Question. How big is your boat in relation to your anchor?

I have a Carver Mariner 350. It’s about 37’ long and weighs about 20,000 pounds. I have a 22 pound delta plow anchor. It’s my option that it’s to small. I’m going to go with a Rocna Valcun 44 pound anchor. I have a very silty sandy anchorages.

Is that to large for the maxwell 600 windlass? Will it fit on my bow roller? Will it look weird up there?

Hi have a 430 1995. Wonder if my water heater has an anode, and if so where is it located in the heater.
The water lines and electrical connections are on the same side, facing the bow of the boat. Thank you.

Why would I not use Epoxy Putty under the water line?
Has anyone used epoxy putty instead of gel coat repair?

Going to pick up our new to us 356 this weekend and want to take some supplies with us just in case.
What oil do most people use in a Crusader 8.1? I'd like to take a 3-4 qts as a back up.

I'm guessing 15w-40

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So I just have a quick question about where to start on the path to even this out a bit? I don't think it is a motor issue. My first thought is props, second is throttle cable? I am not new to running down mechanical issues but I really am kind of behind when it comes to marine maintenance. I know the throttle won't always be even but the pictures show how far off I am when I get the engines synced. I can also feel a difference when we are at idle speeds, it tends to push one way harder and I have to try and even it out by going in and out of gear as well as with the rudders, which I don't like to mess around with at idle speeds.

Any ideas based off a pretty useless picture?

My 390 CPMY (1994) is fitted with a Ray Marine auto pilot. I am going to the DEFENDER annual sale and wanted to buy a new system, however I need to now what size the autopilot pump is, 1, 2, or 5?

Any ideas from the general public??

How can you determine an engines internal condition when it has been used in saltwater but is raw water cooled and only has a Fresh water Flush system attached. The motors are 25 years old and with only 500 Hrs on them.
I know the instant response is that they Probably have problems, but can they be taken apart to some degree to know for sure? Thanks for any input!
Flott

Hi All,
Is there anyone else out there that can provide any
speed and fuel data on their 1991-1993 Carver 280 Sedan (the 11'10" beam model)?
Flott

Back in 1999, I bought a 1985 Carver 26 Santa Cruz (Model 2667) and used it successfully until about 7 years ago. Back in the Fall of 2011, we caught the tail end of a hurricane and a lot of damage was done. The boat did not go into the water in 2012 as it took most of the summer for Mrs Eggbert and I to rebuild the wharf. Below you can see the storm damage:



2013 brought on building a new gangplank for the floating docks. Not much else got done due to other priorities.

In 2014, I built scaffolding and raised the engine to change the badly rusted oil pan. I changed the pan with the engine suspended. Using a single piece pan gasket made the job a lot easier.

2015 was the year I discovered the trailer sub frame was too badly rusted to put the boat in the water. So far gone, I was scared to even move the boat. So I had to weld in new frame members with the boat on the trailer. Borrowed my father’s generator to run my MIG welder. Welding goes quickly, but the preparation takes a long time.

Some of these efforts are shown below:



By that time, my aging parents (Dad 89, Mom 88 ) were starting to mention it’s been at least 4 years since they were last out on the water. They seem to be holding their own, but their health isn’t all that great. Time to push this boat thing a bit harder.

So after about a month of fixing everything I could find wrong, in the water it went:



Next was to test her out. First item was to get the engine running. I had forgotten about the fuel filter/water separator so I removed it and the top picture below is what I found. I had added that it was 4 year old gasoline, but I noticed this morning my storm pictures were taken in the Fall of 2011, so the gas is from the summer of 2011.

Oddly, I’ve emptied the filter several times since then and no more water to be found. I’d have thought if there was water in the bottom of the tank, it would be picked up as it sloshed around when the boat was underway.

Back to the story and the next failure. At the dock idling, I noticed the temperature gauge was starting to read higher than normal. A quick investigation revealed there was no cooling water being pumped to the heat exchanger. During this investigation I noticed the port exhaust riser was badly cracked, so even if water had been pumping, it would have sprayed out of the riser cracks and into the bilge.

The crack is undoubtedly from residual water freezing during the winter. I’m always meticulous about flushing with fresh water, then RV antifreeze and finally draining the system, however I did start the engine every year in the hope it would keep it from seizing up, and perhaps one year I forgot to do my normal winterization. My mistake, and fairly costly to fix.

I took the salt-water pump apart and found all the blades from the impellor were missing. I bought the whole rebuild kit which converts my old pump from a multi-piece assembly to one with a single piece rear housing. Rebuilding was easy. Removing and installing the pump was not.

All the lines had to be cleaned out as well, as pieces of impellor blades could be in them.

Also put a new port Riser on. Easy to get all the nuts and bolts off the old one, but the darn thing was severely stuck and I spent nearly a whole afternoon getting it off.



Took the boat for a quick run and everything seemed fine. Finally time for a good sea trial. Ran it under a good load, but after about 20 minutes disaster happened. It started with me smelling burning rubber. Slowed to an idle and then noticed smoke billowing out the stern. Opened the hatch and suddenly couldn’t see from all the smoke billowing out.

Good thing I did this test with my son, and not Mrs. Eggbert. She would have had a fit and either a heart attack, stroke or a panicked jump into the water would have occurred!

Turns out the Riser I didn’t replace was plugged up with rust and grunge. The riser is a device that mixes cooling water with the exhaust to keep the exhaust components cool. The upper rubber coupling going to the elbow from the Riser split and burnt a little bit. The lower coupling going from the elbow to the y-pipe burnt rather badly.

Luckily nothing burst into flame. I was able to replace the riser within a few days.

And wouldn’t you know it, just the evening before the “great boat fire of 2016”, I ordered a brand new fish finder for the boat. Turns out Mrs Eggbert is quite fascinated to watch and see what it’s like on the bottom; not so much fish, but underwater structure. Anyway, I think my boat budget for this year has now been exceeded by a fair bit.



I have to admit, that day took its toll on me. First the fire, then the ordering of parts, next the removal of the old parts. After the exhausting day, I wound up having a bit of rum… and fell asleep early.

Only one extremely tedious job remained and that was ro replace the tilt/trim sensors. Running the wires without removing the stern drive can be done, but I don’t recommend it!

Finally in 2017, I managed to get my parents on two trips which they enjoyed very much. Dad’s 91 now, and Mom, 90, and they are looking forward to another trip or two this year!

I am too! Not using the boat for those years makes it seem like I just acquired it all over again.

The End.

OK Guys, i need thoughts on owning a Carver Mariner 3297 or Newer 330. Anybody that can tell me the good and the bad I would certainly appreciate it so much! Thanks, JC