Seaworthiness of a Carver motoryacht

[Byresch]

A friend of mine is looking at a Carver 570 Pilothouse Motoryacht and asked me about their seaworthiness. He is looking for something he and his wife can cruise the Caribbean with, I told him to forget the Carver. My only experience with one is when I lived aboard in San Diego a couple had one 2 slips away from me had a 46 foot Carver and it didn't handle bad weather in the San Diego Bay well I'd hate to be in the Caribbean in bad weather in one.

Is their anyone on here that knows more about the 570s? I think I told him correctly, I told him to look at the 58 foot LRC for sale in Key West for about the same money and he'd be in a lot safer boat.

 

[MadHatter53]

Most of the carvers I've been on were under 50ft and handled like crap it any wind over 2kts

 

[rob71]

Several of my dock neighbors have Carvers. 41,45 and 50 ft. I helped deliver the 50 from NC down the east coast over to Clearwater Fl on the gulf. Generally they are good boats. The major deficiencies are...
#1 the bows slope downward to a point. This means they are VERY wet from spray and waves coming over the bow. #2 the side decks leading to the bow are very narrow and dangerous to traverse in even mild conditions.
These points alone are enough to avoid them for me.
Capt. Rob

 

[oscarvan]

If you have WEEKS to wait for your weather window and the money to burn the gas to make the hop quickly before it changes again......sure. If weather or mechanical things go pear shaped things will deteriorate QUICKLY as it all falls apart around you. These boats are NOT designed to take a beating.

Wouldn't be me out there on one. Too much respect for the sea. And the Caribbean is a sea. Heck, I would be careful taking it out on Lake Erie.

 

[carolinacoast]

they seem designed to maximize living and party space at the dock or flat calm. The opposite of the OP stated mission.

 

[Byresch]

they seem designed to maximize living and party space at the dock or flat calm. The opposite of the OP stated mission.

That's what I think and that is why I told him to look at the Hatteras 58 LRC in Key West. He'd have a lot more boat and a lot safer boat for about the same money. I never felt safe on my friends Carver in bad weather even though we were only in the San Diego Bay, I sure won't want to be in the Caribbean Sea in one.

 

[Pascal]

They re ok for fairly sheltered waters and occasional runs to the bahamas with a good weather window but the carribean maybe pushing it a bit. That said it s always tricky to lump together all of one builders boats and the larger Carvers are better than their smaller models.

 

[rourkeh]

There is a couple in my marina down here in St Maarten that live aboard a Carver 57'. They cruise a lot locally and seem to be happy with the boat. I have been out on the 57' a few times and I would not call it a blue water yacht by any stretch. No stabilizers, but it can generate a decent cruising speed so you can power your way through the bad stuff up to a point. Anything over 3-4 footers and you should stay at the dock as it wallows around and throws water like a busted fire hose.

 

[Bob Bradley]

I don't think that anyone's brought up the most important point - life is too short to drive an ugly boat!

 

[Pascal]

I don't think that anyone's brought up the most important point - life is too short to drive an ugly boat!

Absolutely and there is no doubt that the carver Mariner and a few others are among the ugliest boats ever launched. That said the larger ones (53, 57 etc) are not than bad looking. Carvers are always stubby but so is the euro styled 56!Hatteras.

 

[oscarvan]

That's what I think and that is why I told him to look at the Hatteras 58 LRC in Key West. He'd have a lot more boat and a lot safer boat for about the same money. I never felt safe on my friends Carver in bad weather even though we were only in the San Diego Bay, I sure won't want to be in the Caribbean Sea in one.

I'll take a 58 LRC any day, anywhere. (well, almost). But from a maintenance standpoint it's a whole different bal o' wax. If OP is dependent on others to keep all those systems going he's gonna end up in the poor house. And, it's a LOT more intricate boat to operate. You have to understand your systems. It's not like jumping in a Carver and turning the key. Oh wait....

 

[oscarvan]

I don't think that anyone's brought up the most important point - life is too short to drive an ugly boat!

Somewhere around my post #10 or so I said I wouldn't want to be caught dead on a Carver.

 

[northshoreone]

I had a 2000 53 voyager for 10 years. It had QSM 11 635hp cruised at 26 mph burning 46 GPH. Great use of space but would beat you to death in anything over 2 ft waves. I had it on the Great Lakes which is one wicked body of water! Had it out more than once in 4 to 6 ft plus and came back alive with nothing broken but it was not any fun or for the faint of heart!

 

[jim rosenthal]

The 58 LRC is a huge boat. A friend of mine had one- it has a great deal of interior space. Perhaps a smaller LRC would have interior room more or less comparable to the Carver? As far as a sea boat goes, there would be no comparison. The Carver is not designed for weather, let along heavy weather.

 

[Chasemmc]

Stubby? Stubby? STUBBY?so a 58 is sleek, but a 56 is stubby?

 

[SKYCHENEY]

Stubby? Stubby? STUBBY?so a 58 is sleek, but a 56 is stubby?

He said the "euro-styled 56". That's the one from the 2000's that only lasted about 2 years before they stretched it to 60. It's not the 56 from the early 80's.

 

[Chasemmc]

Okay then, my panties were getting all wadded up.Now I can relax.