Mariner Owners- Give me the Good, Bad and Ugly

W

Wishoot

Member
Joined
Aug 27, 2006
RO Number
22990
Messages
132
I currently own a Regal Commodore 32' and I like it quite a bit. It's been a very reliable and fun boat. We got it primarily because it's a good boat for entertaining. The problem is that it's not the most comfortable thing to sleep on and I love spending overnights on the boat.

After looking at a couple of Carver Mariners, I think this may be the boat for me. It seems to have an amazing amount of space, it's well laid out and it can be configured for fishing, entertainment, family, cruising....Unfortunately, I've never actually been on one before.

So tell me your experiences with the Mariner good or bad.

Thanks for your help.
 
Mine is old but I love it.. It obviously is different to a newer boat so I'm not sure how relevant my opinion is.
 
Mike, can you elaborate as to year and size??? We have several late model Mariner owners on here who should be able to help...
 
Your absolutely right, Pete, sorry about that. I would be lookg for something around 5-10 years old between 32-36 feet (I'm not really sure what lengths were built in this style).

Sorry to be vague, but a lot depends on my funds and actually finding the right boat.
 
Mike, I've got an older 36 ('84)that we purchased earlier this summer. Very comfortable accomodations for 2 plus more if needed in a pinch. Most guests comment that it 'seems' like a bigger boat, lots of elbow room above and below.

Good luck in your looking for the 'right' boat.

Ted
 
Mike,

We moved up to a 1999 Mariner 350 this year, from a Regal Commodore as well (albeit 25').

We LOVE IT. Absolutely is a great boat for entertaining and cruising. Word of caution though about family cruising - there is only the one stateroom at the front - kids sleep on the sofa turned bed - and/or dinette turned bed (the dinette is a pain to get up and down though, I highly recommend the sofa first - it's a breeze).

The things we like best about our boat is the layout below - nice and open and bright - and all one level.

The walkaround is HUGE - I feel very comfortable walking around up there tending to lines and fenders.

The seat up front is FUN FUN FUN - dogs love it and I enjoy it when I can get one of them to move long enough for me to sit down :)

The bridge is HUGE too - GREAT for entertaining - one weekend we had 6 adults and 2 kids up there for an afternoon cruise - was quite comfortable.

Things we would change: on our model (I think they changed this 2005 or 2006) there isn't a good "outdoor dining" area. The table on the bridge doesn't have seating around it - but it makes a nice "buffet" table. Dinners are down below on the dinette - which can be interesting if there are waves in the anchorage :)

we are thinking about adding a washdown pump - there is certainly room for it - where we anchor, lots of clay and weeds come up with the anchor - would be handier than the bucket on a rope I currently use

I think those 2 minor things are the only things we would change - but they certainly aren't the "bad" of the Mariner.

You'll enjoy overnights on the Mariner - the stateroom is very spacious and bright - and private. Again, the only downside if you have kids regularly (we don't, ours is 17 so boating has slipped in terms of priority) cause they'd have to use the sofa.

Mind you - we don't spend any time down below at night anyway - and we've had guests overnight who go to bed earlier - we enjoy our drinks on the bridge, on the front seat, or on our chairs out back - and slip in quietly when we're ready for bed.

Anyway, I'm rambling - can you tell I'm still on the "new boat" high? :)

Jenny
 
quote:
Originally posted by Ted36M

Mike, I've got an older 36 ('84)that we purchased earlier this summer. Very comfortable accomodations for 2 plus more if needed in a pinch. Most guests comment that it 'seems' like a bigger boat, lots of elbow room above and below.

Good luck in your looking for the 'right' boat.

Ted

Click to expand...


Ted I have an 84 36 as well ! hey have you figured out what breakers control the overhead lights on the cockpit cover ? I cant get any power to them.
 
quote:
Originally posted by Wishoot

Your absolutely right, Pete, sorry about that. I would be lookg for something around 5-10 years old between 32-36 feet (I'm not really sure what lengths were built in this style).

