Something wrong with 53 or 56 voyager?

I know this is directed at Pascal, but here are my thoughts. Concern about hours of gas and diesel inboards varies greatly from manufacturer to manufacturer, to model to model and HP rating, total hours AND fuel consumed......The newer electronic diesels are usually rated by the manufacturer on lifespan right in the maintanence manual and a lot of them are rating them by both hours or fuel consumed........It really depends on the engine model you're looking at. I get concerned with gas inboards around 1000 hours generally. There are so many variances with diesel. I prefer CAT's overall , but generally some other manufacturers are better in certain boats, a better fit, and certain uses.......

Thanks for the reply CaptJ. I know it was off topic from the original post but I think that one was at its conclusion. I always like to hear what you guys (and ladies) in the pro circuit think. Granted it may not be directly related to the casual user but it is interesting to get your point of views.

Dan

If you like Carver and I do, look at the Carver Californian or just the Californians. I have the 3 stateroom 48 foot, no cockpit and it has an amazing amount of room, easy to handle with 2 people and a good sea boat. I have a bow thruster but have had no need to use it yet. She'll handle 4-5 footer's with not much problem. I have DD 6-71Ti's in her and run at 8-10kts. Yes they are old motors but reliable as hell if you don't abuse them. She holds 560 gallons of diesel, 210 gallons of water and 70 gallons holding. A great liveabord IMO and that's what I intend to do with her as I only work 6 months a year. As with any older boat there will be a fair amount of work to do but so far I have been lucky as the PO took pretty good care of her. There are alot of boats on the market for amazing prices so shop around. Another boat I really like are the 45/47 Bayliners. They have a great layout would have been my first choice but the Admiral wanted an aft cabin with a sundeck, which on the 48 is 15x15 and an awesome place to hang out on and I'm am glad we went the Californian route as there is an enormous amount of space and storage in an easy to handle package.

At 65 years old and a no rush to get anywhere schedule you'll be fine with the Carver Voyager product. They like many other boats do not like a short steep head sea. They're fine in beam and following seas. If your in sea conditions the boat can't handle you shouldn't be there in the first place. Turn back and wait for better conditions. No boat should be run beyond its operation capabilities. The 56 and 57 pound in a head chop if run too fast. Slow down and they're fine. You get a lot of boat for the money and with the right connections at the factory, very good product support. You're on the money with wanting the bow and stern thruster. Take all the advantages to make your and your wifes job of docking and departing simple and stress free. Good luck with what ever you decide. Safe boating.

Stern Thruster

I sea trialed a 57 Voyager with out a stern thruster for and with an elderly prospective buyer a few years back. He loved the boat but was a little short on handling it. He bought it and had a stern thruster installed and became a champ. Not everyone can harness fore and aft momentum when "twin screwing" with or without a Bow Thruster. A Stern Thruster is pure "Side Motion". It is worth it for those that need or want it and it will take a lot pressure off a husband and wife team doing it on there own.
I ran demo's the past 2 days on the new Prestige 550 with the Zeus Drives, similar to Volvo's IPS. This boat will go where ever you push the "Joystick". Sideways, Vector, Fore, Aft, Spin, and it had "Skyhook" dynamic positioning. It also had a (kick ass) bow thruster!..... Needed? Absolutely Not! Useful? Unbelievably so. Gel Coat repairs and damage to egos, docks and other boats hurt and cost more than the stern thruster. You only Live Once, you're gonna be Dead for a long time! Get, use and enjoy the thrusters!

Ok, and what happens when you only learn how to dock the boat using the stern thruster and all of a sudden it stops working in adverse conditions? Then What? Everyone should be competant, and learn, how to dock their yacht without aid of either the bow and stern thrusters and be proficient at it. Then use the thrusters as an AID, not a BAND AID for a lack of skills they should already have.

What boat did you end up getting?

I would like to know if you made a final choice
and what did you buy ?

Hi, I ran across this old thread when searching for info on the 530, one of the boats on my short list. If the op is still on the forum I would be curious too how they made out. I wasn’t sure whether to post on this thread or start a new one...

