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The
Carver 360 Sport Sedan is the second in a series that debuted in 2001
with the 410 Sport Sedan. The idea behind it is to offer boaters a command
bridge (sedan) alternative to the company’s aft cabins and Mariner
models while keeping the extra interior volume that Carver is noted for.
Carver
has a reputation for getting maximum living space out of every foot, and
it’s earned it by challenging conventional ideas of what a boat
should look like. You don’t need to be a marine architect to see
where the 360’s volume comes from: She’s tall for her length.
What you don’t see right away is the design sleight of hand that
translates that added volume into living space.
The
pieces of the 360 are familiar: two staterooms, a dinette, a galley, and
a saloon, but how they’re arranged is not. The V-berth master is
about the size you’d expect in a boat this size. Three cabinets
and hanging lockers bracket the requisite queen-size berth, and overhead
lamps provide light for reading, but oddly you can’t aim them. A
hatch takes care of air and daytime light, and you can order a 14-inch
TV with DVD player for the starboard aft bulkhead. Beneath the bed is
more stowage in a deep drawer and shallow cabinet.
Aft
and to port is a large head with doors to the master and a vestibule.
The head has a large shower stall occupied by a standard Vacuflush MSD.
There’s also a small cabinet for toilet paper, but since its doors
don’t close tightly, expect soggy TP after a shower. A larger locker
above is for things like shampoo and soap. The bifold shower door is sturdy,
but the stay that keeps it open had already broken onboard our boat. Outside
the stall is a vanity with an FRP countertop, whose attractive surface
mimics Corian, and more stowage, a recurring theme on the 360.
One
of the ways Carver maximizes space on the 360 is by employing pocket doors
between the master and the vestibule and between the vestibule and the
stateroom aft of it. Twin berths, which with the insertion of a filler
convert to a double, take up a large part of that stateroom. The foam
mattress seemed comfortable, and there’s a lot of stowage, especially
in two deep starboard lockers, and two halogen reading lights that unlike
the master’s can be aimed.
If you’re
looking for the aspect of the layout that allows for a second cabin with
decent headroom, just look at the saloon: The dinette above it is elevated
three steps from the main deck. This is a classic Carver maneuver: It
looks a little weird, but when you use it, you realize it’s inspired.
Anyone sitting here gets a 360-degree view—out the windshield, both
side windows, and the aft glass sliding door—so it’s a great
place to watch the world go by, whether at anchor or underway, and since
it abuts the port galley, meal service is easy. About the only thing the
dinette isn’t perfect for is watching TV, since the standard 20-incher—along
with the DVD player and AM/FM stereo/CD player—is immediately abaft
the galley. Fortunately, a starboard Ultraleather Flexsteel sofa (with
stowage beneath) is perfectly placed for viewing.
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