pros and cons of older carvers

I don't know specifics, someone here will, but the Carvers I've been on didn't seem very well built. I think Sea Ray is generally a better built boat. I did have a marine surveyor once, after ragging on Carvers, tell me Silvertons were surprisingly well built boats.

My family and I had a 1987 34 Silverton Convertible for 17 years. Based in Long Island, NY, we cruised all over the south shore, around Manhattan, tons of offshore ocean fishing, even up the Hudson to Albany. Nice, solid hull, all glass at least below the waterline. Drilled a hole in the bottom for a transducer and the plug had no wood or coring. Had it in 6+ footers a few times. It's not always the build of the boat that makes an experience good or bad but the experience and knowledge behind the wheel.
Anyway, sleeps 4 comfy, 6 is possible, you'll have more options with kids (i.e. took the dinette table down and had my infant son sleep on the dinette floor on blankets, worked well. 40-fotters around the late 1980's had same type of layout but much more room, which may suite you.

Older Carver's

Last summer we purchased a '85 Carver Riviera. 28' with twin crusaders. Very well maintained. We are the 3rd owner, first had it for 17 years and loved the boat dearly. The 2nd owner just kept it at the marina and didn't use it. After a thorough survey, weeks of cleaning - we are very proud of her. Solid boat for a 28 footer.

I have a 2001 Carver 374 Voyager. I am the second owner and picked it up after realizing what a decent boat they really are. I have done a lot of research on the Carvers, Silvertons, Meridian (Bayliner), Maxums, etc.

The older Carvers, generally older than the early 90's, weren't constructed as well. They had foam and coring below the waterline and lots of wood in their stringers. As the manufacturing process progressed, they had to come into compliance with stricter guidelines for the NMMA certifications.

My vessel has no coring (fiberglass only) below the waterline. TONS of sealent between fittings and with all fasteners, very nice fit & finish to all fiberglass parts--no giant gaps to fill in with caulking. The interiors are some the best in their mid-range cruiser class.

Just make sure that the boat has been preperly cared for and all maintenance completed as scheduled.

Good luck on whatever purchase you make.

We work on a lot of them here. Quality is between Silverton and Sea Ray.
The biggest problem we see is that they had layup issues that lead to massive blisters. Big, deep ones. I have seen some that almost go all the way though the hull on Carvers..
The Santego's are actually great boats but don't sell very well.
The old 4207 was a great boat with 3208 cats.
Some of the other models are just plain goofy. We call the Mariner "the orthopedic shoe"
After 2001 they all sort of look like plastic bubbles like Meridian, Silverton, etc.

I had a Silverton and two Mainships. Even though they are low end boats, I have to agree with you that they were actually pretty well built and solid.
(the older ones)

Regarding your surveyor:

1) They hate it, but watch everything the surveyor does. I had the survey done on my boat and they provided everything including compression tests on the engine. They indicated each cylinder pressure, took oil samples for the engines and genset, pulled the boat and checked the hull, out drives, shafts, seals, etc. However, I discovered that they forged the cylinder pressures because there was a broken plug that they missed plus one that was seized in the cylinder head. That was because the big fat surveyor couldn't get his bug butt on the outboard side of the engines.

2) Get a reputable company. There are fly-by-night compaines that won't certify their results. Get someone that's beenin business for a while.

3) By sticking with the surveyor and asking questions, you're likely to learn somehing about the vessel and what to look for on your own. I learned a lot about what to look for on the hull and shafts when I pull the boat for zincs and visable inspection.

What years? I check mine annually out of the water and haven't found any blistering issue what-so-ever.

I always refer to them as a Clorox bottle laying on it's side.

I've been involved with several surveys, and the surveyor always was glad to have me over shoulder. Since he's going to tell us about his findings at the end it makes his job easier if he can show as he goes along. The surveyor I generally use is a big guy, but he manages to get pretty much everywhere he needs to get at least with a mirror or a finger. Very happy with him. Don't shop the yellow pages of course. Professionals should always come on recommendation.

Hello MBGator, I am considering an 1986 riviera as well.. could you tell me what work you remember you had to do whan you bought her, and what other items are likely to require work and money for maintenance on this boat.. THANKS!

Also please tell me what is your fuel consumption vs speed, ballparkk.. thanks!

I agree, the Sea Rays are a better built boat by far in that era and much better performing. Ironically enough I managed a 1998 Silverton 38' aft cabin my. It was a horrible performing boat, it had gas 502's and cruised at 13.5 knots at like 50 gph (only made sense to run it 9 knots). But the build quality on it was very good. Access was very good, glass work was very good, systems used were quality. It just left me a few months ago and there were no soft spots in the decks anywhere, gelcoat was still very good.

Joe
Thanks for reaching-out. We loved our Riveria and occasionally discuss how much we enjoyed the boat. When first purchased, the survey returned a single page of recommended items, all cleared-up within a weekend. Very little was noted, and nothing structural. Very solid boat, easy to handle and a breeze to dock. While not as fast as a 30 Sundancer, she was easily as stable and had twice as much 'livable' room aboard. Fuel consumption is relative, but I ran her at 17 - 18 knots and averaged about 20 gph at that speed on Lake Michigan. I could keep her on plane at as little as 15 knots before she fell-off. One downside to note - she's not a 'dry boat', the bow doesn't have enough flare to keep all the spray off the windshield, but that wasn't a problem.
Does the boat you are looking-at have A/C, is it gas or diesel, genset installed?
Keep us posted.

We are also looking at a 1986 Riviera and would appreciate any comments about the boat. It has been completely restored inside with all new cushions etc. It seems to have been very well maintained. I 've read a lot of negative reviews about Carver boats, especially the older ones. We don't plan on any long trips, just want to explore the SW Florida coastline. I'm wondering if it may be a good little boat for us, as its very roomy below. The price is $30,000, so for the money, we can't expect too much. The engine has been refurbished and has 700 hours. Any thoughts on this boat?