So just wondering, if one is watching weather windows which anybody should do anyway, and not sailing to a schedule, what exactly is wrong with coastal cruising this thing with a run to hang out in the Bahamas? It’s normal to have opinions on boat quality, just like cars - the same as people will swear by their Lexus, BMW, Mercedes, Chevy, whatever, and hate other brands referring to them as lesser junk. I know boats are the same way, we have all heard stories, and we all know the best quality brands. But I am a value buyer not looking to have a million plus in a depreciating asset, and I have been served very well by buying decent quality 10-20 year old boats that have been looked after. In the 250-350k range the 530, BL 5288, Navigator 53, all seem like reasonable choices.

I have looked though old reviews, comments on the solid glass below the waterline, etc. Other than folklore, does anyone have actual links to info on these boats falling apart, not including captain error?

Just for a little background we currently have a 40 foot powerboat, and have owned many boats over the years. Not our current boat, but in my old sailing days, we cruised from Boston to Lauderdale, then the Bahamas. We have crossed the stream 6 times and have been as far as Ragged Island and Rum Cay in the Bahamas, but spend most of our time in Eleuthera and the Exumas.

I would really appreciate any factual information on why these would or wouldn’t be good choices for East Coast US, and Bahamas cruising. Thanks!

Mark

NOBODY has eluded to Carver's Voyager series falling apart. If anything, the posts in this thread have been positive. The Voyagers stand on their own merit; a good value. They are certainly capable of blue water crossings, but so are a lot of other boats.

There was an article around 2000 in Motorboat & Sailing about at 53 or 56 Navigator Classic who did the great loop from the outside down the St. Lawrence and to the Bahamas as well. The owner was a lifelong boater who previously had a 60’ Viking double cabin Motoryacht and a 70’ Mikelson Yachtfisher and keeps his boat in the Naples area.

He loved the fuel economy especially compared to the Viking and how easy it was to handle as a couple and the seakeeping worked for him from Nova Scotia to the Bahamas. Easy on the wallet, didn’t require a crew, easy to work on the systems and a good sea boat, cruise 16 - 20 knots depending on power and can take you anywhere a Fleming or Offshore in the same length can go.

Built to enjoy the water without spending large amounts of money.

Thanks for that!

You're delusional. There is no way a 53' Carver voyager can go anywhere a Fleming or Offshore can go, based on fuel capacity and range alone without even considering the much lesser seakeeping abilities.

Not saying that the Carver isn't a decent enough of a build to serve all of the OP's wishes, just saying that a Carver does not have the same abilities of an Offshore or Fleming based solely on fuel capacity/range/seakeeping.

Very true. I took his reply to refer to anywhere hopping down the coast, or Bahamas. I have always liked the Fleming’s, but a different boating snack bracket than I allot...

That being said I'd swing for a 52' or 58' Searay sedan bridge from the mid 2000's, they're both very good sea boats.

Good point Capt J, we have always liked the SR’s too, but this time around we really like the idea of the pilothouse with no steep ladder to the fly. We’ll think about expanding the look to sedans again. I’ve always had Cummins, what difference in maintenance cost would I expect from Man or Cat - or as usual with a boat, just an exponential cost change based on size?

The delusion is all yours J, as it usually is.

Navigator built 56’ Classics with fuel tanks in 600, 750 and 1000 gallons. Usually Volvo powered with370/430/480 hp, some Cummins and Cats in the 420/480 range. Close to 3:1 gear ratios and very efficient, 15 degree deadrise. That 1000 gallon version is the same capacity as the others and they either had bigger engines or not as an efficient drive train.

Many times the dealer would launch in Newport Beach, CA and run it to the Seattle Show in December without any issue, just some groceries and fuel and the winter Pacific Ocean. Pedal to the metal as there was a deadline , never missed a haulout for the indoor show. Commissioning took very little, they were ready to go out of the box especially when the factory started installing electronic packages.

Owners ran them from Panama to Alaska, through the canal, the Northeast, Nova Scotia and the St. Lawrence Seaway and the Bahamas. Low profile, low center of gravity and with the same stabilizers as the rest, running the same seas, the same places those other guys go.

Thanks PacBlue. We were in Anacortes last year the same time as a Navigator rendezvous. Great boats and a nice group of people.

You're talking about a Navigator. I'm talking about a Carver voyager. Re-read what I wrote. They're not great sea boats.