Carver Owners Forum

Hello Carver Boatmates-

I am in the process of purchasing a 1986 27' Montego aft cabin with twin Mercruiser 4.3L, 4 cyl 190hp engines. I would be grateful for any member comments, whether positive or negative as to the boat and/or engines. It will be surveyed by Feb 15, 2025.

Thanks, and Happy NY!
Gary Guy

Welcome aboard Gary. I think you may have a mid cabin rather than an aft cabin unless there's an aft cabin build I'm not aware of. I suspect you have sterndrives, though I'm pretty sure they also had shaft models (inboards) with v-drives. If sterndrives, check the condition of the drives and the transom assemblies as they can be pretty expensive to fix depending on what they need. Sterndrives in general are pretty heavy maintenance items. If you keep up with annual maintenance, you'll avoid major $$ repairs.

I'm sure the surveyor will check the common structural areas like decks, stringers, transom, etc. but some don't get into major mechanical components like the engines, drives, transom assemblies. If your surveyor doesn't inspect the mechanical stuff, get a mechanic to look at them or it might cost you big bucks later.

Good luck and keep us posted.

I believe the 4.3's are V-6's. I had a 4.3 LX in my 1995 Bayliner Capri and it was a V-6. They are really good engines in my opinion.

Welcome aboard!
4.3 is a V6.

I had a 1988 2757. That is the biggest 27' boat you can find. Make sure the stringers are checked, especially where the engines mount. I had to repair mine in 2000. Also, if you have the 190LX engines they are 3.7 liter 4 cylinder engines made by mercury marine. They are fresh water cooled aluminum block and a cast iron head (the head is from a ford 460). The 190's have a rodchester 4 barrel carb. It will be a little slow to plane under heavy load, but otherwise run well. It will want to cruise at about 28mph and top out about 32.
The problem is these engines were only made for a few years. Parts are very hard to find and very expensive when needed. Many parts are only used with these engines.
If the boat is solid and the engines are bad, replace them with 4.3's.

Thank you, tomschauer!

Thanks, Fred. I will confirm which engine with the broker. I haven't physically seen the boat yet.

Thanks, Rick!

Thank you, Viper. I will be sure to have the boat inspected by a qualified surveyor, including all mechanical systems.

P.S. Viper- You are correct on the cabin location. It is mid-cabin, not aft-cabin. Listing stated it was aft.