Boat Review: 44 Carver Sojourn 2009

Boat Review: 44 Carver Sojourn 2009

Source: Jeff Hammond, Boattest.com

New Carver 44 Sojourn

With its large bridge deck the 44 Sojourn can be used for day cruising and entertaining and Carver says that 12 people can sit here. There is no doubt that this will be the focus of the boat. We’d go for the optional items that would make her an all-weather, long season cruiser — the hardtop with full enclosure and the full wet bar with fridge, ice maker and sink. Then you can party until the cows come home, rain or shine.

Engine Options and Gas IPS?!

Standard power is twin Crusader 8.1 liter 385-hp gasoline V-drive engines. Or, you can go with IPS drives, powered with either 330-hp, 370-hp, or 435-hp Volvo Penta diesels. We have not tested this boat so can make no recommendation at this time.

The V-drive and the IPS drives are critical to this boat as getting the engines back as far as possible has allowed the Carver designers to get the second cabin into the boat.

Standard Equipment Worth Noting

As we look down Carver’s list of standard equipment several items pop out which deserve to be mentioned. First is the “Carver Docking System”(tm) which is both a bow and stern thruster. So even if you do go with the 385-hp Crusaders, you can maneuver the boat just as well as with the optional and more expensive joystick on the Volvos. However, bear in mind that these thrusters are driven by 6-hp electric motors and all electric thrusters are problematical. There is nothing like having the full thrust of your main engines driving through directional pod drives when you have a strong cross current working against you.

Two other standard items are worth noting: Carver installs a CO-Safe 10-kW Kohler generator and has shaft seals on the drive shafts.

Optional Equipment We’d Order

We’ve already mentioned a couple of things on the optional list that we would install and here are a couple of others: 1) A grey water holding tank. Odors can come from shower sumps that are not regularly cleaned and here is a way to avoid that problem. 2) We’d go with both the freshwater and raw water washdown systems on both the bow and stern. The boat’s freshwater capacity is only 100 gallons, so you’ll want to do the hard washdown work with raw water. 3) If you plan any serious cruising, then we would go for the washer/dryer that fits into the master cabin. You can always use the dryer for bathing suits. 4) Paint on the hull is optional, and we would not hesitate to go for the navy blue which makes any boat look good and separates your boat from the mass of white fiberglass out there.

Note that the IPS joystick is handy for southpaws. Righties might want to move it abaft the throttles.

We like the full-height fridge/freezer in the galley.

The master in the bow of the boat has an ensuite head with separate shower stall.

Boat Specification:

Length Overall            44′ 4”13.1 m

Dry Weight                 30,000 lbs.13,607 kg.

Beam                           13′ 11”4.2 m

Fuel Cap                      412 gal.1,560 L

Draft                           46”1.17 m

Water Cap                   100 gal.379 L

Deadrise/Transom       N/A

Bridge Clearance        N/A

Max Headroom           6′ 6”2 m