Viewed 2005 Carver 360 Sport Sedan today. A couple of questions...

[MV Wanderlust]

Afternoon all,

This morning, my wife and I walked through a 2005 360 SS. This was our first time seeing this model up close. We liked everything about the layout, the interior was very clean, and the a/c was working great. We could see ourselves cooking, watching TV, sleeping, showering, and... yes... I even sat on the head.

The exterior was a bit faded and dull. It needs some detailing but that's to be expected with an 11 year old boat.

Our scuba gear (not the tanks) could easily be stowed behind the bench seat across the back of the bridge, between the back of the seat and the canopy.

The broker was supposed to provide maintenance records from the owner. The only thing the owner was able to come up with was work done to one engine back in 2013. The broker has had the boat about three months but didn't know that much about it. He didn't know exactly when the bottom was last painted, only that it needed it. (He also didn't know it had a backup camera, central vac, or an automatic oil changer.)

Then I crawled down in the engine compartment. The filters, strainers, belts, most hoses, and the water pumps/impellers were all easy enough to get to.

However, the starboard shaft seal has a very steady drip, about a drop every three or four seconds, so there is a puddle of water in the bilge. There was some surface rust on one propellor shaft but not the other. The through hull fitting where the port rudder shaft goes through had some water around it but the starboard rudder shaft was dry. The generator case was open and there was dampness at the base of it. The generator ground strap and a couple of battery terminals had some corrosion. The fluids were all clean and none were where they shouldn't be.

And then there was the bottom. The boat is in the water but the water in the Clearwater, FL marina was reasonably clear. We could see about an inch build up of algae. Enough that it was waiving back and forth with the water movement. An inch? The broker said they have a diver clean the hull once a month. An inch of algae in a month? To me, that seems like a lot. Is that a lot?

So... hauled and bottom painted, new shaft seals, probably new zincs, the general condition of some of the components down below, and the lack of documented maintenance made us back away from this particular boat but we loved the over all feel of it and will continue searching for an early to mid-2000s 360 SS.

[Lepke]

The only ones I've seen are gasoline engines. That would kill it for me.

[MV Wanderlust]

What about the build up of algae? Is an inch of build up in a month considered normal? Honestly, it looked hairy. If you let the boat sit for a couple or three weeks, it seems like you'd need to jump in and scrub the hull before setting out.

[tuffr2]

Looking for a boat in Florida will not be easy. Not sure why but the 10 - 15 year old boats I have looked at are in 'crappy' condition.

An inch of algae does seem like too much. I typically see what I would say is 1/8" - 1/4" of algae. Where I am (70 miles north of Tampa) the water is not as clean (especially at Pete's Pier) there are boats that have been in the water neglicted for years. Now they may have an inch of algea.

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[MV Wanderlust]

Originally Posted by tuffr2

An inch of algae does seem like too much. I typically see what I would say is 1/8" - 1/4" of algae. Where I am (70 miles north of Tampa) the water is not as clean (especially at Pete's Pier) there are boats that have been in the water neglicted for years. Now they may have an inch of algea.

Interesting. That helps. Thanks, tuffr2.

[tuffr2]

Fyi...I will be at Pete's Pier tomorrow. I will pay attention more to how much algae is actually on the boats there. I will take a putty knife and try to get a good idea by scrapping the algae.

I will let you know what I determine.



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[MV Wanderlust]

Awesome. Thanks!

[Lepke]

Most of the thick algae will wash off with movement. Especially high speed.

[CSY Man]

I thought algae was slime, which will grow on good bottom paint, vs grass, which will grow on bad bottom paint.?

[Cheechako]

It really doesn't matter how much algae/grass is on it...1" or 6". He said it needs painted... so why care?
Not unusual for a drip like that on the shaft. The key question is will tightening it stop it? The worst case scenario (and not unusual BTW) is that the shaft has corroded inside the stuffing box from low oxygen water just sitting in there (from lack of use). In that case replacing a shaft is a possibility. Not a huge deal, just keep in mind, you might get paid for the replacement after survey.

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

It really doesn't matter how much algae/grass is on it...1" or 6". He said it needs painted... so why care?
Not unusual for a drip like that on the shaft. The key question is will tightening it stop it? The worst case scenario (and not unusual BTW) is that the shaft has corroded inside the stuffing box from low oxygen water just sitting in there (from lack of use). In that case replacing a shaft is a possibility. Not a huge deal, just keep in mind, you might get paid for the replacement after survey.

Although the OP called it a shaft "seal" is isn't clear if he is referring to a dripless seal or a standard packing gland type.

For the OP, if a dripless seal is leaking then it needs careful examination as a failure could lead to a significant water influx. If a traditional stuffing box that has adjustable nuts then a slow drip is normal. A drop every 3-4 seconds at the dock is a little too much but can be reduced by a slight tightening.

[SV Bacchus]

Originally Posted by Lepke

The only ones I've seen are gasoline engines. That would kill it for me.

I'm not going to the trouble to look that year/model up but given size and year I suspect dual 454's. Agree with Lepke completely, those babies will absolutely melt your credit card!

You can find those mid-30's gas powered cruisers cheap as hell here on Florida's west coast simply because people can no longer afford to feed them.

I looked at a Mainship, 34 if memory serves correct, with twin 454's and the hour and 15 minute run, round trip, down to Tarpon Springs for haul out used just a smidge under $200 in gas. We ran it pretty hard for a bit at the surveyor's request as he was completing his checks. But that was about how I would run it if I had bought it. At that time it was about $4 a gallon in a marina so 50 gallons, 25 per engine, roughly 20 per hour per engine. Everything I heard confirms that is about right..

The boat was a nice boat but would have sat and grown a lot of algae as I wouldn't have been able to run it very much either..

[Barney21]

Just an observation I owned a Luhrs 34 Sports fisherman, it had 2 454s , the fuel economy is not that bad if you keep them at 1300-1400 rpm ,that was quite fast enough if you are just cruising, we found if you cranked them up over 1800RPM they were noisy the ride not that comfortable and liked a drink. So if you are happy just cruising along and the motors are well tuned they are quite acceptable . They are as cheap as chips to maintain , if they dont have solid state distributors ,they are worth the conversion.

[k9medic]

Originally Posted by tuffr2

Fyi...I will be at Pete's Pier tomorrow. I will pay attention more to how much algae is actually on the boats there. I will take a putty knife and try to get a good idea by scrapping the algae.

I will let you know what I determine.



Sent from my SM-G360V using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

I keep my boat at Pete's and I can tell you that I have both grass and slime grow in less than a months time.

Personally, I would not be concerned with what you find growing in Clearwater. It's bound to happen and depending on how aggressive the diver it, there may be more or less given the day.

[MV Wanderlust]

Originally Posted by skipmac

if a dripless seal is leaking then it needs careful examination as a failure could lead to a significant water influx. If a traditional stuffing box that has adjustable nuts then a slow drip is normal. A drop every 3-4 seconds at the dock is a little too much but can be reduced by a slight tightening.

Good information. Thanks.