Carver Yachts Makes a Comeback

Carver C34 - the largest 34' ever.

And the winner goes to...Carver Yachts, for one of the best boating comebacks anyone has ever seen.

At this fall's boat shows, the queen of the show wasn't the latest and greatest 75' luxury yacht; it was the butt end of marine jokes going back decades: Carver Yachts.

Carver C37 - a 'Wow' for styling.

Sorry Carver, but let's be honest - your boats haven't exactly stood the test of time.  In fact, if marine surveyor David Pascoe could change one thing in his life, it would probably be going back in time and destroying the Carver factory before it could ever put out a boat.  (Click the link above to see how David has felt about Carvers in the past!)

Carver C40 will delight any cruising couple or family.

But now, all of that has changed.  Carver is now under the supervision of Marquis Yachts, a boatbuilder who knows the definition of luxury.  Just in case you don't want to read further, and you need this article summarized in one word, that's easy - just, 'WOW.'

The flush deck aboard the Carver C40 - interior

These yachts have me on my knees, thanking the boating Gods for putting marine designers on the planet who finally understand how to do this thing the right way.  Carver made such logical but divine decisions as a flush-deck salon, exceptional cockpit seating, built-in swim platforms, unobtrusive sunpads, appropriate hull strength and weight, and completely usable galleys, salons, heads and bunks.  

Separate shower stall?  Check.
Lots of headroom throughout?  Of course.
Dual helm station availability?  Why not.
Snap-in carpeting?  Perfectly-sized furniture?  Appropriate propulsion?  Yes, yes, and hell yes.

Carver even placed the television up high, so after a long day when you're slumped in the comfortable couch and your head is titled back, you have a perfect angle to the TV.  Hallelujah!

Carver C37 Interior

Please don't misunderstand - I don't go boating to watch television.  But if you're going to do it, do it right, and I think Carver must understand this proposition very clearly.  If they implemented a function - like sliding aft doors - they designed the living hell out of it and made it the best, most beautiful, most well-functioning sliding doors you ever could see.  Ditto for absolutely everything else on the boat.

What's more, and better, and brutally exciting, is the hull performance of these vessels.  One trusted dealer remarked that he had driven the C34 and the Prestige 450, and that the C34 could 'run circles around the Prestige.'  Note, however, that this isn't to say Prestige isn't a great yacht.  The impressive thing about this feedback is that Prestige is a great, well-built yacht, but Carver simply went to work on these projects and came out with a superb product.  

The only thing Carver didn't change was its value proposition, as these yachts sell for considerably less than its nearest competitors.

See the Boattest.com review here.

What more can we say?  You have to get aboard one of these boats.  If I had the money and wanted a new boat, it would be my first choice.  If you want a 50' yacht in a 40' or under platform, and you want style, and intelligent layouts, and creature comforts, and exceptional handling, and a great design, and a great price, then it's time to put away the past and forgive Carver for any transgressions.  
Carver Yachts is making a comeback, and it's time for all of us to get onboard.