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Re: Carver 355/356 Aft
Posted: June 24th, 2025, 10:10 am
by bud37
Viper wrote:QR_BBPOST If one of them is in Starport Port Severn, I heard the owner has already purchased another boat. That could be a bargaining chip and ease the impact of some deficiencies.
Interesting. Do you know that boat?
I see the 33 ( top of couchiching) with the diesels is back on the market ..... Starting to get gun shy I have to say....we are too old for another project/restoration and everything so far not just 355/356's has been either overpriced real scary junk or nice and just used up with high hours and little to no updated equipment or proper maintenance evident.
A few even if we got them for what I believe they are actually worth, I would still have to do the work or manage other folk to do it for me. We would pay for nice, just haven't seen it yet. Close but no joy.
We have fairly high standards after all these years I guess.....maybe this idea of a floating cottage will have to die.
Re: Carver 355/356 Aft
Posted: June 24th, 2025, 12:22 pm
by bud37
Just a little advice for anyone looking to get into a larger boat and wants to pre-inspect to consider which ones to submit for a pro to do the final survey.
That survey I would recommend no matter what, research your local surveyors as some are a bit iffy, you want someone working for you. The following are things owners can do that are free for the most part and will give a buyer an idea of how a boat has been kept up for the most part. Some owners are just users, ride it hard and put away wet then sell when done/used up.
Stand back and look for pride of ownership, sight up and down the hull sides, if clean decks, clean plastic, shiny gelcoat, good start. Check for deck gelcoat cracks around fittings/windlass area, swim deck and cabin coaming sides, aft deck entry way. Look at window/door slides and frames....see if clean and operable without forcing. Window drains should also be clean. Floor access hatches should be obvious and when opened are clean around the opening below and more important you are not struck with a bad odor. Bilges should be dry and have been kept clean, no evidence of dried up historic high water levels on stringer sides and bilge pumps. Temporary high water will not leave heavy oily black or worse brownish scum lines.
Cabin carpet fitted properly around hatches and beds, not cut poorly with scissors ,furniture etc. clean and odor/stain free, light wear especially near steps etc.
Check engine area for clean, rust and corrosion, ask for maintenance logs/receipts or just owner info, get engine hours and generator the same. Remember even if the engines are rebuilt, that is good , yes, but the trans and perhaps drives that are attached may now have the hours from the original plus whatever is on the new engines. Now that said, they could have been redone with the engines but still ask/check. None of this costs any money or requires mechanical aptitude other than your time and a check list.
I can say from personal experience even lately....It is truly shocking what you find opening a few hatches and looking under bed hatches.
Guys please go ahead add your input to this as I am sure there are more free things folk can do and look for.
Re: Carver 355/356 Aft
Posted: June 24th, 2025, 5:43 pm
by Merkinbrumsky
Re: Carver 355/356 Aft
Posted: June 24th, 2025, 10:22 pm
by bud37
Thanks, thats a nice one....friends got one just like that a few years back, we like the size.
There a a few up top of cooch, going to check them out when the weather cools a bit after the long weekend after I get my nerve back ....

Re: Carver 355/356 Aft
Posted: June 25th, 2025, 6:33 am
by Viper
bud37 wrote:QR_BBPOST Viper wrote:QR_BBPOST If one of them is in Starport Port Severn, I heard the owner has already purchased another boat. That could be a bargaining chip and ease the impact of some deficiencies.
Interesting. Do you know that boat?
I've been on so many over the years, so I may have or not, not sure. Owners and locations change, hard to tell.
Re: Carver 355/356 Aft
Posted: June 25th, 2025, 10:26 am
by bud37
Viper wrote:QR_BBPOST
I've been on so many over the years, so I may have or not, not sure. Owners and locations change, hard to tell.
What do ya think, ....

, is it worth a trip for us...

Re: Carver 355/356 Aft
Posted: June 25th, 2025, 6:32 pm
by Viper
Re: Carver 355/356 Aft
Posted: June 25th, 2025, 11:19 pm
by bud37
Thanks
Re: Carver 355/356 Aft
Posted: June 25th, 2025, 11:58 pm
by bud37
Stay tuned...there is another one....

Re: Carver 355/356 Aft
Posted: June 26th, 2025, 6:31 am
by Viper
I really don't know if I've been on that boat or not, I just know there's one there and the owner has already bought another boat. If I've been on it I might recognize it if I looked through it but there would have to be something that stood out as a lot of these are cookie cutter. You can't always go by the name of the boat but do you know the name and how long the current owner's had it?