Carver Owners Forum

Hi Carver Owners:

I find the size, design/layout and features of the 2002 Carver 346 Aft Cabin or its successor the 2003-2007 366 very appealing and suitable for the way we anticipate to use it, a floating cottage running short cruise to a calm and quiet cove/bay in an inland lake (Lake Huron) in the summer months. I'm in the market looking for one right now.

However, while talking a broker a couple days ago, I was told to stay away from the 346/366, and was suggested to consider the better running 355/400/404 instead. But to me they are in a different league. It's 4 ft longer overall and a big jump from my 26 ft boat. Everything goes up a notch, including maneuverability and initial and running cost.

I'm seeking the opinion and experiences from current or past owners of both boats, especially the 346/366. Thank you in advance for your help.

When we were looking, we looked at a couple 366's, but I'm not a fan of the Euro style and much prefer the more traditional yacht design of the 356. That's what we ended up with, a 2001 model with 8.1 Crusaders. With a clean bottom and running gear, she will hit 35 mph.

The 355/356 are very close in size to the 346/366. Yes, the 355/356 is longer but 2 feet of that extra length is the anchor pulpit. The 400/404 is a much bigger boat. Just curious, why did the broker try to steer you away from the 346/366?

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Thank you Buster 53 for your insight. Yeah you're right, the 346/366 are 355/356 are similar in length. It's just a matter of personal design/layout preference. I haven't been on a 355/356, I wonder what the forward visibility while cruising is like for the captain. From the picture, it looks to me the heads of the passengers sitting on the front lounge would be blocking the captain's view if he/she is seated.

The broker's reason for suggesting the 355/356/400/404 over 346/366 is purely based on his experience of the boats' smooth running, not because he has one for sale. As a matter of fact, he does not have any of those boats for sale now, or anytime soon due to the Covid19. He said most of the used boats normally sold in Canada are imported from the US. With the Canadian and US borders pretty much closed since March, the influx of boats from the border states like Michigan, Ohio and New York had stopped. And then for safety reason more people would opt for a boating holiday this summer. The supply and demand imbalance makes the Canadian boat resale a seller market. The strong dollar and weak loonie doesn't help either. Maybe 2020 isn't a good time to pick up a boat here.

There's a 1998-355 with 7.4l's for $89K and a 2001-356 with 8.1's for $99K here in NY if your interested!

wpklee wrote:Source of the post Thank you Buster 53 for your insight. Yeah you're right, the 346/366 are 355/356 are similar in length. It's just a matter of personal design/layout preference. I haven't been on a 355/356, I wonder what the forward visibility while cruising is like for the captain. From the picture, it looks to me the heads of the passengers sitting on the front lounge would be blocking the captain's view if he/she is seated.

Had the boat for 2 years now and really hasn't been an issue. Some years ago, I had a Carver 3807 with a similar bridge layout. Had that one for 7 years and it wasn't an issue either.