Hello All,

Three seasons ago I purchased a 2001 356 aft cabin which I absolutely love. I got an incredible deal on this gorgeous boat because of a soft spot in the rear swim deck which is not a quick and easy problem to rectify. I learned that this was a VERY COMMON problem with this model of boat and was told the failure was caused by the installation of a grab handle installed in the rear deck on most of these boats to compensate for the AWFUL factory swim ladder which makes in nearly impossible to get back onboard from the water without it.

I tackled this gigantic project this spring and have to share the shocking thing I found in the process. My failure was not caused by the poorly installed grab handle in the platform BUT WAS CAUSED BY A HUUUUUUUGE MANUFACTURING DEFECT RELATED TO THE ATTACHMENT OF THE OPTIONAL FACTORY DECK STORAGE BOX THAT PRETTY MUCH GUARANTEED THAT THIS PLATFORM WOULD FAIL. I am writing this post because I am not sure how many 355s & 356s with storage boxes have this defect, but any boats that were built like mine WILL HAVE A PROBLEM (weather you realize it yet or not).

Here's the story:
I mapped out the part of the deck that I believed had failed by using a hammer and listening for the areas were there was a solid thud, compared to a hollow bounce. I believed that the rotted portion of the deck was as follows:


Although my map of the rotted core was pretty accurate, I learned after I started cutting into the deck that the balsa was very wet extending far past the places where the balsa was completely rotted.


I ended up removing pretty much the entire swim platform because even though the balsa that was still structurally sound was completely saturated with water. This is were things got interesting and I discovered what the real failure was caused by. Amongst the balsa core, there are sections of marine plywood in the shape of the storage box, to give a more substantial material for the deck box screws to "bite" into. If you look at the photo below, I have marked the approximate locations of the screws holding the storage box to the swim platform. The circles in green are locations where the screws come through the outer skin and into the marine plywood. The circles in red are locations where the mounting screws "missed" the plywood frame and went directly into the balsa core.


THE FRAME THAT WAS MEANT TO PROVIDE A DENSE MEDIUM FOR THE SCREWS TO ATTACH TO WAS MADE TOO BIG AND MOST OF THE SCREWS MISSED IT!!!!!!! Carver simply put some butyl sealant on the screws and sank them through the skin thinking that they were biting hard into the marine plywood....but most of them were not. Over the years of boat flexing (from use and storage on land) caused these screws to turn into a "file" which made the holes through the deck quite large. I was actually able to pull 3 of these screws straight out of the platform without tools! With the way the rain flowed on the back of this boat, it streamed around the port side of the box and under the left forward and bottom areas where these enlarged holes existed.

I ended up rebuilding and replacing the entire swim deck balsa and marine plywood sections, I made the plywood underlayment in the correct size/shape so that all the screws went into the plywood. As an added measure of protection, I drilled a 1" round hole in all the mounting locations and filled them with Resin to that even future leaks through the holes have no path to the wooden portions of the platform.


I deleted the plastic grab handle and replaced the terrible swim ladder with an awesome unit with retractable handles made by an Italian company called Nautix.


Then got it all re-glassed and gelcoated back up where it was almost ready to hit the water again:


After re-installing deck box, finishing touches, and installing Seadek flooring to provide a non-skid surface for the platform, I am fairly happy with the way this all turned out....even though it was WAAAAAAY more work than I anticipated.


So, I wanted to share this for anyone who might have one of these boats. Not sure if they ever offered a larger box, but the frame under the outer skin is simply too large to do what it was intended to do...which was to provide a solid material to accept screws though the skin. Total fail here. Also remember that even if your swim deck might appear to be solid, it could be completely soaked and has just not rotted yet. I would recommend anyone with one of these boats and a deck box check their platform with a moisture meter to see if your boat is slowly getting really sick. Dealing with this problem sooner rather than later could save you lots of headache and $$$.

Looking for a shower faucet replacement with 6" measurement between pipes. For the life of me all I can find is 4". Anyone have any ideas where to look?

Hi there!

New boater here. Any input on how to pump out the black water tank on a 1980 3396 Mariner? I had a couple people aboard to locate and they couldn't figure it either, so i don't feel like a complete idiot!

Thanks for the help!

Matthew

Hello Team,

We just successfully buttoned up our haulout last week. Aside from the usual paint, zincs and cleanup, we also had a shaft seal leak to overcome.

Our port Tides shaft seal was clearly original and had significant wear issues along with rust and corrosion. I’m far too embarrassed to even show you the photos! During a 3-4 hour trip, we were getting about 5 gallons of water in the aft bilge area which as we all know sits UNDER the bilge pump water line! Even sitting at dock we were getting water into that bilge area.

There are a number of items to point out and share with the group. Hopfeully it can save all of us some time and cost in the future!

