Bringing a 1987 3697 back to life

W

waybomb

Member
Joined
May 13, 2001
RO Number
4563
Messages
78
We bought this boat a bit over a year ago. It's a 1987 Carver Mariner 3697 that sat outside on the hard for ten years, as a result of some difficult family matters of the previous owner.

The interior was moldy, trees growing in the cockpit, every inch of outside upholstery and canvas shot.

The good - engine hours 280, and it turns out were properly winterized 10 years ago. A solid hull. And a determined husband and wife!











 
And how it looks one year later, and in the water, and running like new:





Granite counter tops


New Carpet




All new Stainless through-hulls


Wife made new drapes and we reupholstered the valances






Clean engine interior
 
All I can say is WOW!! You had some vision. I would have took one look and ran the other way. All that work in only a year....great job!
 
Nice work!!!...When I saw the first pics, I was going to respond with "How much did they pay you to take it?". The turnaround is stunning. My last 2 Carvers have been project boats, but nothing even remotely close to the level and amount of work you have done. Kudos!
 
Very nice, great job. How much water was there in the bilge when you found her? When I see uncovered boats in the bone yards I always wonder that and how much rot has developed. You have proved they can be brought back to life.

Niles
 
I was thinking about warning you against taking on this kind of project boat. You obviously need no warning fantastic job!
Are you sure that's the same boat?<G>
Bill
 
I'll try to answer your questions.

Water in the bilge? They had it blocked bow up and drain plug out, so really no water in the bilge when we bought it.

We paid $3,500 for it as it sat at Oselka's. I figured even if the thing was a waste, I'd get my money back on driveline core sales. To me, the purchase was not the risk at all.

Including the purchase, moving to St Joe, taxes, inside heated storage last winter, and every dime we put in it, we have about $26,000 in it, and it surveyed at $45,000. We have about 1000 hours into it, so we work cheap!.

And yup, we had a vision and it turned out even better than our vision.

It's kinda neat now, sitting in the cockpit last weekend just relaxing for a change, and all the boaters who thought we were nuts in the beginning and figured we'd never finish it, then took an interest into what we were doing, and finally motoring by us and congratulating us. Very nice.
 
OMG that is an awesome job! Having done some restoration projects myself I know just what a challenge it was for you to pull that one off, and what stares you must have gotten from the neighbors at the marina when you started. My question: how did you manage to do it without wrecking YOUR marriage [:-mischievous] ???
 
How did I not wreck my marriage? We've been together for 31+ years, both starting with nothing, and her even less coming over from Poland with a suitcase, 3 years before I met her.

We both handle issues well. And love boats!

Starting to look for an inexpensive project 4207 with good Cats or Cummins. (Had a 4207 with gas engines - a truly terrible vessel to pilot in any type of bad weather/seas, but a super condo on the water) If we find one, this Mariner might be sold.
 
Really put's into perspective how solid Carvers really are (owners as well). My current 31' EC is fantastic. I'm already looking for my third (someday) in the 47' Aft range (miss my 32' Aft)....

What a job you did.....
 
I am IMPRESSED! Count me in as one who was ready to tell you that you were insane and to run away.

You proved us all wrong, the boat looks beautiful. Congratulations!!!!

What material is the counter top?
 
The counter is Blue Coral Granite. Real granite.
We didn't spare much expense on this.

The one thing I went used on was the radar and the gps/finder/chartplotter.

The plan is to make a glass cockpit for it.

In the next 2-3 months, I am adding a third bilge pump in the front, installing a new ac unit in the forward cabin, I have 2 plastic throughhulls to replace with the stainless ones, Installing a used KVH compass so I can use MARPA for now, installing a dedicated cabin stereo (installed a dedicated bridge stereo last year, have 4 Klipsch wall speakers to install on the aft bulkhead of the cabin and in the area under the forward berth, still have to compound the topsides, considering installing speakers in the cockpits aft walls, The pulpit is a little soft, but that may wait until next winter, and I have to fix some bumps on the swim platform.
And then maybe next winter I'll do the glass bridge.
 
Waybomb, Fred... You've done an amazing job on your boat and are partly responsible for inspiring me to freshen my 32 Mariner up!
 
Awsome job! It's always a thrill to see a restoration of an old classic back to like new and better.
 
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