Rochester NY Carver wannabee

[tenderfoot]

Hello folks,

Have owned a few trailer-sailor sailboats around 18', a 15' bowrider outboard for 10 years and now find myself enjoying a small 11' sailboat but thinking about a first cruiser / dock condo. I find the accommodations below of larger sailboats and sport cruisers a bit dark - like the light atmosphere of a sedan cruiser (if I am using that term right).

I am getting fond of the mid 80's Carver 28' Voyager/Mariner's. This is based on some assumptions from reading and some experience around the dock but I'd love some input. Im in Rochester NY and my use would be Great Lakes, bays, Canals (Erie, Rideaux, Trent...).

• Qualified marine surveyor and mechanic for pre-purchase inspection(s)
• Aft engine bays in cockpit make maintenance easier than larger Carvers with bays in living space?
• Two engines simplifies marina navigation and redundancy = safety
• The 28' Mariner / Voyager should be livable for 2+ cruising and day sailing 6
• At this vintage I am seeing carburetors. Hold out for fuel injection?
• GPH seems ok at low end speeds. I'm in no hurry usually
• I understand these are considered small for flybridge, so reducing those aloft when underway in weather.
• Not seeing any model / Manufacturer specific flaws (ie Trojan f32's seem to have stringer issues)

I'd welcome your thoughts - thank you.

[g36]

Hello and welcome. I would not suggest one model over the other to you. I had a trojan f32 before my carver 405 aftcabin. I never had any stringer problems but 80s boats have wood that newer boats have moved in to fiberglass stringer. There is a great forum for trojan owners you could get on who is sponsored by original company employee and others. My 405 is a huge step up from the trojan in layout and room. Carver has smaller aftcabins too. I would suggest getting on both the mariner styles and aft cabins since it sounds like your still not sure. There are tons of differences between styles and you'll probably start getting a idea of what you like. We spent lots of time looking at yachtworld etc since living in tennesse some models were not available so we made some trips to actually board different ones till we narrowed our search. I like the twin engines,, fuel mileage at hull speed around. 75 to 1 gal per mile, You may have more local to you. . Smaller boats generally have smaller engine rooms, so make that one thing to look for. Good luck with your search

[waybomb]

Welcome aboard!

[tomschauer]

Welcome to the forum and good luck with your search.

Start with establishing what you are willing or able to pay for your new boat. Then start looking around. Yachtworld will give you some very good ideas of price.
Unfortunately for you, last year it went from a buyers market to a sellers market so, the prices you see listed will often be close to the selling price.
This is a carver forum, so we all like carvers, but there are other good boats out there also.
You mentioned the F-32. There are still alot of older f-32's and 34's out there at a good price. The fact that there are still alot of them out there, tells you something. Try to find an 80's wellcraft, they aren't there, even though many were sold. They started having stringer failures in the 90's. You will find a lot of older Carvers and Searays out there in decent condition.
Look for a good surveyor that has been in business for many years and has referrals.
As far as engines in the cockpit, yes, they are cheaper to replace (labor wise) than in an aft cabin, but then you almost always have a V drive, which is another maintenance item with a high $ replacement if needed. so its kind of a toss up.
with any inboard boat, i would want to have twins. Handling a single screw inboard boat around the dock is an art in my opinion. I know many that have mastered it, I am not one of them! A single outdrive, is no problem.
When you say livable for cruising, get on a 28-30 footer and really think if you could be on it for an extended amount of time. Nothing worse than regretting your purchase on the first long cruise.
Fuel injection is great, turn the key and the boat starts. no choke, no smoke, no messing around. But carbs were used for a long time and can be fine if in good shape and set up properly. Most boats from the mid 90's up will have fuel injection.

Best of luck with your search!

[RGrew176]

Welcome Aboard.

[Cooler]

Carver started FI in 94ish as option, 98 pretty much exclusive. I have carbs and have had no trouble. People with FI have issues in our area if they don't run the boats often. I think one of the keys is gas available with no ethanol. Injectors have issues if gas sits in the tank/engine too long. If you have non-ethanol gas available, it is probably a personal choice thing. I prefer carbs cause I can adjust easier then rebuilding or replacing injectors at $200 a pop. The living space on Aft Cabins tend to seem smaller because the layout is restricted by privacy walls. The Mariner is less actual living footage, but seems bigger because the layout is more open. As you notice, color of interior fabrics matters. Light = open-airy, dark = close quarters/cozy. Voyageur similar to Mariner, but higher profile due to windows in salon. I really like my Mariner and could live on it if I choose. The Mariners are not sexy, but very functional. Due to the design of cockpit and bridge for hanging out at dock, my neighbors with express boats seem to gravitate to my boat for socializing. Increases the libation budget. Depending on the marina design, express boats can't offer sight lines over the protective walls, where my bridge height allows views to the entire bay. While I think the access in engine compartment is still pretty compact, my mechanic says my boat is a pleasure to work on, comparing to Express style boats. Sometimes the mechanic is restricted by access in tight space of Express style, so you are paying $125 an hour for him to be a contortionist, and slowing down the pace of work. Good luck! er

[tenderfoot]

Trojan F32

Love the classic lines. More space than the 28' Voyager/Mariner

V drive, which is another maintenance item with a high

Great point! My bowrider was an OB because I enjoyed the simplicity of one "system"

28-30 footer and really think if you could be on it for an extended amount of time

Yes, the 28' mariner/Voyager have that aisle down the middle. Similar to an RV without bumpouts. Definitely smaller cruiser wise but big compared to express cruiser. So 2 of us will get on and "simulate" cooking, relaxing, sleeping, etc to see if elbow room.

Welcome Aboard.

Thank you to all of the welcoming statements!

ethanol gas

Everything that I own that I do not use daily gets dino-gas. The veggie gas just kills outboards, snow blowers, etc

cockpit and bridge for hanging out

So cockpit looked tight, then I saw the space up on bridge. As you say - nice view and hand out area.

Thanks folks - next step would be to get on board one to check space.

[bud37]

Welcome....I have had both the F32 and the Carver 28' mariner. I would have got our mariner back in a second, for the two of us, dog etc the boat was perfect size as it is fairly wide, rides nice in a chop and is stable at anchor or dock. The Voyageur and Mariner from the early to mid 80's are differentiated as.....the Mariner has one helm, the Voyageur has the lower helm as well as the upper. The bridge on that boat is quite large, actually much larger than the F32. The F32 has the nice salon, lower galley with dinette and head but just a "V" berth....classy looking solid boat, only missing the transom door the Carver has. But here you are considering a boat that is 4' longer and well over a foot wider.

Both boats handle real well around the docks, no drama at all unless a big wind and the bridge canvas is up.Any more questions just ask....

[Tireless]

Welcome aboard, enjoy the forum.

Greg