1990 45' Californian

If the tank under the bed is fuel, where is the water tank?

Do any of you have dogs on board?

(thanks for helping with the line handling fears)

Yes both the water tank and the aft fuel tank is under the bed. Water on top fuel in bottom. I have owned the boat for 3 years and I have never put fuel in the aft tank. 200 gallons in the wing tanks are enough for the cruising I do. When I get to the Bahamas or if I get somewhere with really cheap diesel I may fill it up and burn off that first.

We did not have a dog when we owned the 45 but we did have Marquipt Tiderider stairs. If we had had a big dog it could have used the stairs. If we had a foo foo dog we would have carried it up and down if there was any danger of the little idiot falling off.

But, things change and we now have a foo foo dog that my wife carries around like a baby so it won't get it's little a$$ wet by falling in.

I don't think your Carver Californian is the same as the Californian 45 that they are looking at.

I think it is because my former boat, Capt. Jon's and Knotheadcharters' boats are all Carver Californians. My 1989 45 MY was one of the last built in California before the plant was moved to Rocky Point, NC and shut down in the early 90's.

48 CPMY's and 48 MY's had different layout because the 48 CPMY is a 42 MY with a cockpit added. A 45 MY with a cockpit is the 52 CPMY. A 48 MY with a cockpit is a 55 CPMY.

Our boat was hull #12. Built in March of 1988. It is a Tustin built boat under the early ownership of Carver. If you look at enough to of these boats you can spot really quickly from a distance which boats were built in either Tustin California or SC.

I once found a news paper article where Carver was shutting down the Tustin facility. In the article the work crew was small and they were only building two or three boats that last few years. There are some interior differences between between the two builds. I do like some of the later interior changes to the Carver built boats. Little more modernize and in some areas more efficient use of space.

Okay.....going back for a second look tomorrow.....any advice for tiny me to look again and not be intimidated by the massive size?? I mean in all fairness, when we bought the original Skinny Dippin', she looked kinda big too, and we got used to her very easily.

Has anyone extended their swim platforms and added stairs up to the sundeck?

In my minds eye I don't see why you could not extend the swim deck and make the boarding to the sun deck a little easier. It would certainly take someone with good building skills but it could be done.

How can we tell from the HIN where it was built and what hull # it is?

Besslb said:

How can we tell from the HIN where it was built and what hull # it is?

Click to expand...

Here's a Californian thread that may help you decifer the HIN.

http://www.trawlerforum.com/forums/s24/wellcraft-californian-34-lrc-hin-4483.html

With 3 manufacturers over the years and many changes to the HIN numbering systems, there's no single source HIN decoder that I know of.

Look at the backside of the doors under the sink in the galley. Should be a builders plaque there. It's small and about 1" x 3" in size. It will have where it is built and the hull number.

Thanks Jon!

What information will knowing the hull number give us? Anything?

(asking before clicking on AL's link)

It will tell you the build date and the build yard location. Either Tustin CA or in NC. All of the NC hulls were built by Carver trained workers. The Tustin built boats were built by the original Californian trained workers. Don't know if it makes a difference or not. Just something worth knowing IMHO.

Maybe this will shed a little light on the numbers.

http://www.boatsafe.com/nauticalknowhow/hin.htm

Sorry to weigh in so late here, but I just saw the thread. We have a Tustin-built '88 45MY with twin Cats (375hp). She is hull #6 and we live on her pretty much full-time. Although the rudders do LOOK small to me compared to the displacement trawlers I am more used to, I have never found this to be an issue. We typically cruise at about 11-12 knots and the boat responds to the helm very nicely.

We also added a real door to the saloon entrance and - like others have said - we can't believe Californian sold boats with the sliding "tombstone"! Of course, since many of these boats were trucked cross-country with the hardtop and flybridge installed later, I am sure it simplified things somewhat. Still, the sliders are a nightmare to use and I am guessing that is why Carver did away with them on most, if not all, of the NC-built boats.

The P.O. removed the small swim platform and replaced it with a TNT dinghy lift. We LOVE this as, not only is it the easiest possible storage solution for our dinghy (11.5' RIB with 25hp Suzuki), but it also allows us to enjoy a large "beach" when at anchor; Just put the lift down until it is underwater a few inches and recline with your favorite beverage.

As far as dogs, our 35-pound Puggle lives aboard with us and has absolutely no problem negotiating the Marquipt Sea Stairs or any of the inside stairs. I do suggest purchasing some "sticky" carpet pads for the stairs heading to the galley as he feels much more confident than on the slippery teak. Of course, we have to lift him up onto the flybridge and up off the swim platform to the aft deck.

Finally, our aft deck is air-conditioned - and in South Florida, this is a LIFE SAVER. Like many we spend most evenings sitting there watching TV, reading, entertaining, etc. and without AC, this would not be possible from June through October!

Great boat - especially for the money!

ERIC