Hello everyone, I'm new here as I don't have a Carver... yet.

I'm looking at a very nice 1997 Santego. I'm looking for any advice for things to look for. Of course a survey will be done, but I'd like to check out as much as possible on my own first. I'm mechanically inclined and have been boating for 10 years, mostly with sub 30' express cruisers with stern drives,so happy to accept any recommendations on focus areas.

The boat I'm looking at has about 650 hours on the 7.4 Crusaders. There is a small smoke from the exhaust during a cold start. It disappears within 20-30 seconds.

I can see a bit of oil/grease dripping from the shaft seals, but I assume that is expected to a certain extent. Other than that, the entire bilge is spotless.

Thanks in advance for your help!