Carver Owners Forum

Following up on the survey, it was very interesting. The boat is in great shape, except for the fact that the previous owners I believe liked to use it as a floating condo and didn't do all the scheduled maintenance, especially on the engines. They did just change the oil with hardly any hours on them so I didn't do the oil analysis. I will start to do it this fall after we run it and continue it annually.

The engines are in good shape but all the ancillary equipment pretty much needs replaced or serviced - water pumps, pulleys, tensioners, belt, 1 supercharger, exhaust elbows, original hoses, and then need to start dealing with all the heat exchangers. after coolers, and transmission coolers. Props need replaced, struts need serviced, all thru hull valves are starting to show their age, all waste lines are starting to show their age. The generator needs serviced. The windlass is jammed. We have a leak in the water system somewhere keeping the forward bilge running when the water is on. I think the water pressure pump is shot. The CO detectors need replaced. The 30 AMP shorepower boat side outlets show signs of overheating as well as the cords so I will be replacing all of that right away.

On the way home Wednesday (yes, after long negotiations to make up for all this stuff we went ahead with the purchase) we lost all of the starboard gauges and the the engine alarm went off. I checked it with the IR gun and no part of the engine was over 167 degrees so either we blew a fuse or there is a bad ground (I think). But that also mean I couldn't shut that engine down at the helm and had to figure out where the shut off was on the Volvos - something that isn't easily seen. But we finally got it and we are happy - just a lot to do. So I would expect to be posting here for much advice as I start to tackle some of these things.

So had a long day at the survey and sea trial. Even though the boat was maintained well on the inside, there were definite signs that scheduled maintenance and other necessary repairs have been deferred for quite some time. We couldn't do an oil analysis because the oil was recently change and hardly any hours were on the engines (and generator).

For the engine survey, both water pumps are shot (1 with bad bearing and the other leaking), both alternators are corroded, 1 heat exchanger looks like it was never removed, the other shows signs of being sealed back up by somebody (not professional), 1 after cooler shows the same, and 1 transmission cooler shows the same. One supercharger clutch is shot, which also showed up in the previous survey from these owners 5 years ago, showing again that things were allowed to be pushed off. There were no maintenance records at all, except for the new fridge, new salon A/C, new hot water heater, and some new isinglass. It was obvious that the previous owners used it as a dockside condo and did not use it much away from the dock. The generator didn't start, the windlass didn't work, there were signs of water leaking near the port salon window (the aft section), the props are bent up, and the shaft seals and struts show signs of needing service. The racors need serviced and rebuilt and show a decent amount of sediment in them. There was recurring water in the forward bilge. I am sure I am missing things but that gives you an idea of what we were looking at. Again, a beautiful boat for its age, but we would need to do a lot of work to get it up to our standards.

After a long negotiation period, we finally went a little higher than we thought we should and the sellers came down more than they wanted but we closed the deal. We brought it home the Wednesday before Labor Day weekend. On the way home we lost all of the starboard engine gauges and when we put her in the slip that engine would not shut off so we had to find the manual shut down lever. After a day of tracing wires with a multi-meter I found a wire had corroded and broken off the alternator (the wire from the alternator to the black box on top the engine with different relays in it). We fixed a part on the fresh water pump that was leaking and got the generator working so we anchored out at the Wye River with my brother and his boat and family for Labor Day weekend. We were a day late, but we made it and had a great weekend. Now the work begins.

The window leak doesn't seem to be coming from the windows directly. We think it is coming in from the radar arch or some of the tracking above the window. So I cleaned out all of the caulking in those areas and recaulked. We should get some rain this weekend to see if that fixed the issue. I purchased new alternators, new water pumps, and new exhaust elbows which I will start installing over the next few weeks. The one engine is near impossible to deal with the alternator and pump, so that will be interesting.

