Carver Owners Forum

Good evening fellow boaters, We own a 1973 Carver 2890 Mariner. From what I know and have found out from Carver, is that this model came with a 255 hp engine. It also either came with a stern drive or v drive. Ours has the v drive. My question is what engine came with this boat, Ford or Chevy? This is what Carver told me, but couldn’t give me a definite answer. Years ago, someone removed the original engine and replaced it with a 65 hp Vetus marine diesel. The boat is way under powered. Any information on this topic would be greatly appreciated.

Sincerely, Jim

Welcome aboard Jim.

Unless the information on your vintage is part of what they lost in a fire several years ago, they should be able to give you all the information on the original engine package if you provide them with your hull number. I'm thinking the original would have been a GM block though. Hopefully one of the crew with a similar model will chime in with some specs.

Good morning Viper,

Thank you for the information. I never thought about providing the hull number to Carver. I’m going to call first thing in the morning. Once again, thank you.

Jim

255 horsepower is probably a mercruiser / ford 351 engine. Carver used a lot of these in the 70's.
I think, more important than what was in it before, is what will bolt up tour your current v drive, and does the v drive have the proper reduction ratio for a gas V8, or was a lower ratio swapped in with the little diesel?

Welcome aboard Jim - The only way you are going to know for sure is if Carver has that info based on your hull ID #. There was no such thing as a real "standard" engine at the time because it was based on which engine was in the crate at the time the hull was ready for the install. They used both GM and Ford blocks, with mostly Mercruiser on V Drive models. Another possibility is if you have the paper work associated with that unit. The engine manual would have been included in the owner's packet, which usually stays with the boat through numerous owners. If it is a Merc 350, then it is GM. If it is a Merc 351 Windsor, then it is a Ford. Be careful with getting back to original power with that vintage. The wood used in construction may no longer be able to handle the weight/torque the original power package would provide. Make sure a marine expert provides an opinion before you invest any real dollars. My guess is the owner who installed that diesel was using the boat for light duty only. Good luck! Hope it all works out! Keep us posted. er

Tom input +1. More important is what will line up with your mounting and drive compatibility. er

Well the diesel may be under powered, but what more fuel economic can you get. I'll bet you can go all season on one fill up in the spring. I would be considering prop options and/or transmission changes. JMO!

tomschauer, Thank you for the valuable information! This is definitely a start. From what I see, everything looks to be original from the output shaft to the prop. It looks like out came the gas engine and in went the Vetus diesel.

Cooler, I never thought about the structural aspect of the hull. Although it does look to be sound. I haven’t really made any real decisions yet, but I figured I do my research first before jumping straight into it.

Thank you, Jim

mjk1040, Good morning, you do bring up a strong case which the diesel. I really do like the diesel. I just wish we could get more speed. I’m lucky if we can get 6.7 knots out of her at full throttle. I can’t go full throttle with her because she starts to overheat. I’ve gone through the raw water cooling system. Next, I’m going to make sure the inlet on the hull isn’t clogged. If memory serves me correctly, the transmission on the engine is 1.51 to 1. The Walter v drive says 1.88 to 1. If anybody has any suggestions on how I could tackle this, I’m all ears. It could be something as re-gearing. I know 65hp is not much, but I’d like to maximize all the potential for this boat.