Even for a long-distance cruiser, sometimes it’s nice to open up the throttles and put some serious mileage under the keel. Of course, if you’ll be spending all that time aboard you don’t want to give up the voluminous bow, wide beam, and comfortable living arrangements that are trademarks of a cruising boat that prioritizes space over speed. One builder that’s always managed to straddle the fence between these two traits—while adding a healthy dash of entertaining ability—is Carver Yachts. And this builder is not exactly riding on their laurels these days; last year they introduced the C34, and now, the C40 is hitting the water.
What these boats share in common is the ability to cruise at over 20 knots while still providing gobs of comfortable living space for the LOA.
How? Start off with a wide beam, and carry it well forward to maximize cabin space. Add in island berths in the master staterooms, make sure there’s sleeping space for six, put an extended flybridge on top, and an open cockpit in the stern. Give the buyer an option of either twin gas or diesel inboards. And just for good measure, design in unusually wide side-decks protected by a high bowrail plus flybridge stairs instead of a ladder, to make life even easier on these boats. Voila!
But don’t think the C34 and the C40 are otherwise identical. Naturally the 40-footer has more room, a second head, and more space in the salon. Both models have a guest stateroom, though on the one in the C34, headroom is low over the berth. Another big difference can be found in the galley placement; on the C34 it’s farther aft, so it backs right up to the big opening glass cockpit door. That close connection between the galley and the cockpit means entertaining is easier, which makes a lot of sense since the smaller model is probably going to be used for day-trips and entertaining a higher percentage of the time. The C40’s galley, on the other hand, is more expansive to allow for easy meal prep on those long cruises.
If you’ve been looking at new cruisers lately, you may have noticed a trend toward more glass and less fiberglass above the sheerline. It’s a trend many of us like, since bringing natural light and breezes into the cabin eliminates that cave-like feeling of some older boats. And Carver has taken to this evolution, fitting out these new models with monstrous side windows, over-sized glass cockpit doors which swing wide-open, wrap-around windshields, and (on the C40) large mid-cabin side windows. They’ve also added in round window ports in the forward cabins, which give these boats a nice retro-modern look. More importantly for outdoors lovers, these boats dedicate more of the available LOA to the outdoors than most cruising boats do. The cockpits are spacious, have wrap-around seating, and are capped off with a large swim platform. And the flybridges extend far aft to include seating plus a sunpad.
Yes, you can find long-distance cruising boats that offer more living space in the same footprint. Sure, there are plenty of boats out there that can go a heck of a lot faster. But these new Carvers find a great middle-ground, and that’s exactly where a lot of boaters want to be. Because getting there is half the fun—but sometimes, it’s even more fun to open up the throttles and put some serious mileage under the keel.
Specifications, C34:
LOA – 35’6”
Beam – 13’0
Draft – 3’8”
Displacement – 16,500
Max HP – 600
Fuel capacity – 250 gal.
Water capacity – 90 gal.
Specifications, C40:
LOA – 39’10”
Beam – 13’0”
Draft – TBD
Displacement – 20,500
Max HP – 760
Fuel capacity – 300 gal.
Water capacity – 120 gal.
by Lenny Rudow – Senior Editor, boats.com
What these boats share in common is the ability to cruise at over 20 knots while still providing gobs of comfortable living space for the LOA.
How? Start off with a wide beam, and carry it well forward to maximize cabin space. Add in island berths in the master staterooms, make sure there’s sleeping space for six, put an extended flybridge on top, and an open cockpit in the stern. Give the buyer an option of either twin gas or diesel inboards. And just for good measure, design in unusually wide side-decks protected by a high bowrail plus flybridge stairs instead of a ladder, to make life even easier on these boats. Voila!
But don’t think the C34 and the C40 are otherwise identical. Naturally the 40-footer has more room, a second head, and more space in the salon. Both models have a guest stateroom, though on the one in the C34, headroom is low over the berth. Another big difference can be found in the galley placement; on the C34 it’s farther aft, so it backs right up to the big opening glass cockpit door. That close connection between the galley and the cockpit means entertaining is easier, which makes a lot of sense since the smaller model is probably going to be used for day-trips and entertaining a higher percentage of the time. The C40’s galley, on the other hand, is more expansive to allow for easy meal prep on those long cruises.
If you’ve been looking at new cruisers lately, you may have noticed a trend toward more glass and less fiberglass above the sheerline. It’s a trend many of us like, since bringing natural light and breezes into the cabin eliminates that cave-like feeling of some older boats. And Carver has taken to this evolution, fitting out these new models with monstrous side windows, over-sized glass cockpit doors which swing wide-open, wrap-around windshields, and (on the C40) large mid-cabin side windows. They’ve also added in round window ports in the forward cabins, which give these boats a nice retro-modern look. More importantly for outdoors lovers, these boats dedicate more of the available LOA to the outdoors than most cruising boats do. The cockpits are spacious, have wrap-around seating, and are capped off with a large swim platform. And the flybridges extend far aft to include seating plus a sunpad.
Yes, you can find long-distance cruising boats that offer more living space in the same footprint. Sure, there are plenty of boats out there that can go a heck of a lot faster. But these new Carvers find a great middle-ground, and that’s exactly where a lot of boaters want to be. Because getting there is half the fun—but sometimes, it’s even more fun to open up the throttles and put some serious mileage under the keel.
Specifications, C34:
LOA – 35’6”
Beam – 13’0
Draft – 3’8”
Displacement – 16,500
Max HP – 600
Fuel capacity – 250 gal.
Water capacity – 90 gal.
Specifications, C40:
LOA – 39’10”
Beam – 13’0”
Draft – TBD
Displacement – 20,500
Max HP – 760
Fuel capacity – 300 gal.
Water capacity – 120 gal.
by Lenny Rudow – Senior Editor, boats.com