Cat, Cum, or Vol ....

[PJHoffnet]

Researching our next new to us boat. Homing in on a Carver 404 cockpit.

Caterpillar, Cummings, or Volvo ... big pluses or minuses in any brand - any models to stay away from in a specific brand?

[AaHubb]

My '99 404 has Cummins 5.9L engines. I've had this boat for seven years with out any engine problems. The injectors needed serviced when I bought the boat but since then it's been just regular yearly filter and fluid changes.
..Aaron

[Viper]

All good brands IMO. What year? On the Volvos, look for rear main seal leaks. If not leaking now, it's probably fine going forward.

[PJHoffnet]

Thanks ... no specific year or model yet as we're still looking - was checking to see if there were any to avoid as we continue to shop

[Mystic144]

AaHubb,
Hello
I am looking at buying a 406 Carver with Cummins 330 or 370's
What HP are yours and how many hours?
Also have you had any issues with the raw water pumps?
What RPM do you cruise at and at what speed.
All the best
Rene
Mystic CT

[AaHubb]

Hi Mystic144.
My engines are the 210hp version with ~900 hours. I did have an issue with the raw water pumps when I tried to get one more season out of the impellers. One of the impellers disintegrated while under way causing that engine to overheat. I shut it down quickly so no damage was done but I had to limp into port on one engine. From now on I will change the impellers every three years. Most of the time I run the engines @ 1200 to 1400 RPM for a cruising speed of about 8 to 10 mph. I do run at high rpm occasionally to reduce carbon build up.
That 406 looks like a really comfortable boat with lots of room. best of luck.
..Aaron

[tonyiiiafl]

CATS are useless. Have owned before and the maintenance on them are HIGH! IMHO Cummins are the first choice and Volvo second. Both great engines, although the Cummins B series need virtually no preventative maintenance like the CAT does.

[mjk1040]

My money is on Cummings! Happy shopping! Mike

[Lyndon670]

This is the typical Ford vs Chev debate.

All of the engines are all great power plants. I don't think its fair at all to say that CATS are useless - companies building boats like Viking, Hatteras or any other semi-custom builders would not install CAT engines with issues in their multi million dollar boats. CATS dominate the construction industry so they do know how to make a good engine. There was an issue with CATS from the late 90's into the early 2000's (2003 I think was the end) where they were using castings made in France which had a very thin block wall which eventually cracked and took motors out. By all accounts, CAT completely honoured their problems and replaced all of the motors out regardless of age or ownership.

I am partial to my Volvos, but they are spendy on maintenance (filters, impellers etc). Also, because of the OBD ports on the ECM, you need to get a Volvo tech to service should a problem arise.

Cummins are a great option too, and also do well in the construction industry - they are also the only one that has really penetrated the automotive industry (Dodge/Jeep).

What ever you get, regular maintenance, proper props and operating it as it was designed for will have the boat outlast you.

[Viper]

Qr Bbpost This is the typical Ford vs Chev debate.

All of the engines are all great power plants. I don't think its fair at all to say that CATS are useless - companies building boats like Viking, Hatteras or any other semi-custom builders would not install CAT engines with issues in their multi million dollar boats. CATS dominate the construction industry so they do know how to make a good engine. There was an issue with CATS from the late 90's into the early 2000's (2003 I think was the end) where they were using castings made in France which had a very thin block wall which eventually cracked and took motors out. By all accounts, CAT completely honoured their problems and replaced all of the motors out regardless of age or ownership.

I am partial to my Volvos, but they are spendy on maintenance (filters, impellers etc). Also, because of the OBD ports on the ECM, you need to get a Volvo tech to service should a problem arise.

Cummins are a great option too, and also do well in the construction industry - they are also the only one that has really penetrated the automotive industry (Dodge/Jeep).

What ever you get, regular maintenance, proper props and operating it as it was designed for will have the boat outlast you.

++1
I for one don't have problems with Cats at all. Curious to know what all the extra maintenance is. I like Volvos but as Lyndon mentioned, they're computer controlled and when you need to know what's happening on a deeper level, you need to call a technician. They money makers if you're in the business, you can make a small fortune on just diagnostic tool hook-up and software changes/upgrades. There's something to be said about the simple mechanical diesel engines with no computers, not much to go wrong.

Another thing one should consider is the availability in your boating area to get parts and service. This will become very apparent the first time something breaks down and you try to get someone knowledgeable enough close by to do the repairs.