1989 Carver 38 aft

[mitchellp]

Hi,
I am looking at a Carver 1989 38 aft boat, anything special I should be wary of?

thanks
Mpw

[Viper]

Welcome aboard. Posting the model might help the guys reply specific to the model. I have an '89 3807 aft cabin which I suspect is what you're talking about. Great boat, very roomy. No red flags specific to this model that I'm aware of. Of coarse the usual applies as would with any brand of boat such as checking for soft decks, swim platform, etc. Structurally, the advantage with these Carvers compared to other brands is there is no wood below the water line, so no wooden core, stringers, etc. They're well built with nice wood work and workmanship. It's a big boat for gas engines, diesels would be ideal but really depends on your boating habits. Get a survey so you're aware of any deficiencies that need addressing soon, you'll need one for the marina and insurance anyway.

Good luck and keep us posted.

[buster53]

Sounds like a 3807 and probably 7.4 gassers. Very thirsty engines. When we had one, we did almost all of our cruising at hull speed, around 7-7.5 knots. Doubled our range and mpg's.

[g36]

good luck and welcome

[VicB]

To echo what buster said, I have an 88’ 3807 with 7.4s. At wide open throttle the floscan said the fuel burn was 26 gallons an hour per engine. Obviously, you’d never run like that. At 10 - 12 knots, it’s around 10 gph. For such a large and comfortable boat, you just get used to it. I love my boat and couldn’t imagine anything larger or smaller. It’s perfect for my family. Good luck!!

[buster53]

Source of the post To echo what buster said, I have an 88’ 3807 with 7.4s. At wide open throttle the floscan said the fuel burn was 26 gallons an hour per engine. Obviously, you’d never run like that. At 10 - 12 knots, it’s around 10 gph. For such a large and comfortable boat, you just get used to it. I love my boat and couldn’t imagine anything larger or smaller. It’s perfect for my family. Good luck!!

Convert those numbers into MPG and see what you get. 10-12 knots is a very inefficient speed. Anything between hull speed and full plane is a big waste of gas.