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Buying 2006 Carver 44 MY

Discussion in 'Carver Yacht' started by guychet, Sep 30, 2017.

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  1. guychet

    guychet New Member

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    New to the forum.
    Considering buying 2006 Carver 44 MY.
    Its a fresh water vessel, 256 hrs. on the Volvo D6 - 370 hp Diesel engines.
    Planning on moving it to the west coast, Vancouver Island.
    I'm not familiar with this model so has anyone had experience with the Carver 44, good or bad, trying to find a reason not to buy it?
    For a vessel that's 11 years old, not many hours on the engines, is this good?
    Moving the yacht, is it a big deal, I'm told the arch has to be removed ( bridge clearance with arch = 18.0 ft.), will this cause problems later?
    Is this vessel under powered with 370 hp diesel engines?
    The attraction is its a fresh water boat and I can move it to the salt water for 3 or 4 years without big problems from salt, then I would sell it?

    Any comments would be greatly appreciated!
    Guychet
  2. ksbguy

    ksbguy Member

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    Hi,

    I have one I've been running for about six years an it's a great boat. I also purchased mine in fresh water and you can't beat the comfort for this size of boat.

    Mine has the Volvos but they are the TAMD63P without electronic control which I have found to be great motors. I put about 50 hours per season on them... You do need to make sure the engines can make 50 rpm or so above WOT spec (for mine it's 2850 rpm) fully loaded with fuel, water and all your gear otherwise they will be short lived. I had to take a couple inches of pitch out of my props when I bought it so don't be surprised having to do the same.

    I know every corner of this boat and can talk to you about it for hours. If you do decide to go forward I'll help if you have questions.

    Mine was hauled over land and yes you will need to remove the bridge, wing doors and hardtop. I had to do this and am very familiar with the process but it's a lot to explain on here. You need to be very careful who you use to transport it. It's a two truck load no matter what. The bridge with the arch on and the hardtop go on one truck and the boat on the other. It's all designed to come off very nicely by Carver.

    500 - 600 hours is typical of hours you will find on these since most don't put more than 50 hours a season. It's okay if maintained well. Your biggest concern is the machinery... At 256 hours it sounds like the boat has been sitting a lot. The fuel tanks may need polishing and the engines will need the run down to make sure all is good. Boost and EGT gauges on these are a must on my opinion so you can see how the engines are working.

    As far as under powered it depends on what you're after. The boat has a top speed of 22-23 knots WOT. Cruise is 16-18 knots at 2400 - 2600rpm. I normally run it 2400rpm which is 16 knots fully loaded. It's not a fast boat but economical with a fuel burn of about 25gph at cruise.
  3. guychet

    guychet New Member

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    Hello,

    Thanks for responding, the info is very helpful. I am really hesitating because I can’t seem to find a Dealer who can service the Carver in my part of the world i.e. Vancouver Island. There is only one dealer and he was not interested in assisting me , which was very surprising! By the way you referred to “WOT”, what does that mean? Also, you indicated “You do need to make sure the engines can make 50 rpm or so above WOT spec (for mine it's 2850 rpm) fully loaded with fuel, water and all your gear otherwise they will be short lived.” The engines have to do 5000 rpm otherwise a problem?

    Thanks for taking the time!

    Cheers

    Guychet
  4. Pascal

    Pascal Senior Member

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    Welcome to the world of boats... dealers dont care about older boats. You dont need a dealer to maintain th boat, you need a good shop who speciaize in the engines you have and a good all around mechanic to service the rest of the boat, if you cant.

    WOT is wide open throttle... flat out... pedal to the metal... diesel engine need to be able to run at their rated RPM. If the engines are rated at 2800 rpm, durig sea trial and survey they need to reach that with a full load of fuel etc... if not, they will be overloaded even at cruise which could shorten their lives.

