52 Carver Voyager

Source: Sea Magazine Test Team, Sea Magazine

Handling Ease Defines a Top-Notch Family Cruiser

Mama said there’d be days like this: heading into the oncoming swells and pushing through 15-knot winds. The term “cruising for a bruising” quickly comes to mind in such conditions.

But Mama needn’t worry when the cruising is aboard the new Carver Yachts 52 Voyager with the optional twin 575 hp Volvo Penta diesels.

Handling ease is becoming a trademark of Carver Yachts’ Voyager line. The 7.2-inch bow and stern thrusters that make up the standard-feature Carver Docking System with wireless docking remote control deliver seamless maneuvering, assisted by single-lever electronic controls. Carver Yachts, which recently marked its 54th year, builds in Pulaski, Wisc., where the company employs 1,000 people. It has a long history of building reliable boats that emphasize personal luxury and roomy accommodations. With the 52, the newest addition to the Voyager series of pilothouse sedan yachts, Carver shows it wants to extend comfort to cruising, maneuvering and docking.

Access to the flybridge is via a five-step, internal stairway from the salon/lower helm area, and there’s also an external ladder from the cockpit. Six guests can sit at the port-side alfresco lounge and table just behind the helm. A Venturi windshield diverts the wind up and over the helm-flybridge area. The flybridge is built for fun, particularly if you opt for the hardtop, ice-maker and refrigerator. The table lowers to become a sun lounge.

Carver salons typically boast huge windows and this is no different on the 52, where they shine light onto the interior woodwork throughout the salon and a generous galley. The entertainment-style galley and salon are on the same level so that the hosts are never far from their guests. The galley is equipped with many built-in appliances, a double-basin sink and tons of storage cabinets and drawers to house provisions for a large party or an extended cruise. The salon easily offers room for six and has a high-low dining table and a 32-inch flat-screen TV.

The open feeling continues to the pilothouse, located just forward of the galley. Being the captain of a 52 means never being lonely, as lots of lounge seating welcomes guests and the wrap-around aircraft-style helm makes things cozy. This is a layout that assures comfortable cruising in fair or foul weather. With the coziness comes amazing panoramic visibility from nearly every viewpoint. And the forward-angled deck rails, custom electronics arch and the Venturi windshield on the bridge combine to create a feeling of forward motion even when the 52 is at rest.

Just starboard of the lower helm past the pilothouse door is a stairway that curves to port as you enter the three-stateroom lower forward living quarters. A full-size queen walk-around berth easily fits in the master stateroom, which boasts a beam-to-beam width. Thanks to the vertical hull portholes, abundant natural light can pour in. A divided head provides a private toilet and a full-sized bathtub/shower. As in the galley, storage spaces run throughout.

The forward stateroom offers a queen berth and a private entrance to the main head with an enclosed shower. The main head has a public entrance from the hallway. The third stateroom can sleep two or be used as an office aboard.

The 52’s maximized accommodations ensure onboard livability, while its seemingly supersized fuel, water and holding tanks (having the largest capacity of a boat in this class) allow extended offshore cruising.

The build is based on Carver’s branded Carver Advanced Structural Technology (C.A.S.T.) and starts with a solid-fiberglass hull bottom. Closed-cell foam and balsa coring are used above the waterline to enhance rigidity and strength without adding excessive weight, and an aluminum frame with stainless steel stanchions further supports the salon sole. Stringers consist of one-piece molded-fiberglass units, but around the engines are double-gusseted-angle steel plates providing additional reinforcement.

Reach boating destinations with confidence in the 52 Voyager, an extremely versatile cruiser that delivers a sublime on-the-water experience.