1996 Carver 355 ???

[tonyiiiafl]

We are in final stages of negotiations on a 1996 Carver 355. As we have walked the decks a bit, I noticed that the flybridge area has a bit of "bounce" to it. I saw or felt none on the aft sundeck or the lower main salon level. HAs anyone ever experienced this? I am 230 LBS and I "jumped" on the deck and it shook a bit. Could this be delamination or am I just paranoid? ANY info would be great!

Tony

[waybomb]

I would have the surveyor give extra focus to that area. Could be a delam or soaked coring.

[Viper]

230 lbs jumping around will cause a little deflection but I'd take Fred's advise and have a surveyor assess. You should be getting him to go over the entire boat anyway.

[tonyiiiafl]

A survey is a MUST! I was just asking if anyone may have an inkling if this is a normal thing on a CMY before spending the $600.00 to tell me what I may already know. Looks like a great boat with only 236 hours on it. We shall see!

[bud37]

There is something you could do to help yourself .......we bought a good moisture meter and practised with it.....that way you can find areas of concern or just flat reject a boat before you get the surveyor involved.......that being said we still had a boat fail a survey even after doing all that.( stringers and rudder supports) almost impossible to check properly with a meter.....sounds like you may have a gut feeling though, hope it works out ,that is low hours for a 20 year old boat....

[Viper]

While the surveyor may charge a minimum for coming out, you can point out the areas of concern that you have now and have him check those first. If he says that area is bad, you can have him stop before he spends the whole day on her.

[Lyndon670]

No offense to the original poster, but I am still stunned each time I read about someone dropping some serious coin on a boat without first hiring a qualified and reputable surveyor. I am confident in both my mechanical knowledge and my knowledge of marine construction, but I spent $1800 (3x600) on a surveyor to look at potential purchases before I settled on my 506. Money well spent!

[Viper]

Source of the post No offense to the original poster, but I am still stunned each time I read about someone dropping some serious coin on a boat without first hiring a qualified and reputable surveyor. I am confident in both my mechanical knowledge and my knowledge of marine construction, but I spent $1800 (3x600) on a surveyor to look at potential purchases before I settled on my 506. Money well spent!

+1
As a purchaser, barring any major negative finds that might make you walk away, if nothing else, the deficiencies noted in a good/proper survey can serve as a beneficial tool when negotiating the final price. The negotiated price reduction in consideration of the deficiencies noted almost always exceeds what you've paid the surveyor. And let's not forget that chances are your insurer will want a survey anyway. Heck, from a safety standpoint alone, I'd want to know what I'm in for before I bring my family or anybody else aboard.