New Carver owner, a few warm-up questions

A

alwayslookin

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Joined
Aug 22, 2006
RO Number
22944
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3
My wife and I recently purchase a 1992 Carver 26 command bridge. The boat is awesome and we fell in love with it as soon as we saw it!

My questions are:

1. There is some sort of breaker located in a weatherproof box above the shore power connection. This breaker will not reset, even without power, and needs to be replaced. What is this breaker for if I have a breaker in the main panel? Can I simply bypass? Where can I get one?

2. What are the engine stringers made of? In the bilge I have holes for letting water drain down to the bottom of the bilge (limber holes I think) but they do not look like they have been sealed up with gel coat, just drilled through and left bare. If they are wood, then wouldn't they rot?

3. I have some blisters on the top of the swim platform and the upper side of the hull near the engine intake vents. All the blisters are on the upper hull, the "top of the shoebox". To me, this is a strange place for blisters? Has anyone else had this problem. The lower portion of the hull is sound without any problems.
From reading other posts on this board, I think the hull is solid fiberglass but is the upper structure different?

I have lots more to ask but we'll start here. Thanks in advance!
 
Always,
#1 be prepared for the comments of "what about your survey" and "didn't the seller go over that with you."
#2 congratulations on your new ride!!!
#3 My guess on the breaker is a GFI for wet application, should be easy to replace - do not by-pass.

Regarding the stringer and blisters, we have a lot of long time Carver owners, they will weigh in!

Welcome to the best forum on the forum
AJ
 
Carver usually adds a breaker near the shore power socket so that you can easily turn off all loads, as you should, when connecting or disconnecting. replace it.
 
Welcome to Carver, I'm finding out too that the boat and this forum really are the best. Congratulations.
 
Thanks for the replies and the welcomes. We were out on the boat yesterday cruising around and had an awesome time. We can't believe the way the boat ride, very smooth and solid!

I will replace the breaker as advised.

I am still curious of the stringers. The surveyor did not find any problems with them but I still would like to know what they are made of. Are they solid fiberglass?
 
Welcome aboard my friend!!!

The stringers on that model are probably wooden. On some newer boats they have gone to a hat shaped fiberglass section that is either hollow inside or might be filled with foam (Kenny can elaborate) or on the really big models... aluminum. But I'm pretty sure that in 1992 they were still using good old wood. One thing it will NEVER be is solid fiberglass...

Which isnt a big deal, by the way, if done right. Wood is still the most cost effective and strongest material per square inch in your average "affordable" boat. Remember that modern fiberglass stringer construction methods were designed to make fiberglass an acceptable replacement for wood. Wood is still "the real thing". My 1980 2896 has stringers that are just as good as the day it was new, and that was back in the day when Carver had absolutely lousy methods for encapsulating and protecting their wooden stringers and cores. If maintained well enough, even those boats will be fine today. Your 1992 is much, much improved...

Enjoy your boat!!!
 
Welcome! We've had our Carver for nearly 5 years and I have found it to be a very solid, well built boat. I definitely hate to have to cover it with tarps at this time of year :(
I'm sure you'll enjoy yours for a long time.
 
Welcome and congratulations on your "new" boat. I love Carver's and I have found mine to be built as well as any "production" boat out there. My little 28'er is great!

The only thing that concerns me is your description of the holes in the stringer that look to be unsealed. If that is indeed the case and a hole has been drilled by the PO or someone else and not properly sealed the wood core can deteriorate very VERY quickly.

IMHO, get a pro to have a look at is as quickly as you possibly can. If you are correct that they are, indeed, not properly sealed you will save yourself a whole bunch of money down a very short road. (please don't ask me how I know this) IMHO

Bob
 
The "holes" are most likely the weep holes at the bottom of the stringer along the bottom of the boat. These were not sealed on most 1980's designed hulls from my experience. On my old boat, I could stick my fingers in and pull out shreds of rotten wood in some of them. On the new boat, they all seem to be solid, but are exposed plywood.

I had a fiberglass guy give a quote on the old boat and he said that the theory was that water intrusion was inevitable and they were left exposed to dry out. I said seal em up! He said that was a bad idea because the moisture that was in the wood would then be in there permanently and not be able to escape. This was on the stringers that were dry and not rotten.

Jim
 
quote:
Originally posted by ChefJunk

The "holes" are most likely the weep holes at the bottom of the stringer along the bottom of the boat. These were not sealed on most 1980's designed hulls from my experience. On my old boat, I could stick my fingers in and pull out shreds of rotten wood in some of them. On the new boat, they all seem to be solid, but are exposed plywood.

I had a fiberglass guy give a quote on the old boat and he said that the theory was that water intrusion was inevitable and they were left exposed to dry out. I said seal em up! He said that was a bad idea because the moisture that was in the wood would then be in there permanently and not be able to escape. This was on the stringers that were dry and not rotten.

Jim

Click to expand...


I only know 2 things for certain. 1) Every boat I've ever owned, including my current '87 Voyager, the weep holes have been completely sealed. 2) Wood that gets wet is going to rot.

My advice is still to get a pro to dry them out really well and seal them completely.

Bob
 
quote:
Originally posted by rnbenton

quote:
Originally posted by ChefJunk

The "holes" are most likely the weep holes at the bottom of the stringer along the bottom of the boat. These were not sealed on most 1980's designed hulls from my experience. On my old boat, I could stick my fingers in and pull out shreds of rotten wood in some of them. On the new boat, they all seem to be solid, but are exposed plywood.

I had a fiberglass guy give a quote on the old boat and he said that the theory was that water intrusion was inevitable and they were left exposed to dry out. I said seal em up! He said that was a bad idea because the moisture that was in the wood would then be in there permanently and not be able to escape. This was on the stringers that were dry and not rotten.

Jim

Click to expand...


I only know 2 things for certain. 1) Every boat I've ever owned, including my current '87 Voyager, the weep holes have been completely sealed. 2) Wood that gets wet is going to rot.

My advice is still to get a pro to dry them out really well and seal them completely.

Bob

Click to expand...


I don't want to argue with you, but unless a PO sealed them, they should be exposed. They left the factory this way. I owned an 86 mariner that is the same model and they were exposed. My 88 Montego's are exposed. I have crawled around alot of bilges on 1985-1992 Carvers over the last year while looking for this boat. Feel around the bottom edge of the top of the hole. There should be 4 weep holed in both the forward and aft bilges that are easily accessible on your boat.

Jim
 
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