Carver Mariner 1999 vs. Santego 1999

[mattisk]

Folks, my wife and I have been looking for a move up boat for a while. WE really like the Santego's walkway thru the bridge, the way the helm is positioned at the back of the bridge and the 2 settes on either side.
Since these are somewhat hard to find, we've branched out and are looking at the Mariners 1998-2003(before the redesign). We've found a few of these and they seem to be a little less expensive than the Santegos.
Given this, I'd appreciate and comments on the following:

1. I see most Mariners have the 5.7L engines (either Merc or Crusader). I also notice that a lot of them have at least one engine rebuilt - Could these be underpowered for the 36ft Mariner?
2. The opening behind the Bow bench seat seems to collect water from the wind shield above it. Does anyone have issues with this kind of design?
3. If you had a choice between a boat with 2 7.4L Mercs with 250 hrs but has been sitting for 2 years vs. one with 7.4L Mercs that have 650Hrs but have been well maintained over the years - what's your preference?

Thanks in advance, it's a tough decision...

[feeez]

We have a 2001 350 and are going in to our 3rd season with it. Ours has the 350 mag MPI 300HP per side. We have never looked at this boat as a "go fast" vessel, we like 8 or 9 knots which we can maintain with no problem at 2000 RPM and she runs at an acceptable fuel economy for us. Pushing up to 3200 she will plane at around 14 knots, 4000 will give about 20 knots.
I would not be afraid of well maintained 7.4's with 650 hours. Any boat that has been sitting for 2 years would be a concern for me..... survey, survey, survey.
I know what you mean about the opening behind the bow bench. At the end of last season we had the seat cover for that bench, the bench at the aft of the bridge replaced. The canvas guy also made us a replacement cover for that opening so we will see how things go this year. I never had any leaks inside from the water that did find its way in via that opening as it all seemed to drain out to the foredeck area.

Hope this helps..... you have come to the right place for all things Carver... good luck and good boating.

Fraser

[mattisk]

Great thanks for the reply. Another question(s) for you:
1. Do you have any spider cracks at the edge of the middle engine compartment - towards the stern side?
2. Do you have it shrink wrapped in the winter?
3. Do you do your own winterizing - if so how difficult?

[mjk1040]

Can't speak to question #1, however on 2 and 3 I will. We had an 1988 Mariner and now have a 1998 355MY, I know it may seem like a lot of wasted money to shrink wrap, but if you winter where the wind blows pretty good, a tarp will never cut it, no matter how hard you try to secure it. On winterization I do my own, drain everything with water, use a small air compressor and blow out the water lines, then fill every thing with RV antifreeze until it runs out everywhere. Google the process, there are some real good you tube videos to watch doing this and some neat products to help you with the process. If you have never winterized your own boat before, may have a boating buddy that has give you a hand the first time.

[Lyndon670]

A well maintained gas engine should see 2000 hours without an issue. The key is "well maintained". In my old marina there was an old 31 Chris Craft fly bridge with over 5000 hours on the original motors, original owner, never touched.

People who buy this type of boat are not crazy go fast people. They are cruisers. You can get a good idea about how well maintained the engines are (beyond the obvious mechanical inspection) by taking a look at the entire boat and actually talking to the owner. If the boat is in maintained condition, good chance the rest of the boat is.

As for spider cracks, unless you are buying a custom biathlon such as Viking or a Hattaras, you are going to see cracking. The cracking is from the torsion forces on the hull causing flexing in the thin gel coat. EVERY production boat with 100hrs on it will show spider cracking somewhere. For the most part, it is nothing to worry about and is only superficial. There are many great products that will fix it.

I can winterize my boat in less than an hour and I have 3 heads. It's a simple procedure if you have the right tools. I don't do my engines, despite the ease of doing them as for me having the marina do it is very cheap insurance.

Regarding the tarp, unless you are going to spend $3000 in a quality Fischer and Son canvas winter cover, shrink wrapping us the only way to go. Anything else is liable to cause you more damage when the wind takes it away.

As Fraser said SURVEY. This step should never be skipped. I'm amazed at the number of people that I read didn't get a survey. I was ready to write the cheque on a 2001 466 in the Ohio area in the winter of 2013/14. Boat was absolutely gleaming and brand new in every way. Low hours, buffed and polished etc. when I paid for the survey, the boat came back as needing about 60k minimum in hull repairs.

[RGrew176]

Definitely when buying a used boat a survey is a must. When I bought my 81 3007 last year the survey showed a couple of items that needed fixing. The seller took care of the issues and the surveyor came back and checked everything out and it met his expectations. I then went ahead with the purchase. So far, so good.

[feeez]

Source of the post Great thanks for the reply. Another question(s) for you:
1. Do you have any spider cracks at the edge of the middle engine compartment - towards the stern side?
2. Do you have it shrink wrapped in the winter?
3. Do you do your own winterizing - if so how difficult?

1. I have not noticed anything substantial in the way of spider cracks, but as Lyndon says they are always there and usually more cosmetic than a problem. I had some on my last boat and even the surveyor told me not to be overly concerned.
2. I wrapped the boat the first year and this winter I built a frame and tapped the boat myself. I will evaluate both methods in the spring. I have checked the boat over the winter and so far so good. If it works out I have several method improvements to the process I will do next year
3. I do my own winterizing. I just made myself a complete checklist and follow it through... huge cost saving. If you are organized you can get it done very quickly.

[Ramsport47]

One thing that may interest you on differences between the two boats is: The Santego has a woodless stringer system, whereas the Mariner (in 1997 thru 2000 model years) had a fiberglass covered wood system. Plus, the Santego is a 19 degree V hull where the Mariner is 4 degrees at the transom. Just two items that may interest you.