Sold it!

Congratulations, selling your Carver so quickly!

I would buy as new as possible, and take some time to investigate as much as possible, time is always your friend!

The carver voyager series is an awesome boat. We have a 45 and it is our last boat as you describe. If you want 3 staterooms you will need a 53 though. Ours is 2 S/R but that is all we want. Be sere to find a freshwater boat as the salt can really shorten the life. Ours is a 99 and no one can tell it from new. You can get a nice 45 in the 200 range. A 53 can be had in the 250s but for that it will probable be salt. They are great boats.

The second happiest day of a boat owner's life......

I know EXACTLY what you mean!

I bought my 3607 mostly as an investment. It was a repo, and I feel like I stole it. Now, as the boating season draws to a close, I'm not ready to part with it. I have had 3 or 4 calls from people saying: "Hey, I've got somebody that wants to look at your boat". It's just not for sale at this time.

I love the marina where I am docked, and I love the people, and I love the parties. I have some of the best neighbors in the world there. The slip directly behind mine, the guy is retired and lives aboard his boat, so I have 24 hr security. He knows who is supposed to be there, and who ain't.

Funny thing is, if you were to ask me in April, I would have had no more use for a big boat than I would a rocket ship. Now, I can't imagine not having it.

Congratulations. I'm amazed...if you got out what you put in. But congratualtions either way. You've taken care of the hard part. This is a good time of year to buy.

That budget is a bit of a killer, especially when you add in the space you want. Big question: What kind of speed are you looking for. The reason I ask is because speed costs money. Are you looking for lunch runs up to Manhattan or Block Island in a day? If so, something has to give, either sea worthiness, quality, space or the budget. If 10-15kts. is ok I think the idea we discussed (an 80's Hatteras) may be on target. However keep in mind that these are much more comfortable to board from the side.

Also try Craigslist in your area, you never know!

Example:
south florida boats - craigslist

So now I have to find your area on Google maps...? LOL (I'm Dutch)

central NJ boats - craigslist

Getting a boat home can be the best part with the right boat. Instead of doing a delivery, do a series of vacations and holidays and long weekends as your schedule allows, slowly bringing it up the coast.

Remember that my cautions may not be the same as yours. So simply consider them things to consider and check into, and match them up with your tollerance.

Absolutely correct about paying for your education and it being worth every dime. Most of my education comes from the school of hard knocks and I wouldn't change one of those lessons (painful or expensive as they may have been). My most recent came last week when I changed out the battery on my Harley. The rubber cap over the positive terminal was cracked and it contacted the frame as I was trying to get it in.

Don't worry about having to bring your new boat from a distance. It'll probably be the best education in boating you've had so far (as well as a tremendous adventure). I've brought several owners along when transporting their boats to Florida, and it really is like getting a college education in boating.

Also, once you get in the 50' range, you need to be looking throughout the eastern U.S. They're spread out. When we got the Hat we checked boats in NY, Ct., R.I., Mass., Md., N.C., Fl, Wi., Ill., Ohio, and considered boats in several other states. However you are up against a clock. Mid-October could be too late to sea-trial and survey boats up on the Great Lakes, and having lived in fresh water is a wonderful selling point. For now I'd concentrate on looking at northern boats mostly, as your time for them is limited. You have all winter to check the southern boats.

Truthfully I wouldn't spend too much time with Craigslist in this range of boat. The simple fact that it's on CL is a red flag. You'll waste a lot of time there looking for the proverbial needle in the haystack. Plus boats on CL will be of very little use as a negotiating tool. If you can find 3 or 4 comparable boats on YW that would suit your desires, they know what their competition is. That could translate in 10's of thousands of $$$ staying in your pocket.

CL is broken down by area. Often cities will have many, covering different areas. FOr instance NY has sperate listings for each borrough, and then many of the neighborhoods within those burroughs. Possibly 20 or 30 areas. Then do you check the area where boats are stored or where the owners are likely to live?

This is why I'd only recommend CL for looking for smaller boats you want to trailer home. I don't recommend it for serious boats ($100K+) (E-bay the same).

If you're not locked into the Carver brand, a friend has a nice diesel Silverton 43MY that's looking for a new owner. If interested, PM me and I'll find a link for you...

-Chris

Hi OP, I'd like to recommend taking a look at Californians, tons of living space, and they can be had a reasonable prices. You also might want to take a look at a few older Vikings they made some very nice cockpit motor yachts. Also Hatteras made a line of LRC's (Long Range Cruisers).

Each person has their idea of the perfect boat or perhaps the boat that will most fit your vision of a perfect boat. For us we were very lucky that we did it right the first time. Our '98 Carver 355 has worked perfect for us. It's the right balance of size, cost, speed, maneuverability, cost of maintenance and comfort.

Having spent this summer cruising north from FL on the ICW we have not been constrained by too deep a draft or too big a boat for a slip. Not too many anchorages are not available. Having the speed to quickly get to a slip or anchorage to avoid a T-storm is very comforting and we've had to do just that a couple of times.

But this size boat works for us. We don't live aboard her per say though we've spent almost 4 months on her this summer. I would never consider living aboard permanently and of course this would change the equation.

Spend the time to get it right and it will cost you much less as you know. Good luck.

I have a Carver 506--awesome living space, and suitable and a "last boat". 3 cabins, and 3 heads--1 more than most in this size range. And I love the fact that it has no canvas. The Voyagers are nice as the living space is all on one level, but that means a long flight to the bridge. Definitely in your price range!