Hi all. New member here. Have looked twice at a 1991 Carver 36 aft cabin, that is for sale locally. Very nice boat. Would use it for lower Chesapeake Bay and ICW. I'm looking for any advice on what to look for when purchasing this model of boat. I want to avoid calling in the surveyor until I am 99% happy with my selection of boat. One thing I noticed (and some might think this rather trivial) was that the seals around the windows were dried out. No evidence of leakage, but its only a matter of time. I assume this is a common problem, but not having owned a boat with a cabin have not had to deal with this before. Can anyone advise on how to fix this? Any and all comments greatly appreciated.
They are nice boats Your surveyor will tell all soft spots and stress cracks are your concern. View Boat Photos - ************** I look at this one it is a beautiful boat but could not swing deal.I like the spiral stairs.
Aesthetically it's subjective, so you have to make sure the layout suits you and yours. We have the 325AC and love the extra space the aft cabin gives us. It's on par with having a 37ft sports or convertible cruiser. Objectively look for problems that may be lurking in the engine compartment; oil leaks, corrosion in and around the block, mani's, carbs, etc. Have the owner take you for a test ride, preferrably from a cold starting engine to see how easily she turns over. Check for sufficient power, planing, reasonable crusing speed without too much throttle, and check for WOT at the engine mfr's specification, usually around 4-4.4k for gas.
Thanks for the reply and information. We love the layout of the boat, however I must admit that aesthetically I am not keen on the exterior. I prefer the more classic trawler look, but for the size of boat the interior is cavernous and is very practical for family use. The engine compartment is clean, but I haven't run the engines yet. I would prefer fuel injection, but I guess carbs are easier to work on. Can anyone tell me approximately how often the manifolds and risers usually last (I'm coming from a background in outboards)? The floor in the galley has a buckle in it, which needs investigating...I don't know if it's from moisture ingress...is this something that other owners have experienced? And as I mentioned the window seals are an area of concern to me. It just seems like fixing window seals is tricky especially replacing the tracks on the sliding windows. Does anyone have experience with this? I have just sunk a grand into surveying a boat I don't think I am going to proceed with the purchase of, so I want to have confidence in this one if I am going to have it surveyed.
Manifolds and riser in salt waters around 5 years. In boating no matter how old or new you will always have engine work. The boat is a 91 your going to have problems with leaks and soft glass. Make sure you like the boat before you go any futher if you have doubt let it go and find another. It is very expesive to have a boat slip, winter storage, winterizing ,and what ever happens in between. The carver your looking at is a real good bay boat, where you are it is more like ocean it can get pretty rough. You ever look at a sedan model or sport fishing.
The galley flooring under whatever is above the surface is gel coated fiberglass. I am willing to bet the refrigerator/freezer defrosted at some point and leaked down there which made the wood buckle. The windows are very easy to re-bed. I have a 1994 Carver 370.
I have only had to re bed one window. The window unscrewed from the outside, I cleaned out all the old sealant and redid it the way they did it at the factory. Very easy but time consuming, maybe 2 hours for the salon windows.
Starboard side salon. All of the windows in the salon (fwd and both sides) are installed exactly the same.
OK thanks. The ones that concern me are the sliding windows in the aft cabin. When you unscrewed the window frame from the outside, were you able to remove the black aluminum frame completely? On the boat I am looking at, those frames could stand to be removed and re-painted.
Mine are a grey color but yes, the aft windows should come out exactly the same way, unscrew from the outside and pop it off. Some of the adhesive / bedding will probably hold it on there pretty tight but it should be easily pried free. I have seen where people have installed a gutter system on the top of the aft windows on Carvers and others with framed windows so the water is just diverted completely around the window all together. I can't remember where it was but it was a self adhesive white gutter track just above the seam. EDIT: I found it http://www.boat-project.com/otherproj/gutters.htm Not the right way to do it in my opinion but it looks like it works.
Ok, thanks ever so much for the information and help. It eases my mind that this is something that can be tackled fairly easily. To be honest I don't know if these windows leak or not, but the sealant was very brittle and dried out when I looked at the boat, however there was no real evidence of leakage. If I buy it I just wanted to know that this was a job that I could do without spending a ton of money. I have looked at some other makes of boat that have the same problem and it appeared to be much more difficult to re-seal the windows. The last thing I want to do is spend a bunch of money to buy a boat with leaking windows that can't be fixed easily. Thanks again
Not sure if you have made your decision or not but for whatnots worth we just boughtnthensame model a 1992 and love it. Great lay out tons of storage and very responsive with full tanks she did 26knots easily. Planes at 14 - 16. Best furl economy at about 9 knots. We had a 1986 3607 prior and really love the 3608
I have the exact same boat and I LOVE IT! I think it has more room than the newer models. Being a 91 model does not mean more maintenance, all boats that size always has something that needs to be done. I would have a hard time letting mine go.
Unfortunately the deal on the boat I was looking at is somewhat in limbo. Oil samples on both engines indicated positive for glycol and high iron and lead. Otherwise the survey was average for a boat this age. Trying to figure out how to deal with the motors. I love the layout of the boat so if this one falls though I will be looking for another 36 aft cabin.
Congratulation on your new carver, she is one good looking yacht. What was your final price you paid for it?