1. Our pre 2000 Carvers likely all included the old style Tides shaft seals. Tides indicated to me that any of these pre 2000 units still installed are far past their original life expectancy. Without hesitation we bought a new shaft seal unit from Fisheries in Seattle which was significantly cheaper than buying direct from Tides.
2. As Viper and others have mentioned, it’s worth purchasing a new replacement seal to slide down the shaft once the existing seal sees wear. Pre 2000 style Tides units DO NOT allow for spares to be placed in front of the unit.
3. Getting the shaft off the coupling was a significant feat of patience and know how! See our photo. We used a lathe to machine the 1 ¾” socket so it could slide in the coupling and remove the 1 ¾” bolt.
4. We left the top salon hatch open for the whole project although it really didn’t provide us anything but more illumination. Nearly all the work was done from the crazy small space at the foot of the aft bed.
5. Since the shaft had to be pulled, we removed the very old bearings in the aft and intermediate strut. Prop was very hard to turn. The mid strut was also out of alignment. This meant re-bedding. Access to the 2 bronze carriage bolts on that mid strut was nearly impossible but we managed. We were honestly considering having to remove the water tank to access! Thankfully not necessary.[image][image][/image][/image]
6. It took about 3 days to complete the shaft seal/strut project. Invictus was out of the water a total of 7 days but we needed every bit of that time for wax, paint etc.
7. After dropping in the water last Friday, we spent 2 nights on the boat and took it out for a short ride. No leaks anywhere in that bilge area! Big test will be our 4th of July trip to Deer Harbor which is a 3 ½ hour run each way.
8. Paint job looks terrific, but I was a bit shocked that we went through almost 3 gallons with 2 coats. PO had used Interlux BottomKote which we stuck with.
9. Lastly, getting the transom zinc bolts off was a disaster. Those 2 bronze bolts became loose while we struggled to remove the nuts. Access to the back side of those bolts is impossible as far as I could tell. They must be behind the aux fuel tank. I the end, we rebedded with 5200 but had to keep the scuffed and chipped original bolts in place. Ughhh.

Thanks for no judgements on my awful upkeep of a shaft seal! Let me know if you have any questions.

Greg

Hi all i have an issue with the power supply from my marina. Supply is only 16amps 240 volts at the pedestal and this limits the amount of i can use at one time.. My question is can i use the bow power inlet -Line 2 on switchboard to operate AC- heating units only then have all other 240 appliances operate from stern inlet Line 1...
This is still going to be 16AMPS 240 Volt to each inlet and hoping this will solve my issues... Has anyone else encountered the same problems...Paul

Hi All-

Can anyone tell us what the keel is constructed of in our 1987 3607 Carver Aft Cabin?

Thanks so much for any help-
Robin's Nest

Help!!!! I am fighting a fuel supply issue on my 2000 356 8.1L port eng only. Acts like fuel pump (Lift) is not working. I can take hose off of fuel module and no fuel. I replaced complete water cool fuel module. Sometimes it will run for a while then i will shut it off and re start it and it will run for 5 min and die. Pulled hose and still no fuel. I replaced the check valve on top of tank and replaced all fuel lines from tank to CFM. Primed CFM and it will run for 2 minutes and die. Acts like it is sucking air somewhere. Has anyone had issues with the 3 way valve???? That’s my next guess. Checked voltage to fuel pump and all ok

Hi, looking were to get the plastic push on snap rivets. Looked everywhere. Can anyone tell me where to get them.. here is a picture. Any help would be great. Thanks Carver 1997 325.

I have a 455 Carver 1998, two blowers have to be replaced out of 4.
Reading the different posts on the subject, diesels should draw air in ?
Both the working blowers are exhausting air, not bring air in. This is the way it was set up when I purchased the boat 14 years ago .
What is the correct way in or out ?
Thanks

I am fed up with the poor longevity of these crap switches. Now I do maintain my shower sumps on a regular basis however this morning my wife says there is a problem while taking her shower. Normally no water backs up when things are working well but now she was standing in 1+ inch of water so I knew the shower sump was having an issue. Sure enough a tap on the float switch and she fired right up. Took the switch out and apart and cleaned her up to what looked like brand new. Reassembled it all and turned on the tap. worked great for about 8 times and then water started to fill too high in the sump so a light tap and off she goes.

Bottom line is the switch internally seems to become intermittent. They seem to last about 4 years or so and they are awfully proud of their product at around $100 cad once delivered and taxes are paid. Last time I replaced it with their 40a model assuming it would last longer but that did not happen. This is the one that is installed in there like the original. https://www.amazon.ca/Rule-40A-Matic-Switch-Moisture/dp/B000O8DA0K/ref=asc_df_B000O8DA0K/?tag=googleshopc0c-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=293019546650&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=9475531068294994592&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9000603&hvtargid=pla-574196784892&psc=1

I am going cheap Chinese as the ratings are very high and they are so much cheaper. Bought 2 just to have a quick change spare if required. will only be able to use 1 screw down hole but that is more than enough. Have a feeling these will last much longer at 1/5th the price. https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B083FQK2WP/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1