Hi All, I am looking at buying a 1997 or 1998 Carver 445 with Cummins 450's in them. Anyone own one of these and can tell me the good and bad and what to look out for? Any info would be greatly appreciated.
Your thread has been moved to the Carver forum, where it should have been posted originally. I have also retitled it to give you better indexing and response. Lots of helpful members here.
http://carveryachts.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/445-Aft-MY_99.pdf This should help you, is the boat name Black Tie if it is a beautiful one it is.
Thanks Hi, yes I am aware of the ones for sale, but looking to get info from someone who owns one to learn if there are any issues they have had or if there is anything specific I should look out for before buying. Thanks
As with most boats this age, most of the bugs have been worked out and now you'll be dealing with the abuse they suffered or old stuff wearing out. What you need to do is take one out on a rough day and see if you're satisfied with the handling. If she passes your test get a thorough survey done. Carver are known for not being a big water boat. Your waves don't generally get that large, but they can get steep. See if she'll meet your style of cruising. Another thing Carvers are known for is lots of space and fairly easy access to equipment. So sea trial on the roughest day you can find. Put he nose into the waves, put them on her beam and especially on her quarter. See if she satisfies you. Good luck.
Not first boat Thanks for the reply. I've owned 5 boats before so not new to the process. More looking for things like anywhere I should focus on looking for leaks, bad design in wiring, impossible to get fridge out the salon door if putting in a new one, that kind of thing. Also anything that bugs a current owner after owning the boat for awhile.
I currently own a 1994 440.......looks quite similar to a 445. We love the layout and wise use of room. As far as issues.....we have the Cat 3116 , 300hp engines. They run great and I have no complaints (other than an exhaust nozzle I had to modify) other than I don't get the speed some advertise with the boat.....I get a 9 kt cruise at 1800 rpm and max speed of about 17 kts. She is heavy (36,000 lbs) which I attribute to a prior owners extensive remodel. The boat did have some window leaks that the previous owner dealt with and I have caulked a few of the salon windows as well. I'll continue giving it some thought and post again later.....good luck !! What have you found so far??
There are a few 445's for sale, including one in Keswick which is close to me. The ones I am looking at have the Cummins 450 c's in them which I have heard good things about. I have heard a few things about leaks around windows similar to what you have said, but haven't heard anything really troublesome yet. Will probably change interiors as those boats are getting older now, but don't see how you can get new sofa's in through the narrow salon doors, so not sure how people have done interior renos. Thanks for the info. Very much appreciated.