I still can't find where the water is coming from in the forward bilge but we are slowly narrowing it down. I need to purchase a new water tank sender and have reached out to our Carver dealer. I had to reconnect the aft cabin A/C to the ducting box. I am meeting with a canvas guy tomorrow morning to get our stitching redone and to make a new aft cabin canvas and isinglass. When we pull it for winter we will get new props and get the servicing done for the struts and shaft seals. The windlass has been shipped back to the manufacturer for rebuilding and our marina is going to filter our fuel to clean our tanks and rebuild the racors.

So things are moving along and we have a lot to get done by late spring in order to feel 100% comfortable cruising any distance on it, but so far so good. I think if I can do a decent amount of the work myself, that we will end up having made a good deal but only time will tell. I will certainly need to ask a lot of questions on this forum as there seems to be a lot of knowledge here.

I have now posted a response to this thread twice. They have been long ones trying to explain the sea trial and survey issues and neither have showed up. So this is just a test to see why my posts are not showing up. I will try again if this works. It's getting frustrating typing in a bunch of information and then losing it all.

Sorry - now I see them. Not sure why they weren't showing up in my browser but now I can't figure out how to delete posts. Sorry.

You got your work cut out for you but good to know you're making things right, and making her yours. Sounds like you're gonna get her ship shape. Congrats.

Good post.....seems like you are well on your way...good luck going forward....

Like all vessels, there are issues. Work through them one at a tie until resolution. Took me 2 years, but I have a lot of confidence in HOLODECK now. Keep us updated please.

Which of the two posts would you like removed.?

waybomb wrote:Qr Bbpost Which of the two posts would you like removed.?

Probably no need at this point. Didn't want to annoy people with duplicate info but not sure it matters. Thanks.

Thanks for the input and optimism. Yes, I think we found a good boat. We had the boatyard fill in some holes on the transom and clean up some things that had the potential to allow water in. That seems to be done properly now and looks great. The water leak on the portside aft cabin window was simply caulking so I cleaned it out and recaulked. That seems to be fixed. The port side window in the salon is interesting. With the overhang, I don't see how much water is reaching the top of the window frame from outside, but it is. I took apart the inside header and removed the blinds and everything so I could see what was happening behind everything. The wood was rotten and soaked. So I removed it all, clean out that area, cut and installed new wood - attaching it to the window frame with 4200. Then I put the screws from the outside flange back in, grabbing hold of the new wood. Then I caulked the outside (and actually the inside top as well before I put the new wood on). I am going to leave that all open until we get another good storm so I can make sure everything looks good. Then I will put it back together.

I need to fix the starboard window in the aft cabin head. That leaks as well, but I believe that is just the deterioration of the caulk as well. Still haven't found the source of the water in the bilge but relatively sure it is not the fresh water system at this point. I believe it is thru hull valves. Guess I am tasting it next time I am at the boat to confirm. The valves are showing signs of corrosion so I will likely be replacing all 6 or 7 of those when we pull the boat this winter.

I am also getting the boatyard to flush the fuel tanks in order to get all debris out (at least everything they can) and rebuild the dual Racor 500's on each engine. Once this is done, I will begin the engine work. I have the new alternators, water pumps, and exhaust elbows. The front of the engine is first and I will have to buy all new tensioners, pulleys, screws - basically every part because of the rust due to the water pump leaks. I will start with the easier to reach engine (port) first so I can learn before I have to do the starboard engine where it is tough to reach or even see.

Also, forgot to mention that I had the boatyard send the windlass back to the manufacturer to rebuild. And it seems our water tank sender does not work. I checked power so it has to be the sender. It has a Carver part number on it. Left a message for Carver and no call back in over a week so far. Hope it isn't always like that. I will try to call them again tomorrow. Anybody have any advice on getting a new sender?

Eventually, I will be replacing the windows and removing the interior carpet to install some type of wood/laminate floor. But that will be a year or more away, as I need to get all the engine work done first. So hoping I can get the leaks fixed now and can put off the total window replacements for awhile.

If anybody has any advice or experience with working on the KAMD diesels, please reach out. Otherwise, I will post all about the process, maybe some pics, and the overall progress if anybody would like to here.

Thanks again for the support. Can't wait to get her out cruising.