CARVER OWNERS CLUB
This site is owned by, managed by, and exclusive to Carver, Californian, and Trojan owners.

August, September and October 2010

I mentioned the interview with Irwin Jacobs as published in the May edition of Soundings Trade Only.  Mr. Jacobs is quoted as saying that the new Marquis/Carver boat company would make a $15 million investment in the new boats to be displayed at the "Yachting Centers" in Georgia and Florida.  According to an unnamed company employee, Marquis/Carver made three boats this year, presumably after the bankruptcy auction.  This person went on to say that another boat might be built this year.

This seems far from the $15 million investment in new boats that was quoted in the magazine article.  It also seems that Marquis/Carver abandoned the winter boat shows in New York, Atlantic City, and Miami.  To the best of our knowledge, neither Mr. Jacobs nor  J & D Acquisition have made any statement related to warranties of previously sold Marquis or Carver boats.  Most other manufacturers assumed the warranty liabilities from their pre-bankruptcy days.

Again, it seems that Mr. Jacobs doesn't quite get who is (or will) buying the good quality, great value Carver yachts.  I expect that more will follow with this unresolved story.

Flotsam

Once upon a time, the Club offered marine supplies for sale on-line.  We had a great supplier, thanks to Stan Pearsall.  The supplier was sold, went bankrupt, and we stopped selling marine supplies.  All of this is about to change in a big way.

First, we have an offer of a membership club kind of organziation.  That is, your active membership in the Carver Owners Club entitles you to buy supplies at a deep discount, sort of like a Costco or Sam's Club without having to buy in bulk.  When your Carver Owners Club membership expires, so does your membership in the buying group.  Let me also say that NO personal information will be made available to the buying club from the Carver Owners Club.  If you choose to join the buyers club (at no charge) you will provide your personal information.  This is so we can comply with our privacy policy.

Second, the Club has a new source of marine supplies and some parts that we will begin to sell directly again.  We are still working out the details on this too.  The prices are not as aggressive as the buying club - we don't have access to their buying power, but the prices are good and, in some cases, great.  Anyone can purchase from the Club store.

This is the month that I have to take back some of the nice things I wrote about our Florida destination marina.  Let me start out by saying that it is no longer our destination marina.  We are looking for a replacement and we have several marinas who are interested in hosting us, depending on the number of boats that will come south.  Loggerhead Marinas increased the "utlities fee" by 60% without notification.  A $100 electrical fee, became $160 without telling the leaseholders.  I asked their management what would prevent such a similar increase over the winter and the answer was that no such an assurance could be made.  In other words, they could simply increase their "utility fee" to whatever they choose without notifying the tenants and without releasing the tenant from the lease.  I consider this unacceptable.  We're leaving the old Harborage Marina for a new location starting September 1.

Five boats have expressed an interest in coming south with us this fall.  If you are interested and have not contacted me, do so now.  We have a limit of four boats in a convoy.  More than four boats make finding slips very difficult, especially when traveling in the rush weeks following November 1.

Some events we are considering/planning are:

•   ICW Cruise South.  This will start with a planning meeting where the captains and the cruise director (Bruce) discuss the trip south.  This is currently planned for mid-September, followed by the actual cruise south beginning around November 1.  If you are planning to travel with us going south this fall, contact me no later than August 15 for more information.
•    Saturday Night Out at Home.  Eileen and Stephen Stewart will host a Saturday Night Out in their home in Kennett Square in late January.  Details to follow.
•   Florida Thanksgiving Dinner.  This is really a tribute to Gayle Barnum who insisted that we COULD have a complete Thanksgiving dinner on a boat.  So we did.  Last year was the best ever, with everybody pitching in a bit.  The pumpkin soup was a bit iffy, but everything else was great.
•   We are also looking at a monthly cruise over the winter.  We're looking at destinations like Tampa/Bradenton, Palm Beach, and the Keys.  This is a great way to explore a bit more in a friendly group.  Dennis, tell me if I've missed a cruise when you see me on the dock.

The new version of Boat Talk is now available to active members.  It's not perfect.  Send me an email to tell me about problems so I can correct the problems.  Here are some of the new features:

• When you post a comment on the blog, you will receive an email when a response is made.
• Replies are threaded, which means that you can comment on a comment
• We can now post some secure newsletter items that we might not want to made general knowledge.  For example, our marine supplies discount company doesn't want to be identified.  We might want to know, privately, how they are doing.
• It's easier to use.
• You can see all of the posts in one location.  I've restricted the number of posts right now, but can open that up as we need to.
• The search function is MUCH better.

There is only one disadvantage right now, that I know of.  You have to register again to be able write posts.  I hate that, but could not find a way to avoid that because the blog vendor will not make the database structure or the ability to write to the database public knowledge.  I understand.

The old Boat Talk is available for reading for the time being.  I've decided to not convert all of the old posts to new Boat Talk.  No one will be able to make posts in the old system.  I will move recent posts without replies to the new Boat Talk. 

My thanks to everyone who helped me with this and I thank the membership for your patience.  Let me know what you think.

Once upon a time, the Club had a store where you could buy marine supplies for significantly lower prices.  We are working to offer a similar deal, with even better prices.  One of the problems is making sure that we have a good product mix.  We are leaning towards offering paints and cleaning supplies first and then branching out to other areas.  One surprising (to me) hot item is control cables for shifters and steering.  We have a good supplier now for U-Flex cables, if you are interested.

Let me know if you have an interest in purchasing marine supplies through the Club at Internet prices.

Featured Boat for Sale

Bill Feigle lovingly restored this classic boat, a 1974 Trojan, F32.  He’s put more than $80,000 in restoration costs, plus his “free” labor.  This beautiful boat can cruise at 25 knots.  You may ask what’s changed in this 32 foot cruiser.  First of all, the boat now meets 2009 standards.  The boat is insured by BoatUS.  The major finding in last year’s insurance survey was that the blower hoses needed to be replaced.  GFI electrical plugs were installed and the battery box was changed from wood construction to plastic.

Here’s what else has been changed:

Bill replaced the starboard engine with a Ford 351 new in the box.  It has approximately 90 hours.  This engine is now an EFI.  It used double platinum plugs and Mobile 1 synthetic oil.

Bill rebuilt the port engine and brought it up to the standards of the starboard engine.  The starter for this engine was replaced in 2009.

Both engines are fresh water cooled and both freshwater pumps were replaced.

The interior does not include the cocker spaniel shown in the photos, although Bill might accept some offers for the dog out of his wife’s hearing.  There is a lower helm station that features a compass and a fume detector.  The roomy salon includes two chairs, a small table for the TV and DVD, and a sleeper sofa that converts into a queen sized bed.  The interior was redecorated with new carpet and drapes.

The galley now has mirrors on the front side of the galley and over the dinette.  Bill replaced the sink and faucets to stainless.  He also added a larger, black refrigerator to match the black counter tops.

Outside, Bill replaced both the front and aft decks about three years ago.  Some of this was required when the fuel tanks were replaced.  The aft deck changed from teak to fiberglass for easier maintenance.

The fly bridge seats six.  The helm station features a large compass, fume detector, depth gauge, and fish finder.  A VHF radio and external speaker complete the electronics on the bridge.  The boat is equipped with six life jackets and four fire extinguishers.

Under the boat, Bill changed both props and shafts.  All of the running gear is rebuilt and in excellent condition.

An inflatable dinghy is available with this boat for an additional charge.  It includes a 6 horsepower outboard motor.

Bill is selling his dream boat as he retires and moves from New York, where the boat is located, to North Carolina.