Carver Yachts reviews

Thanks very much for this link, I hadn't seen it before. I was really interested to watch the video on the Riviera from the 80's. I've always thought that was the oddest, weirdest, kind of ugly (in my personal aesthetic opinion) model Carver ever made, but I must be in the minority if that reviewer was right and they were wildly popular for a while. Oh well, maybe I'm just missing the appeal.
 
The Riviera WAS wildly popular. We sold about 10 per year during it's model run...and we weren't one of the larger dealers back then. We also had the last new one available in 1989. I towed it to it's new home near Denver Colorado from Cleveland. Unfortunately, the 2808 Aft cabin that replaced it, kind of fell flat. When they lengthened it to the 325/326, sales came back.
 
When we were shopping for our 3207, before we settled on that model and we were first trying to figure out what we liked and wanted in a bigger boat, we climbed all over a few Rivieras in boat yards and marinas. Looks entirely aside, I could never figure out the appeal of those boats layout-wise. The up-and-down of the 3207 is already getting on our nerves just a little. We're still young and spry enough where mobility is not an issue and won't be for a long while, but it's just kind of cumbersome. On the other hand I love the classic look and the height and visibility from the upper helm on the 3207. Those Rivieras on the other hand had the up-and-down, up-and-down issues, and the living space was cut in half, and with that mid-cockpit it didn't have anywhere near the visibility. But you're right, they did nail the preference of lots of buyers at the time -- I've just never been able to understand why. If I had been CEO of Carver at the time and somebody pitched me that design I would have vetoed it immediately. I would have killed a very popular model line.
 
quote:
Originally posted by kthoennes

Thanks very much for this link, I hadn't seen it before. I was really interested to watch the video on the Riviera from the 80's. I've always thought that was the oddest, weirdest, kind of ugly (in my personal aesthetic opinion) model Carver ever made

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Oh come on ..are you saying carver came up with something worst than the mariner ?? :)
 
The Mariner is the ugliest boat that I have ever seen. Don't understand the appeal of the Riviera.
Jim
 
Pascal...hey!!!!!!!!!! I resemble that remark!!....Some wise man once said if ya wanna be happy fer the rest of yer life...make an ugly boat yer wife....or something to that effect. I wuz married to a Mariner for over 10 yrs.-thats a lifetime in boater years. I finally decided to move up to a Santego, but I do miss some of the built-in design features of the Mariner. Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder.
 
Say what you want ,Pascal the carver ,hater they built a lot of mariners in different sizes for along time. I can remember all the way back to 1978 and they still make them . I like Hatteras they built ok boat I rather have a carver. Ok carver hater pascal ,in the marina I am at there is about 20 mariners . 300 boats altogether oh there is a 2001 Hatteras 37 he is trying to sell for about 3 years. Carver made a lot of mariners because they sold a lot people like them.
 
Now this is funny. I never much liked Mariners before either. The old ones looked tubby and barge-y to me, and the newer ones look like Clorox bottles or white basketball sneakers. HOWEVER, we're now shopping for a 36 or bigger and so we crawled all over a 1988 3697 Mariner a couple weeks ago. We loved that Mariner layout so much that we've decided the Mariner is going to be our next boat. I don't like the looks nearly as much as the aft cabins, but we liked everything else so much I'll sacrifice aesthetics. Walk-in cockpit, short stairs to the bridge, an acre of space on the upper deck, and still a lot of height and good visibility (well, except for the raised bench seat aft of the helm, can't see the transom at all like I can on the 3207, but oh well). Everything inside on one level, engine and mechanical access far better than the aft cabins. I don't need a ladder to get into the V-berth. The ladder and hatch access from the salon to the flybridge is a little weird (I don't understand when anybody would ever use that). But in the end it won us over by a mile. I'll sacrifice the looks for that incredibly functional layout. Now I understand why Mariners have been selling for years and years.

(Still never going to love the Riviera though.)
 
quote:
Originally posted by Salvatore356

Say what you want ,Pascal the carver ,hater they built a lot of mariners in different sizes for along time. I can remember all the way back to 1978 and they still make them . I like Hatteras they built ok boat I rather have a carver. Ok carver hater pascal ,in the marina I am at there is about 20 mariners . 300 boats altogether oh there is a 2001 Hatteras 37 he is trying to sell for about 3 years. Carver made a lot of mariners because they sold a lot people like them.

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Carver hater? That s funny... Wow... Your post reminds me of kids in kindergarten. Nah nah nah my toy is better than yours nah nah nah.

2001 Hatteras 37'? Try again... They haven't made a boat that small since the mid 80s :)

Look I realize the mariner is a practical boat, offers a lot of interior space and built pretty well for its intended market but good looking? Come on... It s like saying the Pontiac Aztec was an award winning design! :)
 
Pascal the carver hater, Hatteras is not my cup of tea I like carvers they make a good yacht you hate carvers and you should not say nothing on the carver forum. I can trash Hatteras just like you trash Carvers. It was a 39 Hatteras 1998, Carver Hater go somewhere and play with your old 43 year old boat.
 
Give me a minute to nuke some popcorn. I always enjoy a good debate-in fact....I consider myself a master debater.....maybe I spelled that wrong?
 
quote:
Originally posted by Salvatore356

Pascal the carver hater, Hatteras is not my cup of tea I like carvers they make a good yacht you hate carvers and you should not say nothing on the carver forum. I can trash Hatteras just like you trash Carvers. It was a 39 Hatteras 1998, Carver Hater go somewhere and play with your old 43 year old boat.

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You re getting lore funny with each post,... Still no such thing as a 1998 hatteras 39...

But at least you can count...

"They make a good yacht"? Lol... We re talking boats here.. Get over yourself...

Again I don't hate carvers... I I'm just a title critical of some of the styling. But you re obviously the expert here..
 
http://www.yachtworld.com/core/listing/cache/searchResults.jsp?cit=true&slim=quick&ybw=&sm=3&searchtype=advancedsearch&Ntk=boatsEN&Ntt=&is=&type=%28Power%29&man=hatteras&hmid=0&ftid=0&enid=0&fromLength=37&toLength=39&luom=126&fromYear=1998&toYear=+2012&fromPrice=+&toPrice=+&currencyid=100&city=&spid=&pbsint=&boatsAddedSelected=-1 I think you said enough you do not know too much Go find people that listen to your bull****.
 
I think he got you Pascal...unless yachtworld doesn't know what it's talking about either
 
Ok, indeed these were the last of the small hatteras sport fish... They didn't make too man of these in the late 90s as they had moved their focus on larger boats by then.

Still not sure what it has to do with the awful styling of the mariner... Heck if anything it shows what a real boat should look like :).
 
I boat on the Chesapeake bay the mariner is a very popular boat in this area. If you never been on one you would not know about it go on one and you would see the difference. I am talking about a couple looking for a 35 ft boat it is a perfect all around boat. Yes this is a bay boat I would not go in the ocean with it for the Chesapeake bay a perfect boat.
 
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