Looking for 530 owners. A few questions.

[John Easley]

G'morning all.

We are preparing to buy our next boat and retire to a cruising lifestyle. We're largely "off-gridders" who prefer to drop a hook in a quiet cove somewhere. At the very top of our list is the 1999 to 2006 530 Voyager Pilothouse with Cummins 6CTA engines. I've read all of the manuals, toured the factory, and been aboard a couple of 530s that were for sale. At this point, we'd really like to get some information from actual owners about their actual use and experiences.

1. What engines do you have?

2. At what speeds do you normally run your boat, on plane or more like a trawler at seven or eight knots?
2a. What has been your fuel burn rate at those speeds?

3. During a cruise, do you anchor out (or mooring ball) or spend most nights in a marina?

4. For those that travel slow and anchor out, how is the side-to-side roll when underway compared to other boats you've been on or traveled with? (of course, wind and current and other boat traffic is a major factor)

5. Have you ever crossed over to the Bahamas? If so, how fast did you go across the Gulf Stream?

6. Any issues with the boat that you would consider a flaw with the model? For example, have you had any issues with windows or hatches leaking?

Thanks for any details.

John

[3dognight]

1. Volvo TAMD 122P EDC 610 hp
2. On Plane, 21/22Knts – if snotty out 17/18Knts- WOT 27Knts
2a, @ 22knts 44-46GPH depending on conditions
3. Only had the boat since May 2018 but I do both. Running the Gen 24/7 cost about $80 day/ marinas up here run $3-$6 a foot per night for transient slips + $15-$25 per night for 50A service. Most 530’s have an inverter so if you don’t need A/C or need to wash clothes, and your house batteries are large & in good shape- you should not need the Gen 24/7- I have 2 8D’s for the house bank
4. I ran my boat down from Boston to long island, about 150miles in all sorts of conditions, I was very supprise at how well the boat ran. Too many “Carver’ stories out there. Not saying the 530’ is an offshore battlewagon but when things got snotty we slowed down to 17/18knts and I fell asleep while a buddy drove. My last boat was a 50’ Cruisers 5000sedan and I find the performance as nice in many ways
5. Never crossed over to the Bahamas but there is a posting on the Carver Owners FB page from a guy with a 530 as well as another 530 at Hope Town, Abacos. The second 530 belongs to his SIL. Has a nice Pic of them side by side. On my Bucket list to do soon
6. No leaks yet, PO bought the boat when he was 60, sold it to me at the age of 77- had it for 17 years so you now he was happy with it. I had my Cruisers for over 12 years, it was PilotHouse style also. The 530 feels way bigger. While running from the lower helm, the 530 does have a blind spot for most of the stern. The rearview Cam seems to give good coverage but I’m not used to it yet. So far everything seems to be very well made and accessible
Feel free to ask me anything

BTW> I had Cummins 8.3's 450HP in a 41 Formula and they were great engines!

[John Easley]

Excellent info! Thanks, dog. That helps a lot and reinforces our preliminary opinion that a 530 might be the right boat for us.

[Alaska 530 Voyager]

John, did you pick up the new 530? I have one and am quite happy with it. I agree with 3 Dog Night about the capabilities of the 530. Brought mine up from Seattle to Alaska and experienced all kinds of different weather and currents. She handled just fine. Just keep the bow up in the air whenever the weather is snotty and especially with a following sea. 530s don't mind well with a following sea when you have the bow pushed down. I run full bow down trim when the Prince William Sound is at 2 ft or less. She runs 2 kts faster from bow down to no trim when at cruise. I run 18 at 18 cruise. I rarely run at trawler speed. Mine doesn't like to run on step below 1750 rpm, she develops a hase. She falls off step around 14 kts. All in all, a great boat.

[John Easley]

Thanks, Alaska. What do you mean by "she develops a hase" below 1750 RPM?

Haven't bought a 530 yet but going to look at another one today.

[Alaska 530 Voyager]

She doesn't run well on today's diesel fuel. Diesel packed a bit more punch back then. She drops boost below 1750 so doesn't have enough air to burn all the fuel. I definitely recommend the larger engine package if you plan on a lot of on-step cruising. I believe the 530s were designed to cruise at 16 kts but they ride so much better at 18 plus. Like a lot better. Either way, a great boat.

[Alaska 530 Voyager]

To answer a few more of your questions, side to side roll is not bad at all. I love the 4588 bayliner so I'm not bashing but I owned the 4588 for 5 years. The 530 rolls much less when at rest. And all other situations as well. My 530 does take on water through the 4 oval porthole windows in the bow if I am leaning into the swell too hard. Keep the hinges lubed so they seat evenly all the way around and they seem to be managable.

[John Easley]

Great info, Alaska! Thanks. We'll look for that when we check out that boat today.

[Alaska 530 Voyager]

Sounds good. Exciting stuff, keep us posted.

[John Easley]

So, yesterday, we were shown three boats and they were all very different. A Silverton 453, which is an aft cabin model, a 530 Carver, and a 42 Grand Banks trawler. We all know every boat is a compromise and, as expected, each had some features that we really liked and some we didn't.

Interestingly enough, all three boats were equipped with Cummins engines. The Silverton and the Carver both had the 450 hp 6CTAs and the Grand Banks had twin 250s. This gave a sort of unique opportunity to compare apples to apples, so to speak, within a few minutes of each other and get a real feel for the engine access.

The salon/galley/dining arrangement on the Silverton was awesome and very roomy/homey. The engine room is accessed through a door in the VIP stateroom. It isn't quite stand up but was easy enough to get around in. Unfortunately, the outboard side of the engines are tight against the fuel tanks and this makes accessing the port impeller and the starboard starter a challenge. The sound-insulated generator was under the salon floor but wasn't terribly annoying in the master stateroom. The laundry facilities amounted to a Splendide 2000 combo washer/dryer. We don't have a particular problem with a combo unit as long as it is vented, and this is, but separate units would be better. The wood finish on the interior seemed to be top quality.

The 530 Carver had a number of advantages. The ease of entry beat the other two like Bruce Lee smacking around a bunch of bad guys. Ease of entry, not just for use but for our 100 pound Lab, is one of our big criteria. We think of it as "water-level access." Like, from a floating dock or a dinghy. Being able to walk straight on with minimal effort is a big factor for us and the Carver has it. There were many, many things the Carver had going for it including a separate washer and dryer, larger master suite, dual station helm, and an engine room with so much access that I could do the cha-cha around the engines. The salon/galley and, if you're willing to designate the pilothouse lounge area as the elevated dining area, the ding area felt roomy enough and quite comfortable. Storage was generous and standing on the dock, looking at her, she just looked like a classic yacht.

The 42 Grand Banks was a Motor Yacht design. It was cute and quaint inside. The master stateroom was a bit smaller than the others but had an impressive amount of storage. It had been upgraded considerably and, like many trawlers, had dual helm stations. The salon was cute but more cramped than the others and there was no "water line access." The engine room was accessed through the salon floor (ugh) and getting to the outboard side of the engines was almost as much of a challenge as on the Silverton. The GB had many features we appreciated and the price was quite reasonable.

We learned a few things yesterday. At the end of the day, we ruled out the GB and gave the edge to the Carver for many reasons. Our search goes on, better informed.