Carver Owners Forum

Ah, ok, so it sounds like the 356 was more of an aesthetic and superficial upgrade to remain competitive as opposed to the re-design which resulted in the 366.

That makes sense - thanks to all who have contributed and please, any info you think will be of use, feel free to continue to add.

Mr. Ted

Any questions you have, we’re here to help. Lots of us 355/356 owners here.

We looked at all these different models when buying. If I recall carver removed the large sliding windows in the salon from the 355 when they went to the 356 redesign windows. I know they did this with the 405 change to 406 windows and port holes in aft cabin. which was one thing that helped me pick my 405 over the 406. I really enjoy opening the windows in spring in fall for fresh breezes.
This is on 405/406 so probably the same on 355 /356 is the aft sundeck surround is fiberglass walls on the 356 instead of the mounted acrylic panels on the 355.

OK, good to know and thanks for the info regarding windows. Please keep any and all tidbits coming as I'm trying to compile a good amount of wisdom as we get more serious in our search.

Pros/cons, personal likes, performance, styling updates, anything y'all can think of is appreciated!

Mr. Ted

Hi Mr. Ted. We’ve had 4 Carvers over the last 20 years and really like Carvers for their finishing, sea keeping and roominess for their size compared to other boats out there. We started with a 1987 3207 aft cabin, moved on to a 1989 4207 aft cabin, then a 1993 350 Voyager and just purchased our 1992 36 aft cabin last June. The interior of our 36 is the same as the 37/405/406 models, but without the integrated stairs down to the larger swim platform (which is awesome, but out of our price range). We chose the 36 because it has the full island bed in the aft cabin, similar to out 4207. The hull is also wider than the 355/356 so the interior is huge for a 36’ boat. One thing that I found out about our 350 Voyager, as well as the 350 aft cabin, is the fact that the hull is the same length as the earlier 33 aft cabin. Carver just changed the model designation from a 33 aft cabin, to a 350 model designation.
Whichever model you decide on, you can’t go wrong with a Carver. We had our 4207 out in winds gusting to 119 kph (75 mph) and she handled the seas with no problems.
Good luck in your search

Thanks MyPleasure - this is great info and the kind of thing that fills in the gaps in my knowledge as I learn as much as I can about these boats.

It's funny how the learning process and the whole going down the rabbit hole part of the search is almost as enjoyable as the purchase itself.

So again, thank you and I appreciate any and all info you good folks can send my way.

Cheers,

Mr. Ted

Mr. Ted wrote:QR_BBPOST It's funny how the learning process and the whole going down the rabbit hole part of the search is almost as enjoyable as the purchase itself.

There is so much more truth in that, than some realize.......good luck with your search..