Sorry to be vague, but a lot depends on my funds and actually finding the right boat.

Click to expand...


depending on your need.. up until 89 a 36 mariner will sleep 8.
two staterooms ( one is a small bunk room ) and two convertable surfaces in the salon.
 
The 1984-1988 3697 Mariner was an 8 sleeper with two staterooms, full galley, bar, an enormous flying bridge and single level floorplan. It was 35'7" x 12'6" and used a dual mode hull which means it was somewhat economical at semidisplacement hull speeds as well as cruising speeds, usually powered by big block Chevy 454s...

After its demise the choice for Mariner lovers was the 3297, an updating of the previous 3396 along similar dimensions (for some reason they called it a 32 for awhile, even the old 33' was a little less than 33'). Eventually they got back to calling it a 33 (or 330) again. This is the boat you will see the most of out there, as it was very, very popular and affordably priced for years, and is the boat which "made" Carver in many ways. It sleeps up to 6 in a single stateroom with dinette/settee opposite each other...

In the later '90s Carver "upgraded" the 330 into a 350/360 Mariner, which is still in production today and a picture of it's new multicolored hull graces the top of the '08 Carvers thread. This is much larger than the 33 it replaced, so much so that people seem to confuse it with the 36 from the 1980s, which was a totally different boat. Today's model rides a modified V and is powered by 8.1L engines. it also costs a TON more than the old 3297/330 did, so it really appeals to a different boater these days (don't fret - there are plenty of used older-style ones out there for the rest of us to aspire to :) )..

Regardless of which boat you choose, all Mariners of the '90s and '00s share the same concept - maximize interior living space on a relatively short hull, and performance characteristics, while still reasonable, are secondary to the amenities. But people have loved the Mariner concept for 30-plus years now, so Carver must have known what it was doing!!!

Good luck in your search. When you find the boat you like feel free to ask questions here and see what our fellow ROs have to share...

PS - I intentionally omitted smaller 28' Mariners from the 80s as that doesn't seem to be the focus on this thread, but for any other lurkers out there the smaller series is a fine boat as well - in some ways a better "sea boat" for its size than the larger boat is...
 
We had a 2005 30' Rinker which we bought new and liked a lot for day trips, which is mostly what we had done for 5 years previously with our 28' Cobalt bowrider. We had the same problem with sleeping conditions as the Rinker was just too small for overnight trips, and my wife felt closed in with the ceiling so close to the top of the bed.

After looking at several different types of boats (and listening to all our pros and cons), our broker showed us a 1989 32 Mariner. We loved the model, but not that particular boat. After looking in a several state area, in May of this year we found a 1993 330 Mariner that we purchased. We absolutely love it, have been on a couple of weekend trips and when not away, we usually spend the weekend at the marina. It is amazing how much room is inside for a boat that size. We frequently have our 11 year old granddaughter with us, and have used the sofbed and converted the dinette with very little problem. The room above the bed is about 49" as opposed to 32" on the Rinker - my wife sleeps a lot better on the boat then at home.

Cruising took a little getting used to as I normally went 30+ knots on the Cobalt and 25 knots on the Rinker, but am really enjoying going 16-17 knots, especially with the view from the fly bridge. Also am getting used to having a boat with age and the additional maintenance required, but I did expect it.

Good luck with your decision and I would be happy to furnish any info that you think could help since we recently went through the process.

Stu
 
Good points, Stu!!! The 330 was on the short list of boats we were going to buy if (1) we didn't have a child and (2) I didn't have a heart attack. Oh well...
 
Guys- this is great information and I appreciate your help. I think I need to test drive one soon. We'll be doing a lot more overnight cruising next season and I would like to move on one sooner than later.

Anyone have one with an extended swim platform?
 
quote:
Originally posted by dmunneke

quote:
Originally posted by Ted36M

Mike, I've got an older 36 ('84)that we purchased earlier this summer. Very comfortable accomodations for 2 plus more if needed in a pinch. Most guests comment that it 'seems' like a bigger boat, lots of elbow room above and below.

