Carver Owners Forum

I just bought my first boat, a 1986 Carver 3207 with twin Crusader 270's. My buddy said I should replace the manifolds and risers. Where can I find the best and cheapest options for the manifolds and risers? Any other recommendations or suggestions?

Welcome aboard. I would concur considering it's a salt water application. Any good marine retailer; store or on-line can get you what you need. Aftermarket hardware is fine for this application.

If you haven't already, change the impellers, fluids, all filters, ignition components, and a basic visual of all hoses, belts, etc. Check for water in your fuel.

If you have Crusaders, there’s a pretty good chance that engine is fully freshwater cooled, meaning the closed cooling circuit has anti freeze running through the manifolds. If that is the case, your manifolds should last as long as the engine block as far as rust and corrosion goes and most likely do not need to be replaced. Risers are a different story and need to be replaced periodically. They do not have antifreeze running through them.

When i bought my boat a few years ago, a 1983 2807 Riviera, i had water in my fuel which i didnt realize. Luckily i checked all the hoses and they were in AWFUL, scary shape. Definitely do as viper says, and welcome!

Following up on buster53's comment, you need to figure out if your system is a raw water system or a version of freshwater cooled. As he noted, that would drastically change what you need to do.

Do you have heat exchangers on the engines?

And also... Viper's post is spot-on. Lots of folks with "new to me" boats end up with a lot of frustration because they skip over that initial maintenance. Even if the seller said they did all that stuff, unless you have unequivocal proof that it was actually done, consider that information "dated".

Welcome to the forum and boating.......how long do you think you will keep this boat ?