Went to Wilmington, NC this weekend to look at a 56V with a friend (his potential purchase, not mine.) The exterior had a LOT of WOW factor, but once aboard she was lacking in some key areas.
My observations +'s & -'s in no particular order:
-- The lower helm is a waste of space. I can't fathom ever using it. The broker said the 'sky lounge' (?) version was more spacious. We would have liked to have viewed that one but it was an hour away.
-- The upper helm was beautiful, But why the cheap eisenglass and the flimsiest canvas (felt like a bed sheet) instead of stratglas and vinyl or completely hardened in like the Sea Ray motor yacht series.
-- The canvas had gaps between it and the hull large enough for a small rodent to crawl in. It was built that way and leaked like a sieve.
-- The engine room was almost impossible to get to the outsides.
-- Easy access to the rear A/C unit in the ER
-- Almost impossible to get to the A/C unit in the master SR
-- Couldnt find the 3rd A/C unit
-- No vanity for the Admiral in the master SR. One is supposed to sit on a carpeted step and face sideways to do the makeup thing.
-- Completely seperate head and shower/tub rooms in the master suite. Very nice
-- Great closet space in the master.
-- Good size guest SR with access to the day head from the SR.
-- Third stateroom is nothing more than a storage locker with bunks.
-- If all the servicing on the 25kW gennie was as you faced it, great. If not, there are some serious problems.
-- Lack of handholds in critical climbing areas throughout the boat.
-- Why on earth is there a lock on the INSIDE of the owners SR closet. If something falls against that lock and sets it, you are screwed. There is no outside means to unlock the door. If the handle was put in backwards, shame on them.
-- The walkway's are great forward of midships. They get very skinny aft of midships to afford more interior room. Actually, dangerously skinny.
-- Cameras everywhere. Nice touch for engine room monitoring and docking.
-- Great A/C on the upper deck, however, needs several more outlets.
-- No icemaker on the bridge deck. You're kidding me right? Even worse, no room to put one. All the cabinets are occupied at the top with a sink or something making an icerette out of the question and a countertop to me on a 56 would look a bit trailerparkesque, (MHO).
-- Jenn-Air grill on the bridge is a nice touch.
-- Wet bar on the bridge is lacking in space.
-- Admiral says the galley was designed by a guy. Virtually no cabinet space for even a long weekends worth of provisions, no oven, and no workable counter space to speak of.
-- Twin 50 amp service with glendinning was sweet as was the twin power service connections forward on the starboard side. Nice touch to accomodate varying docking situations.
-- 24" railings are stylish, but too short to be of use for one of my 6'4" height.
-- ER access door on lifting struts is great. You actually have to be careful lifting it to prevent it from going up too fast.
-- The Volvo 12L engines purred like kittens. The engine mount system is nothing shy of genius. Virtually no vibration transmission from the engine to the hull at all.
-- The shift, throttle and drive by wire is awsome.
-- Cockpit throttle and thruster(s) controls were nice. However, they were permanently mounted at shin level.
-- I don't know what Carver included for electronics, but this 56V had it all to inlcude a security and monitoring system that e-mailed you in the event parameter "xxx" was out of spec.
The 56V has a great deal of potential, but not in this format. I was expecting more from a boat with the Carver name and with that price tag on it.
My $0.02
My observations +'s & -'s in no particular order:
-- The lower helm is a waste of space. I can't fathom ever using it. The broker said the 'sky lounge' (?) version was more spacious. We would have liked to have viewed that one but it was an hour away.
-- The upper helm was beautiful, But why the cheap eisenglass and the flimsiest canvas (felt like a bed sheet) instead of stratglas and vinyl or completely hardened in like the Sea Ray motor yacht series.
-- The canvas had gaps between it and the hull large enough for a small rodent to crawl in. It was built that way and leaked like a sieve.
-- The engine room was almost impossible to get to the outsides.
-- Easy access to the rear A/C unit in the ER
-- Almost impossible to get to the A/C unit in the master SR
-- Couldnt find the 3rd A/C unit
-- No vanity for the Admiral in the master SR. One is supposed to sit on a carpeted step and face sideways to do the makeup thing.
-- Completely seperate head and shower/tub rooms in the master suite. Very nice
-- Great closet space in the master.
-- Good size guest SR with access to the day head from the SR.
-- Third stateroom is nothing more than a storage locker with bunks.
-- If all the servicing on the 25kW gennie was as you faced it, great. If not, there are some serious problems.
-- Lack of handholds in critical climbing areas throughout the boat.
-- Why on earth is there a lock on the INSIDE of the owners SR closet. If something falls against that lock and sets it, you are screwed. There is no outside means to unlock the door. If the handle was put in backwards, shame on them.
-- The walkway's are great forward of midships. They get very skinny aft of midships to afford more interior room. Actually, dangerously skinny.
-- Cameras everywhere. Nice touch for engine room monitoring and docking.
-- Great A/C on the upper deck, however, needs several more outlets.
-- No icemaker on the bridge deck. You're kidding me right? Even worse, no room to put one. All the cabinets are occupied at the top with a sink or something making an icerette out of the question and a countertop to me on a 56 would look a bit trailerparkesque, (MHO).
-- Jenn-Air grill on the bridge is a nice touch.
-- Wet bar on the bridge is lacking in space.
-- Admiral says the galley was designed by a guy. Virtually no cabinet space for even a long weekends worth of provisions, no oven, and no workable counter space to speak of.
-- Twin 50 amp service with glendinning was sweet as was the twin power service connections forward on the starboard side. Nice touch to accomodate varying docking situations.
-- 24" railings are stylish, but too short to be of use for one of my 6'4" height.
-- ER access door on lifting struts is great. You actually have to be careful lifting it to prevent it from going up too fast.
-- The Volvo 12L engines purred like kittens. The engine mount system is nothing shy of genius. Virtually no vibration transmission from the engine to the hull at all.
-- The shift, throttle and drive by wire is awsome.
-- Cockpit throttle and thruster(s) controls were nice. However, they were permanently mounted at shin level.
-- I don't know what Carver included for electronics, but this 56V had it all to inlcude a security and monitoring system that e-mailed you in the event parameter "xxx" was out of spec.
The 56V has a great deal of potential, but not in this format. I was expecting more from a boat with the Carver name and with that price tag on it.
My $0.02
