42 Carver Super Sport

Source: Canadian Yachting Magazine

It was November 21st, an unusually glorious day to go boating in Canada!  Peter Wilson and I had the lake to ourselves as we ran the Carver 42 Super Sport out into Lake Simcoe.  Winds were light. A foot and a half chop made the sunlight dance across the water and we were in one of the few boats left that hadn’t been hauled out for the winter.

It was a perfect day for the Carver 42 that is a sedan design. The concept is that it’s a floating home. Enjoy it tied up at the dock, cruise for a day or a week or, run it down south as a winter home. Given the accommodations and versatility, this type of yacht is an attractive alternative to a summer cottage and if you keep it at Crates in Keswick, you are only 45 minutes from Toronto. From May to November, you can head to the boat anytime.

Peter told me the 42 Super Sport was developed with important consultation from Carver’s people who actually build the yachts. They were invited to contribute their clever ideas and this resulted in some neat innovations. The 42 Super Sport’s basic layout is a fly bridge sedan with two staterooms and two heads.

The Master stateroom is forward with an island queen berth, four lockers in the side panels, an overhead hatch, mirrored forepeak, large drawers under the berth and big cedar lined hanging lockers.

In the forward berth is a private head on the starboard side with vacuum MSD, sink in a vanity and an opening side porthole.

On the port side is a separate and private and close shower stall making it easier and more comfortable for a couple to get organized in the out in the morning.  The showerhead can be used handheld and there is an opening porthole. A shower curtain is included to protect the boat.

The unique feature in this 42 sedan is the second cabin located on the starboard side.  Although you step down into it, Carver has provided a second queen berth with comfortable standing headroom around most of it and the design allows you to access almost 3 sides of it to make the bed. By the entry are two drawers and an absolutely cavernous hanging locker with cedar lining.  There are three more locker doors, two opening portholes and another level of glass above that making for a very high and spacious feeling.

Opposite is the second or main head. This has rolling circular shower stall door, a second vacuum MSD, vanity and lots of storage.  Think of this as the day head.  It’s quite spacious and conveniently located.

The main saloon stretches probably half the length of the entire boat and has minimum 6’6” headroom throughout, wood accents, vinyl headliner and wall coverings throughout.

Three large windshield panels and two big side glass panels make the saloon very bright and open feeling. Extensive indirect lighting makes nighttime special and the standard equipment heating and air-conditioning ensure the cabins will be comfortable even on those blistering hot summer days.

The L-shaped galley is well done too, with a double door Nova-Kool refrigerator / freezer, attractive Corian counter tops, and best of all, large and usable twin stainless steel sinks. There’s a microwave, Princess two burner ceramic top stove, lockers under the sink and above with a built-in coffee maker and one more remarkable feature.

As suggested by those who build the Carver yachts, the deep space under the galley is available. A whole section of floor lifts up, a clever set of stairs slides into position and you can descend quickly access an immense dry storage area including separate washer and dryer.  Laundry won’t be an issue on the 42 Super Sport!

The dinette opposite would be gracious for four and OK for six people on the bench seat.  The large table is beautifully finished in high-gloss varnish and in the pedestal is another clever contribution by Carver’s employees. In the table base, they added two bottle racks and three pulled out drawers, all handy to the galley.

Still in the saloon, aft of the galley is a comfortable double couch that pulls out to become another queen berth. There is a large storage bin in the wall unit behind it. On the opposite cabin side are more storage lockers and master electrical panel.  The test boat had two attractive swivel tub chairs.

Onboard entertainment systems include a bridge stereo / CD Sirius system. There is a fairly large flat screen by Sole in the saloon with DVD and the test boat had DVD and flat screen in the guest cabin plus a DVD and flat screen in master that swings down from the ceiling like the screens in an aircraft.

Engine room access through a large hatch in the saloon floor or an inspection hatch in cockpit is very good. We were impressed with the heavy welded aluminum framing that supports the salon floor.

Out in the cockpit there is snap-out carpet, a freshwater shower, transom door with a sturdy latch and built into the transom itself are a pair of lockers with hooks for hanging lines and holding the freshwater wash down system. Other exterior features include wide side decks and big rails and hand holds for going forward. There are two deck sun pads and a Maxwell electric windlass for anchoring convenience.

Last for by no means least is the bridge. Carver made this a spacious living area by carrying the bridge overhang almost to the transom. This protects the cockpit from the weather and provides a spot where a dinghy could be stowed. Eight steps lead to the bridge. Bench seats with storage underneath are arranged in a conversation pit with removable cocktail table and a refreshment center. This can be equipped with a U-Line icemaker or refrigerator and there is a sink with running water as well as a storage locker.

The helm is comfortable with a relatively vertical dashboard surface. There was Raymarine VHF, Autopilot and E120 system plus Lectrotab trim tabs with indicator lights and the excellent Volvo EVC electronic controls. A well located tilting sports steering wheel, double helm seat with flip-up bolster and forward facing double companion seat rounds out the main features.

Carver has done a great job on the accommodations but they didn’t skimp on the performance either. Our 42 Super Sport had twin Volvo IPS 500 drives; the first sedan boat I’ve driven with IPS. As expected, handling around dockside was easy and at higher speeds, the IPS drives turned in a very impressive performance. With trim tabs about half way down the boat stayed on plane to about 2500 doing 17.4 mph. Taking the tabs off, the boat fell off plane down to 16 mph.  Recommended cruising speed is about 80% of full throttle or in other words 2800 to 3000 rpm.  At this rate we were flying along. Top speed is an impressive 35 mph at 3570 rpm and the 3000 rpm cruise was 26 mph with a bit of tab. The IPS controls are all electric and one finger light to use. Tracking was excellent and the 42 Super Sport could carve a remarkably tight high-speed turn with little loss in velocity.

Whether you are running to a distant harbour or just relaxing at your home marina, Carver’s 42 Super Sport turns in a very satisfying performance.