Carver Owners Forum

Thanks again for all the feedback. I think I've made my decision NOT to go forward with this "opportunity".

Bud37 had asked...."do the engines have heat exchangers, do they have antifreeze as a coolant or raw water in the engine blocks ?"

I'm attaching a screenshot. Being a newbie when it comes to these things, I'm not sure if this is some form of heat exchanger or...

Looks like a heat exchanger to me.
FYI, when looking at boats, you need to know if the engine is raw water cooled (RWC) or fresh water cooled (FWC). RWC uses sea water only to cool the engine. FWC is like a car engine with anti freeze running through the block and possibly, exhaust manifolds. Instead of an air cooled radiator that cars have, you have a heat exchanger where sea water cools the engine coolant. A full system has the exhaust manifolds included in the closed cooling system. A 1/2 system does not include the manifolds. Risers/elbows are always raw water cooled.
Obviously, FWC engines are much preferred over RWC engines, Especially when boating in salt or brackish water.

Thank you Buster53. Like I said... I'm a newbie in this area. I kinda thought it might be a heat exchanger but it looks different than most others I've seen.

So, can a RAW system and a FWC system both utilize a heat exchanger? How might I know which this boat has? The owner is a shipwright/cabinet maker. Not mechanically knowledgeable.

There is no need for a heat exchanger on a RWC engine. Sea water is drawn into the engine, circulates the engine and exits through the exhaust.
FWC is just like a car engine with antifreeze/coolant circulating in a closed loop, transferring engine heat through the heat exchanger.

I have to say, the picture you have does look a little odd.

I probably would walk away . There are just too many unknowns that and your a newbie and taking on a project boat is not very advantageous. The cheapest part of a boat is usually the boat it self . It might seem like a deal now but factor in the repairs then fixed costs like dockage and insurance you will see that the initial purchase prices is the least of your problems . Pay 12k a year on just fixed expenses only to have your boat sit get old . But you will lean about boats quick going this route Money is an excellent teacher..

LovaCarver wrote:Qr Bbpost Thanks again for all the feedback. I think I've made my decision NOT to go forward with this "opportunity".

I believe you have made the right decision here, given your place in the learning curve .......Odd as it may seem, sometimes the most costly to repair are the free ones especially if you have to pay someone to do the repairs/upgrades.

Good luck with your further hunting........that is always the fun part for some........

Once again, thank you. You guys are great. Nothing beats experience and wisdom. In looking at this particular Carver, I was actually wanting a fixer-upper for resale. But at what cost? Along time ago someone suggested that a boat is just a whole in the water in which you pour money. Even in the best of situations, it's still about the amount and speed at which you "pour".

Buying boats to fix up and flip for profit rarely happens. Pretty much the only people who can do this are seasoned boaters who are way up the ladder in boat repair-maintenance knowledge.

buster53 wrote:Qr Bbpost Buying boats to fix up and flip for profit rarely happens. Pretty much the only people who can do this are seasoned boaters who are way up the ladder in boat repair-maintenance knowledge.

10-4 !