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This
sort of roominess and abundance also hallmarks the engine room, which
is accessed via a hatch in the cockpit sole and a hinged, stainless steel
ladder. Although headroom is only about five feet here, the area encompassed
by hull sides and bulkheads is darn near as big as the master stateroom,
a fact that makes for excellent all-around access to both the mains—
Cummins QSM11 diesel inboards in our test boat—and the genset, an
optional 17-kW Onan located close to centerline, just forward of the mains.
Saddle-type, welded-aluminum fuel tanks and cross-linked poly water tanks
are trunion-mounted close to amidships to obviate trim problems associated
with changes in ullage. The rudder stocks in the lazarette and the prop
shafts are outfitted with Tides Marine dripless logs.
Two
suggestions. First, substitute a fastening that’s more positive
and safer for the fabric band with compression snap that’s used to hold the aforementioned access ladder when it’s swung
up and out of the way. And second, how about replacing the small
halogen lights down here with a couple of large fluorescents? The current
lighting is dim.
From
what I could see of the electrical system in the engine room, it’s
at least as well engineered as everything else. Divvied up abaft the mains
are four hulking 8D batteries, one starter per engine, and the other two
paralleled for house application. A bank of four Group-31 batteries beneath
the diamond plate walkway serves the 10-hp Volvo Penta QL bow thruster,
and another Group-31 serves the genset. In addition to a Charles Marine
Iso-Boost isolation transformer that guards against shore-power-related
low-voltage damage and a Heart Interface inverter for reliable a.c. power,
there are two C-Charger multistep, life-extending battery chargers. A
top-shelf setup? You bet, especially with added features like tinned-copper-strand
wiring harnesses prefabricated by Carver; color-coded, loomed wire runs
throughout; and waterproof pin-type connectors, also made by Carver.
I learned
some interesting things about the 570’s handling during a two-part
sea trial. My first encounter took place last summer in Sturgeon Bay,
Wisconsin. After an easy undocking and brief test drive in open water,
I attempted to return the boat to her slip using the Twin Disc single-lever
electronic engine controls and thruster at the futuristic-looking lower
station. Despite the simple nature of the task and slick operation of
the controls, I got a bit flummoxed and turned the boat over to Carver’s
propulsion engineer. While the difficulty perhaps had something to do
with the fact that I’m not used to docking this type of boat from
a lower station, limited visibility astern was an issue as well.
A few
months later, during my second encounter with the 570, the cruise to Hawk’s
Cay, I noticed labels at the upper and lower helm stations warning about
“limited visibility.” Such labels, I subsequently learned
from the American Boat & Yacht Council, have more to do with open-water
navigation than with docking. Moreover, they are typically affixed to
secondary helms that fail to satisfy certain basic visibility guidelines
promulgated by the ABYC, a measure that makes ABYC certification—or
in the case of the 570, NMMA certification—possible for a given
vessel as long as there’s a primary helm onboard that totally complies
with the guidelines.
So why
a warning at both secondary and primary stations on the test boat? Carver
says the label on the flying bridge during our sea trials was a mistake;
topside visibility satisfies ABYC guidelines. The label at the lower helm,
Carver says, is there to address a couple of thick windshield mullions
that partially obscure the view ahead.
At any
rate, the trip to Hawk’s, with its several dockings and near-constant
25-mph northerlies, gave me little reason to revise my original take on
the 570’s dockside handling from the lower station, even with a
Carver skipper at the controls. I remain convinced that for some folks,
maneuvering in high or gusty winds from here (a spot reserved for open-water
navigation on most boats anyway) may be a challenge. On the other hand,
open-water visibility from the upper helm in the ICW was fine, with clear
sightlines forward. And performance was inspiring, with a sporty top speed
of 34.8 mph, a dry ride, and smooth, hydraulically assisted steering.
The turning radius, however, was wider than most, and based on several
foredeck forays, I’d judge the side decks as uncomfortably narrow,
although they are well equipped with handholds and rails.
One
final aspect of performance I particularly enjoyed was the solidity the
570 evinced while charging the ICW’s feisty gray water, a quality
that undoubtedly stems from construction features like a Sika polyurethane-adhesive-bonded
hull-to-deck joint, aluminum truss reinforcement around the fashionably
frameless windows, linear-span (rail-type) steel engine beds, and an all-glass
stringer system. Add such features to an interior layout as plush as it
is roomy, and you’ve got a fast, seaworthy coastal cruiser that
rivals a condo for comfort.
Carver Yachts (920) 822-1600.
Fax: (920)-822-8820. www.carveryachts.com.
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