side deck walk arounds with high railings.....no ladders.

Bow seat is also a good thing, some bow storage, also storage under bridge coaming behind the bow seat.

Oh I forgot to mention....you can access the engine ECU's to see the record of how the engines have been run if your mechanic has the appropriate programming.

Good luck with your search....

Totally agree with bud on speed. If you are concerned with fuel consumption, either run hull speed or less, around 7 knots or get up on plane. In between is not good.

The mariner has a nice ingle level layout.
If you are concerned about fuel consumption, either keep it at the dock or buy a camper.
It will burn at lot more than your 30 Regal but will be much more accommodating and comfortable.
You will most likely find it to be a more than fair trade off!

Thanks for your responses ,
Retired couple in cental fl
Not nieve too fuel burn ,
Leave at Dock ( thanks Tom ) Camper not cheap and camp sites are as much as a motel room , Only imagine what folks traveling must deal with constant traffic and road construction
No such thing as a mass produced pefect boat ,
Presently have options trying too avoid issues that bugged me with Regal
I am old school , frugal in many areas , things have too make sense ,
I am at ( was ) boat multiple days weekly , Sometimes sleeping aboard
wanted too do weeks trips , load boat wife , dogs and head someplace , few weeks ,
Did many local trips with Regal but it was a weekender , tight , limitted storage , fine for two nights but weeks on end ?
, I kept Regal 10 knots , nice slow comfortable speed , Dont enjoy going fast , No matter what I did , burned one gallon a mile on those twin 4.3 Volvo engines ,
turned out Carver i had interest in needed 1 engine rebuild , plus all external parts replaced both , plus manifold / risers , generator not operating , not used years , seats torn , bottom seldom cleaned , very disappointing , Plus seller had his head up his -------- on pricing , Needed 30 grand or more , Cabin was nice roomy
will keep searching ,

Good idea to stay away from that one. Owner has not taken care of her. You did see how roomy the Mariners are. Sounds like it may be a better fit for week cruises. If it doesn't bother you to go slow, you will probably see similar gas consumption as that Regal. The Carver is at hull speed at about 8 knots, and a good running vessel will not consume serious amounts until you get to 2500 to 3000 RPM. As the RPM's increase they get thirsty. I would not characterize you as frugal, you are financially responsible. At least this experience gave you a better idea of what will fit your boating preference. Are you primarily in salt water? People do not realize how much fresh water Florida has in certain areas. er