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Boats
have changed a lot over the past few decades. When I was living aboard
a boxy, cramped, he-man cruiser called Misty during the early ‘80s,
there was little more in her engine room than a diesel powerplant, a bilge
pump, a couple of tanks, two batteries, and a five-gallon bucket. Gensets
were for wimps, and so were A/C compressors, automatic fire extinguishers,
waterheaters, and even—would you believe?—pressure-water systems.
Today
most cruisers leave ol’ Misty in the evolutionary dust. They’re
curvaceously voluminous by comparison, with interior elbow- and headroom
to spare, and typically equipped with more auxiliary systems, appliances,
and amenities than the average waterfront condominium. One of the acknowledged
leaders in the field of such luxury cruisers is Carver Yachts, a Midwestern
builder that recently introduced its largest offering to date, the 570
Voyager Pilothouse. With a three-stateroom, two-head layout that’s
both deluxe and roomy, the 570 takes the concept of comfortable modern
cruising to a whole new level.
Although
the large saloon, with its UltraLeather sofa (equipped with twin Flexsteel
incliners) and top-of-the-line entertainment center (with 110-volt
Harmon Kardon AM/FM stereo/CD) is certainly impressive from a sybaritic
standpoint, as are the thoroughly outfitted galley, the spiffy VIP stateroom
at the bow, and the acres of lounge space on the flying bridge, it’s
the master stateroom that best exemplifies what the 570 is all about.
Accessed via a stairwell from the main deck, the natural-cherry-clad compartment
is huge, with a full-beam span and a fore-aft dimension that accounts
for almost one-third of the boat’s length. On a recent five-day
trip from Fort Lauderdale to the Hawk’s Cay Resort at Islamorada,
Florida, I found this space to be so expansive I occasionally felt like
I was weekending on the top floor of somebody’s swanky beach house.
Amenities
were abundant. Besides a snoozy HandCraft innerspring mattress on the
master’s island berth, lustrous Karadon countertops, and solid cherry
miniblinds over the opening ports, there were no fewer than three cedar-lined
hanging lockers, five cabinets, and five enormous drawers in a built-in
dresser. One of these babies alone was big enough to hold the contents
of my whole seabag! Additionally, the en suite master head to port offered
three separate, roomy realms: a central vanity with a sink, mirrored medicine
cabinet, and smart, substantial faucets; a water closet aft, with a cherry-grillwork/frosted-panel
entrance door, opening port, fan, and Wilcox Crittenden electric MSD;
and a separate shower stall/tub area forward, with high-end shower wand,
small fiberglass tub, and opening port.
Next page >
Carver 570 continued > Page 1, 2,
3, 4, 5
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