Carver Owners Forum

Hello Gang,

My wife and I just closed on a pristine '98 355 Aft Cabin today!

They survey and sea trials revealed nothing but great news and we can't wait to get rolling.

Made the unthinkable move from our beloved sailboat of 15 years. Looking forward to many great experiences on our new Carver.

Just donated to the site this evening and I'll be bombarding all of you with many questions ahead.

OK 1st question: Does anyone have some photos or clever ideas on how to retrofit the goofy angled cabinet on the stbd side salon?

Thanks everyone. Be safe this summer and we'll be in touch!

Greg and Deana - "Invictus"

Welcome aboard G & D.

Welcome to the dark side (power)! We get a lot of new members that have moved from sail to power but I've never really asked why they've chosen to make the switch. Is it just less work/easier boating?

gmac - welcome aboard! We are ready and willing to answers those questions.

Viper - there are a plethora of reasons. Couple of most common are to get to destinations a lot quicker. Not only are sailboats slower, but you have to tack and jibe and come about and duck and have antiseptic for rope burns. Another is the "communication" style of the captain. If I had a nickel for every time my wife said "stop yelling at me" or "isn't this supposed to be fun?", I would have a good number of nickels. I was not yelling, I was simply talking loud so she could hear me while the sails were flapping and the hardware was clicking and winding. Finally, room to relax. Sailboats are efficient in their layouts, but the salon/berths on a 355 offer condo living space. Last, but certainly not least, when a person figures out that the cost of fuel is pretty similar to the expense relative to new sails every so often, the science of wind power gets less valuable. Just my 2 cents. er

Welcome Aboard. You will find things fine over here on the darkside. You can still enjoy the journey, you'll just get there a bit quicker and Carver makes a fine boat. Good luck with yours.

Welcome aboard!

Welcome to the forum.....I have always considered the dark side as sail and the enlightened side as power. Don't get all discombobulated here, I sailed for years, weekly races and such..... ....

Before buying our 356, 2 years ago, we owned a Catalina 34 for 7 years. While the C34 is one of the roomiest 34 foot sailboats around, it has 1/2 the living space of our 356.
I hear what you are saying about the starboard TV cabinet, but I suggest living with it for a while.
The previous owner mounted a 19" flatscreen to the face of the cabinet which was fine but on the small side. We replaced it with a 25" smart TV. We can stream just about anything and are very happy with the TV setup. The counter top is where we charge all our electronics.

If you have any questions, there are a number of 355/356 owners here and can probably answer just about any questions you have, although, I don't recall any members replacing that cabinet or even asking about it.

bud37 wrote:Source of the post......I have always considered the dark side as sail and the enlightened side as power.....

Ya for us it's that way but from their perspective, having been sailors for 15 years, I'm welcoming them to what they considered the dark side.

Not that I've ever done it before but sailing looks like a lot of work; sails up, sails down, heeling, pulling ropes, tacking, etc. I like just turning the keys and see ya later while I head to my destination in a straight line. By its very nature, you need wind which I'm not crazy about as I spend a lot of time on the hook and prefer calm when I do. Most of the time, I also like anchoring in really shallow water where I can get in the water and stand there for a while with drink in hand, scrub the water line, etc. I don't want to have to limit my destination options based on whether it's going to be too windy or not, or at least 15 feet deep.

I'll never forget a bunch of us power boaters tied up to town docks at Sutton if I remember right, in Lake Simcoe for the night, and eventually a bunch of sailors from the Barrie Yacht Club pulled in as well. We all enjoyed the evening together and when morning came around it was the most beautiful day and all of us power boaters were getting ready to head out and raft off together. The sailors however were pacing back and forth down the dock with quite the frown on their faces. It never really occurred to me what their problem would be on such a wonderful day until one of them said ya but their's no wind! I just thought that was a funny statement and state of mind to be in on what was likely the most beautiful day thus far.

Hi Gang,

For my wife and I the big upgrade in going to the "dark side" was getting in/out of a smaller sleeping space, storage space for longer 1-2 week journeys and a decent sized space to cook and prepare food.

Just enjoyed our first night sleeping on the boat! We are thrilled but will miss being so close to the water line and HEARING more of the crazy sounds of the Puget Sound while under way.

More to come.......

Cheers, Gmac