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Model profile · for Great Loop buyers
Carver 355 Aft Cabin
What the published record establishes about this model, what owners report,
and the questions worth asking while a boat is still a listing. This page is about the
MODEL — a specific hull always gets its own homework.
Shallow-draft gas aft-cabin cruiser well-suited to the Loop, with two standout checks: as-rigged air draft and the leak-prone aft auxiliary fuel tank.
The Carver 355 Aft Cabin is a mid-to-late-1990s twin-engine aft-cabin cruiser: shallow draft, ~13'2" beam, tall superstructure with a radar arch, and roughly 318 gal of fuel split across three tanks. Most were built with gas 454/7.4L Crusader (or MerCruiser) engines; diesels were offered but are rare. Its shallow draft suits the Great Loop, but its windage/air draft and a notorious aft auxiliary fuel tank are the two items that most deserve scrutiny. Engine access is a recurring complaint and varies by how the buyer intends to service the boat.
How to read this: 🟢 Fact = confirmed against a document, spec sheet,
or owner. Everything else — Claim, Pattern, Question, Context — is not yet
verified: things to check, not settled truth. Sources are linked where published.
Specs
CLAIM
Shallow draft favorable for the Loop
Brokerage listings show draft in the roughly 3'2"-3'6" range on a modified-V hull with about 11 degrees of deadrise aft. A shallow draft is an asset on the Loop's skinnier stretches.
src:
YachtWorld; Flagler Yachts listings
CLAIM
Roughly 318 gal fuel across three tanks
Listings show about 318 gal total fuel, typically two amidships tanks near 110 gal each plus an aft auxiliary tank. Usable range depends heavily on whether the aft tank is sound and in service (see fuel-tank section).
src:
YachtWorld; CarverYachtOwners.com
Air draft
CLAIM
Radar arch plus antennas drive air draft up
The arch is commonly listed around 17'6", but listings and owner reports conflict (one shows ~15'3"). Add radar, anchor/mast light and antennas and a fully rigged boat can sit near or above 18'. Owners of similar Carvers routinely fold antennas and put radar on hinged mounts to reduce height. No documented as-measured air draft for a fully rigged 355 could be confirmed.
src:
CarverYachtOwners.com; YachtWorld; Flagler Yachts
Your move: Measure the actual air draft on your candidate hull from the waterline to the highest fixed point, and identify exactly what folds or unbolts (arch, radar, antennas, anchor light) and how much each lowers it.
Fuel system
QUESTION
Is the aft auxiliary fuel tank sound, or has it been replaced?
The aft aux tank (inside the swim platform) has a repeated, independently reported reputation for rusting through the bottom and leaking fuel, and may hold rust, debris and bad fuel. One 1998 owner had it replaced at roughly three years old for about $5k. A boat with no fuel in the aft tank is often a sign the tank is bad. It matters most for extending range; the two ~110 gal tanks are usable without it.
src:
CarverYachtOwners.com
Your move: Ask the broker/owner whether the aft tank has been replaced and when, get any invoice in writing, and have a surveyor inspect or pressure-test it; do not count that tank's capacity toward range until proven sound.
QUESTION
Any history of water contamination in the tanks?
On the closely related 356, an owner reported water in the port tank causing the port engine to sputter above ~1600 RPM and the generator (drawing from that tank) cutting out in chop. Multiple tanks and an aging aux tank raise the odds of water intrusion.
src:
JustAnswer (Carver 356)
Your move: Pull fuel samples from each tank, inspect the racor/separator bowls, and ask what the fuel-water separators have shown recently.
Engine access
CLAIM
Engine-room access is tight and opinions differ
Reports conflict: some owners find access poor, unable to reach the starboard raw-water strainer, packing glands or outboard fuel/water separator without contorting; others note the salon floor lifts in four sections to reach both sides of the engines and the genny, with rudder packings accessible from an aft-cabin floor hatch. Full engine removal is a major job (stripping to the bare block and lifting out through the cabin entrance with about half an inch of clearance). This is a hull/layout trait, so it varies with how you intend to service the boat.
src:
Boatered; CarverYachtOwners.com
Your move: Open every access panel yourself and physically reach the strainers, separators and packing glands to judge whether routine service is workable for you.
Handling
CONTEXT
Tall, beamy aft-cabin profile means windage
The high superstructure and aft cabin give this boat significant windage, which shows most when docking and holding station in a crosswind. Twin gas engines give good maneuvering ability to offset it.
Reading the boat
QUESTION
Any leaking windows, soft decks or gelcoat blistering?
Mid-1990s Carvers of this type are worth checking for leaking windows, soft spots in decks/cabin sole and gelcoat/blister issues; specific evidence for the 355 was thin, so treat this as a general age check rather than a confirmed model trait.
Your move: Have the surveyor moisture-map the decks and cabin sole, inspect window frames and bedding for leaks, and check the bottom for blistering.
Engines
The engines research — factory options, tested performance,
and the engine-specific questions our members' dossiers carry — is part of the
full profile inside the product. It travels with every dossier and survey brief
built on this model.