Windscreen removal on 3207

[Matt C]

Hi All. First time Carver owner so I apologize if this question has been covered before. While I did a search on the forums , I'm in need of more specific information. I have a 1983 3207 aft cabin that is currently at a marina in Mystic Ct. that I need to transport home to the Sanford area in FL. Found a local transportation company here that can do the job and I will be heading up to Mystic next week, May 1st to prep the boat for transportation. Due to height I expected to have to remove canvas bridge enclosure. However, I'll also need to remove the windscreen and helm seat. Extra work but seems not only necessary but prudent as it is a long haul.
What I am hoping to learn from the community is :
1. How difficult it will be to remove the windscreen and helm seat and what tools will be needed as I will be bringing everything with me.
2. I've read that once the windscreen is removed and goes back on there are often problems with leaks. Has anyone had to do this and had that problem?
Any information and advice would be greatly welcomed as I will only have a max of 2 days there to get everything ready. Thanks in advance for any help offered.

[km1125]

You need to clarify what you mean by "wind screen". I think you'll have to remove the bridge surround, which is the fiberglass going around the bridge. If you take that off, you just need to make sure you seal the screws when you're putting it back on and it shouldn't leak anywhere else, as you still have the hardtop over the cabin. If you don't have to take that off and you're just talking about the canvas enclosure above it, then it gets a lot easier. Once the canvas has been unzipped, the framing can usually be lowered "flat" to the top of the boat. If you need to take it completely off, then there's a handful with two at each pivot point where it attaches to the fiberglass.

If you take that bridge surround off, that means you also have to take the helm apart. There should be disconnect junctions for a lot of the wiring, but anything added after it left the factory will probably have to be cut and respliced after the trip. The controls (steering hydraulics, shifts and throttle) can usually be left connected but you just have to remove the assemblies from the console and lay them down on the cabin hardtop Taped down good so they don't slide around).

What has your shipped told you about what needs to be done?

[Matt C]

Good morning km1125 and thank you for your reply. The shipper , who has hauled this type before, has asked that the driver seat and bridge windshields be removed. It is my understanding that the bridge surround does not. I did have other haulers insist that the surround should be removed but they were not using a low-boy type trailer for the haul. With the canvas and frame enclosure lowered and secured, the helm seat removed and the windshield frame removed , I have been told clearance using low-boy trailer should be fine for the move. I am assuming that the bridge windshield is detachable from the bridge surround and that the helm seat is just bolted to the deck so a regular socket set should be all I need to get it done. Was hoping to confirm if anyone has had to do something similar and that my assumptions were correct before I head up there. Thanks again for the reply.

[km1125]

I had a 83 3607 and if the windscreen is the same (I can't recall exactly how the 3207's looks), then it was just a bunch of phillips screws to get the plexiglass and the stainless framing down for the windscreen. On mine the plexiglass was in 5 different sections.

On my helm seat, if you just loosened the normal adjustment clamp below the seat, you could lift the seat right off. The base would still be there, but it would be very low and lower than the surround.

[Matt C]

That was what I was hoping to hear. I figured the removal of the windscreen would not be too major an operation as they would need to be replaced from time to time. And it is in sections so should be easy to stow for the move. Thanks for the heads up about the helm seat, not sure why that didn't occur to me. Thanks again for all your help. Feeling much more confident about the prep work now.

[km1125]

Poked around a found a couple pictures that might better explain things...

carver_3207_bridge1.jpg

carver_3207_bridge2.jpg

carver_3207_bridge3.jpg

[Matt C]

Thank you. Photos certainly help make things much clearer. Unfortunately , it looks like I spoke too soon yesterday as I recieved a message this morning from the shipper telling me the flybridge also has to be removed and tied down on the forward deck. Apparently they moved a very similar boat 2 years ago and just remembered that it was required.
So, any idea as to the level of difficulty in removing and stowing that? Factory electronics should be an easy unplug but I am more concerned about removing the surround. The shipper explained they were shipped by the manufactuer that way so can be done. Just wondering what all is involved to do so.

[km1125]

Well, I've never done it personally, but I do recall them being shipped that way originally. Perhaps thar was before "low boy" trailers were the norm, or it just gave them more flexibility in the routes from point "A" to point "B".

I don't know if the helm is part of the same fiberglass as the surround, or if they are two separate pieces. The surround itself probably isn't that big of a deal, especially if it is like the 3607s. There were screws all around the base that held it in place. First, the windscreen would have to be removed or at least separated from the railings going down to the stairs. Then removing wiring - in my case, the wiring to the spotlight, hailer and two radio antennas would have had to be addressed before it could be unscrewed. Then, in my case (3607) the aft seating could be removed (easy... just a bunch of screws). That would leave the helm and forward seating (all the same fiberglass assembly), but to more it all the wiring would have be disconnected and the controls (steering, throttle, shift) removed and laid on the sole (or cabin hardtop). Then all the screws around the base could be removed and the fiberglass helm/fwd seat assembly could be removed.

If the helm and surround on the 3207 are the same assembly, then after you get all the wiring and controls disconnected, and sever the railings from the steps, then you could unscrew it and (with probably 4-5 guys or a lift) lift it and relocate to the bow. You'd need some kind of structure up there to set it on too. Maybe some blocking built up from the deck. Then you could remove the aft/port seating (probably pretty easy) and the helm chair(s).

ALSO - does it have a radar arch? I don't think they were offered as OEM, but I know a lot of folks added them over the years.

[km1125]

Looking at that second pic I posted above, I'm sure the helm is the same structure as the surround. I'm not sure about those two compartments below the helm though.

So, here's my "educated guess" on what has to be done....

Get the canvas structure off the top
Identify how to disconnect the windscreen railing from the railing on the steps (drill? unscrew?) and do it.
Separate all the wiring (at factory disconnects or cut and splice later). Be careful with antenna leads, depth sounder leads, FM antenna leads, etc.
Pull the steering wheel, unscrew the hynautic steering pump from the helm and lay it down, being careful not to damage the lines.
Unscrew the throttle assembly from the helm and lay it down, being careful not to damage either cable.
Unscrew the shift assembly from the helm and lay it down, being careful not to damage either cable.
Look for any other OEM or PO installed "stuff" that might need to be removed or disconnected.
Unscrew all the screws around the base of the surround. Check for any screws in the two storage boxes below the helm.
Lift helm and relocate.

Remove screws from aft seating and remove and relocate.

Remove all helm seats.

Tape down anything left -securely, so it doesn't cause damage in transit. Might consider wrapping the steering, throttle and shift mechanisms for additional protection. Also tape over all the holes that are remaining, as you don't want them to fill with water enroute to new destination.

[Matt C]

Sorry this has been a few months but have been exploring different options and waiting on the marina for some estimates. Marina up north will remove the bridge and secure it for transport for a cost of $100/hr x 26 hours of labor. That seems a bit excessive as basically they say it will take 3 work days. Just wondering if that does seem like a pretty high estimate of hours required to do the job.Would be grateful for any thoughts you might have.
Another option to hire a captain to drive it down but at $450 a day plus all expenses that starts to add up real quick. And I would need to take off a couple of weeks to do so. Thank you . Matt