    This is especially true of many smaller production diesel boats where builders thry to get away with the smallest possible engines.
  5. guychet

    guychet New Member

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  6. guychet

    guychet New Member

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    Thanks Pascal,
    I'm New to boating, used to Aircraft. I had a Mooney Bravo for a number of years and got it serviced at Stockton, California, he wasn't a dealer but a great mechanic and new the engine and the Mooney A/C, never had a problem.
    Your info is very helpful, If I do this deal I will keep it on the west coast between Vancouver Island and San Diego.
    Will give further thought and decide if I'm going to proceed, at least now I have the info to make an educated decision.
    Cheers
    Guychet
  7. ksbguy

    ksbguy Member

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    Pascal said it all...

    I'm not sure where the 5000 rpm came from but what I meant was you want a little margin over rated Wide Open Throttle to accomodate for growth, head seas, extra people on board, etc so that you don't end up in an overloaded condition which puts the engines out of spec. Normally 50-100rpm over rated rpm is normal. So for me, being 2800rpm I make sure they can turn 2850.

    Good luck!
  8. guychet

    guychet New Member

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    Pascal,
    Thanks for clarifying that!
    Cheers
    Guychet
  9. guychet

    guychet New Member

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    Pascal,
    With your boating experience and the info I have provided on this Carver mainly the 256 hrs on the engines, would you buy this Vessel? Just give me your opinion because ultimately it's my responsibility?
    Heading to our place in Arizona for 6 mths Oct 30th, so I want to deal with prior departing.
    Cheers
    Guychet
  10. Pascal

    Pascal Senior Member

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    Comes down to 25 hours a year which is really low. As long th owner realized maintenance is not only hour based but calendar based as well it should be ok. By that I mean as long as oil and filters were done every year along with impellers etc. being a fresh water boat makes the extreme low hours less of a worry

    That said don't obsess with fresh water. Boats are designed and built to sit in salt water and while you may get a little more corrosion it s not a big deal.

    I ll let other comment on that specific boat. Personally I ve never been a fan of carvers mostly for purely aesthetic reason as they maximize interior space resulting in short stubby bows and tall bloated superstructure. But I can see the appeal of the interior space to many owners and aesthetics are a matter of personal preferences.

    If you re new to boating the high windage and shallow hull often make for some sporty docking in windy conditions. While many of these may have a bow thruster, they are often undersized and can't be run for more than 15/20 seconds at a time.
  11. guychet

    guychet New Member

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    Yes I'm new to boating that's why so many questions, being a pilot "surprises" are not tolerated!
    Having said that, your reply is so very helpful, thank you so much, I now have the perspective!
    Back to the drawing board to make the decision.
    Cheers
    Guychet
  12. Pascal

    Pascal Senior Member

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    Getting into boating with a flying background helps a lot...
  13. ksbguy

    ksbguy Member

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    You do get a lot of interior comfort in the boat but Pascal is right in that it’ll have your attention when windy. It’ll also swing a lot at anchor probably due to shallow draft and high windage superstructure. I’m in a very windy area go out every weekend and never have any problems docking but I’ve been doing it a while and rarely need to use the bow thruster. It’s nice to have and I mostly use it for crabbing on/off docks.
    It’ll depends on where and how you’ll be using it. The thruster being 12vdc pulls 500amps of current when used and even with 0000 gauge cables it doesn’t sit well in my stomach so if I use it it’s a few seconds or so, nothing continuous. I think the Volvo literature says one minute continuous. If a lot of offshore running I’d be looking at boats designed for that sorta thing...
  14. guychet

    guychet New Member

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    ksbguy,
    Thanks!
    Getting a great education, really appreciate it.
    Guychet
  15. olderboater

    olderboater Senior Member

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    You say between Vancouver Island and San Diego. Now, if you meant on the inside of Vancouver Island, then you're talking calm bay boating vs. the ocean boating heading down the coast to San Diego. The Carver is likely a great boat for the former and more an adequate boat for the latter. Good for bay boating, but making the outside run, you will have to be very selective of weather windows.

    As to the specific boat you're looking at, none of us can tell you "yes" or "no". That's why you have a boat and an engine survey and sea trial. That is the insurance if you think you really want it but you're not aware of issues.
  16. guychet

    guychet New Member

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    olderboater,
    Realistically, its going to be on the inside of Vancouver Island (bay boating)! so I gather the Carver 44 MY should be OK. Got it!
    Thanks
    Guychet