350 Carver Mariner Express Bridge

Source: David Lockwood, Boatpoint Magazine

The Carver Express Bridge 350 Mariner’s millennium design delivers much more than just gimmicky styling – it offers open air touring comfort and space for a cast of thousands

Italy for architecture, France for fashion, England for literature, and America for truth, justice and, well, the pleasure-cruising way. Buoyed by a raging Wall Street and a liquid economy, America has suddenly become a confident, creative, brave new artisan of powerboats… Boats that dare to be different.

Rather than rest on their laurels, US production-boat houses are searching for new ways to provide functionality, spaciousness and convenience onboard. Directions for boating aboard a new-age cruiser these days are simply ‘add water, turn key, cast the lines and advance the throttles’.

But driven by the power of the greenback, some high-rolling American boatbuilders have decided to turn out a few new cruisers that will, well, rock the establishment.

Carver’s 350 Mariner pleasure cruiser is a good example. Though its radical looks have come under some criticism from conservatives, this boat’s adventurous styling grows on you. Unlike many boats with a nip and tuck purely for good looks, the Carver combines its new-millennium looks with a new level of passenger comfort.

THE FLIGHT DECK
The upper deck is what makes Carver Mariner 350 different. Giving the boat not only a fresh new face to complement your waterfront apartment, the modern-day marina, or harbourside restaurant, it also offers a great big stage for entertaining on the water.

Best termed a flightdeck – for it is neither a flybridge or a pilothouse – the upper deck has been designed to seat up to 10 guests.

Rather than split them up between a small flybridge and a big cockpit, on this boat you can sit them together and share the views as you cruise.

Access to the flight deck isn’t by troublesome ladder, either. There are two moulded staircases either side of the cockpit which, like the flight deck itself, are finished in a safe, shoe-stopping antiskid.

And although the cockpit itself isn’t huge, the flight deck more than makes up for it. Outdoor floor space stretches for about one third of the length of the boat and indeed, includes seating for at least 10.

And (only in America) I counted 18 drink holders (!), saw a remote control pad for the stereo, and noted a sink and a lunch table ready to roll.

HEAD NORTH FOR A LOUNGE
Even more innovation can be found in the foredeck, as Carver has made it a desirable place to lounge around with friends. Just a canter along a flat walkway either side of the helm – with high rails to ensure you stay on deck as you move about – the foredeck incorporates a two-person sun lounge with built-in armrests. Lift the cushions and the base folds out to create a sun pad.

Piece all this together and the Carver 350 is, by my reckoning, an ideal vehicle for touring the harbour. What other 35-footer can pack 10 people on an upper deck and offer them such comforts, views and music as they cruise.

INTERIOR GLOSS
But the Carver 350 is the kind of cruiser you will want to keep to yourself after the party’s over. Overnighting facilities aren’t so much suited to accommodating a crowd as sleeping a boat-owning husband-and-wife team.

Unlike most flybridge boats, you actually step down into the saloon. The only downside is that the ceiling appears lower that in a traditional flybridge cruiser, but this is only a passing concern and once inside the boat opens up.

Though there’s just one cabin, it’s a mighty cabin in the bow with an offset double berth to create lots of dressing room.

As you walk in through the oval doorway, you’ll notice built-in cupboards to port (with hanging space) and cupboards under the bed for packing away your weekend wear.

A hatch and two portholes, buff-coloured headliner and camel-coloured furniture pull together to create a stylish interior, while drawing and reflecting plenty of light. There’s also standing headroom and enough room to read in bed.

The bathroom (just the one) doubles as the en suite. It has a full-height shower stall, mirrored vanity and sink with storage space.

Surfaces are moulded fibreglass for wipe-down cleaning and the floor space is bigger than in most 35-footer’s bathrooms.

Just aft of the cabin and en suite is a small, open-plan galley. It’s reminiscent of a small kitchen in a modern apartment, with a two-burner gas stove and sink, fridge and freezer, and facility for a microwave.

American maple wood facades on the overhead cupboards add a touch of style, while the laminated kitchen cupboards and bench tops need only a spray-and-wipe at the end of the day. Natural light streams through the opening porthole nearby and the bench space appears at least big enough to assemble a summer lunch of baguettes and barbecue chicken… (Ed: what is it about you and baguettes, Lockwood?)

Adjoining the galley is the saloon, finished in lots of maple-wood joinery, camel-coloured carpet and coffee-coloured leather-like upholstery. Furnishings include a dinette to port with a U-shaped lounge (converting to a spare double berth) and an L-shaped lounge on the starboard side.

For lounge lizards, there’s a full 50cm of television screen and a VCR.

Alongside them is a ladder leading to a hatch which opens out into the flightdeck above. You could use this as a dumb waiter and send up lunch from the galley.

DRIVING PLEASURE
The saloon is shaded by a small but stylish moulded sunshade. Step from under its cover and the cockpit has enough room for up to half a dozen guests. There’s an integrated swim platform with a stow-away ladder in case you get the urge to swim.

But for my money the place to be is up on the flightdeck, recumbent on one of the lounges, playing co-pilot or driving from the skipper’s seat behind the big wraparound windscreen.

The view forward from here is superb and, with the wheel in hand, it’s almost as though you are driving an over-sized runabout.

However, the view aft isn’t so good, offering just a small portion of the transom to direct the boat for berthing. You will need to bear in mind the amount of boat you have behind you when manoeuvring in close quarters.

Fitted with twin 5.7lt MerCruiser inboard shaft-driven petrol engines, the wide hull slides onto the plane and comes up very level. This is all the better for maintaining the view ahead as you break from displacement to cruising speeds.

Top speed with the twin 260hp powerplants is around 28kt. This isn’t fast compared with a sportscruiser, but for a chariot it’s just fine. And at all times the hull seemed dry.

You could go for more speed in the Carver, but I think it’s just fine the way it is. The idea is to cruise for views.

After all, there’s no point flying along, losing the nibblies and spilling drinks… Not that your guests will, with 18 drink holders!

Boat Specification: 350 Carver Mariner Express Bridge

CARVER 350 MARINER EXPRESS BRIDGE

Factory options fitted: Bridge bimini top with clears, exterior snap-in carpets, spotlight with remote operation, decorator pillows, electric head with holding tank, windlass, deck shower with H/C water, LPG oven/stove.

HULL

Material: GRP

Type: Moderate-vee mono

Deadrise at transom: n/a

Length: 11.15m

Beam: 3.89m

Draft: 0.94m

Displacement: 7,899kg (laden)

Fuel capacity: 931lt

Water capacity: 284lt

ENGINES (as tested)

Make: Twin MerCruiser

Model: 5.7L

Type: Inboard V-eight petrol

Rated hp (each): 260 hp

Displacement (ea): 5700cc

Weight (ea): 400kg