Good luck in your looking for the 'right' boat.

Ted

Click to expand...


Ted I have an 84 36 as well ! hey have you figured out what breakers control the overhead lights on the cockpit cover ? I cant get any power to them.

Click to expand...


I haven't checked the breakers, mine has a push button switch about head high on the stbd side of the door to the saloon, both cockpit lights are switched, but if the light switches are on, that push button turns them on, took me a couple times to figure that out. My latest mystery is my water temp gauge (particularly the port engine) isn't seeming to register. As the parts lady at my marina say's 'we are riding a classic' so I guess we have to put up with gremlins from time to time. Pete and others seem to be fonts of info on older carvers so at least I feel like we've got a great support group!!
 
Ted! Here I meant to mention these forums to you last week and then poof...i see you are already registered here!! Welcome! If you don't recognize me by the avatar picture to the left, we are the loud family that docks directly across from you!! :)

BTW...saw the name on the transom the other day...looks good.
 
quote:
Originally posted by Ted36M

quote:
Originally posted by dmunneke

quote:
Originally posted by Ted36M

Mike, I've got an older 36 ('84)that we purchased earlier this summer. Very comfortable accomodations for 2 plus more if needed in a pinch. Most guests comment that it 'seems' like a bigger boat, lots of elbow room above and below.

Good luck in your looking for the 'right' boat.

Ted

Click to expand...


Ted I have an 84 36 as well ! hey have you figured out what breakers control the overhead lights on the cockpit cover ? I cant get any power to them.

Click to expand...


I haven't checked the breakers, mine has a push button switch about head high on the stbd side of the door to the saloon, both cockpit lights are switched, but if the light switches are on, that push button turns them on, took me a couple times to figure that out. My latest mystery is my water temp gauge (particularly the port engine) isn't seeming to register. As the parts lady at my marina say's 'we are riding a classic' so I guess we have to put up with gremlins from time to time. Pete and others seem to be fonts of info on older carvers so at least I feel like we've got a great support group!!

Click to expand...


Ted,
Thanks, I even pushed that switch a few times but never figured it out.. Gauges... Tell me about it. I am not a big fan of gremlins.
For me a winter project is replace all gauges and senders if necessary.. I have done a on of work on my boat.. Wish I could figure out how to post picures !
 
Ted, you definitely are riding a classic!!!

As for the temp gauge, go over to the electrical or the engines forum and ask about it, because there probably is a way to properly test that gauge. Or you could try an experiment - take the sending unit off the other engine and hook it to the bad side, so at least you could rule out a sending unit problem...

I'm in the middle of replacing all my gauges. I've done a few of them as they've gone bad and the rest are in a drawer waiting for me to get some time to finish the job...

Funny, whenever I get that spare time I seem to be taking the boat out instead ;) ...

PS - to post pics you need to have them online somewhere and link to the URL from within BoaterEd. I don't know why you can't just upload them here, that's a question for Les. But it is possible as long as you put them on a site like Photobucket...
 
106-0670_IMG.jpg


Cool here she is with new uphostery ans carpet
 
quote:
Originally posted by Woodsong

Ted! Here I meant to mention these forums to you last week and then poof...i see you are already registered here!! Welcome! If you don't recognize me by the avatar picture to the left, we are the loud family that docks directly across from you!! :)

BTW...saw the name on the transom the other day...looks good.

Click to expand...
C'mon you guys aren't so loud - hope you had a good week either on the lake or in FL. We're cruising this week hope to see you next wkend and can toast the new name.
 
quote:
Originally posted by dmunneke

106-0670_IMG.jpg


Cool here she is with new uphostery ans carpet

Click to expand...
Looks great! Previous owners had recovered everything in ours so it looks good too, though slightly different colors - same classic woodwork!
 
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