Carver 406 w/ Horizon 7.4L - Underpowered?

1997 Carver 405 MY Video Boat Test On US Boat Test.com This is a boat test with diesels. The boat you are looking at weighs alot for gas engines. If I was looking at this boat it would be diesels with 450 hp each. As you can see on the boat test. For me any boat that weighs more than 23,000 LBS needs diesels. If you are between 20,000 to 23,000 the 8.1 gas engines do a nice job.

These actually run about the same speed with the diesels or the gas engines.

Wrong. Anything that burns any type of fuel creates CO. Diesels create Carbon Monoxide just the same as gas engines and you still have to worry about that.

You are correct that they are much safer in terms of fire and flashpoint of fuel.

They run the same speed with gas or diesel when the boat is empty and light. Add gear, 8 people, and full fuel and the equation will change real quickly. The diesels will be a lot more fuel efficient, especially under 10 knots. I ran a carver like that, that had 7.4's and it was a very good running boat. Basically if a gas boat cannot cruise at 20 knots or more, you're better off with diesel and the MY is underpowered is how I figure it.......

I think the boat would be very under-powered. We had 7.4L horizons on our previous boat (18k LB 36 Carver) and it was a bit lethargic at best. If you happened to be in anything except calm seas the boat would nearly come off of plane going into a wave. Also, 2 weeks ago I ran a 8.1L powered 40 something Silverton AC for a friend on Lake MI and at "cruise" the other person on board had to lean over to me and ask if we were on plane. This along with the added torque to maneuver around the dock that diesel's provide is well worth paying a premium in my view.

max

Buy the oil-burners, the gasers at speed will kill your fuel money, I have a 3607 and at 17 knots 1 to 2' chop in to the wind 250 gallons of gas and 100 gallons of water and say 30 gallons of Poo...I get 1 nm to 1 gallon of gas per engine..That's why 7.5 to 8 knots is my main speed..

As a personal owner of a Carver 406, let me begin by congratulating you on your decision. In my opinion, the 406 is a great value when considering all of the interior and exterior space. While most of these replies would make you reconsider buying a 406 without diesels, I can assure you that the 406 has adequate power with the Horizon engines. In fact, I have the Horizon engines in my 406 and have never experienced a problem with power. Typically, our family will take a two week trip every summer up the Wisconsin coast to Door County, across Lake Michigan, up to Mackinaw Island and back. I have also been caught in some storms while out on Lake Michigan and never felt unsafe in the 406. My 2001 Carver 406 has nearly 600 hours on the engines and I have never had a problem (just routine maintenance). Hopefully, this helps in your decision. If not, I would encourage you to see for yourself and test the boat in question in a sea trial.

Pricing?

It really depends on price difference. If you can get the pricing within $10,000-$15,000, go diesel.

I recently (07/2012) purchase a 2000 406 CPMY and it was fitted with Cummins 370's. I have been very happy with its performance, and manuvering in close quarters has been a dream. We actually burn less feul than smaller boats we travel with that have gas engines. I personally chose to go with diesels b/c of the overall life expectancy of a well maintained diesel in a boat of this size (weight). The one overwhelming comment that all agree on is the you need to "use" the diesels to see any long term benefits. We are on our boat almost every weekend from mid-May until mid-September, so use isn't an issue for us. There's no denying gas will move the boat, but under considerable more strain and RPM's than that of a diesel which is designed (as I understand it) to run at much higher torque and lower RPM's. Our cruise RPM's are 2500-2600 depending on conditions (19.5 knots). Power question aside, we could not be happier with our 406 and are not looking forward to winterizing her in mid-November. Best of luck with your purchase!