450 Carver Voyager

Source: Elton Ellis, Sea Magazine

Carver’s 450 Voyager Pilothouse has all the comforts of home — and then some

Right now, pilothouse motoryachts just might be the hottest boats on the water.

Part of the reason for these boats’ wide appeal is their practical use of onboard space. The well-equipped inside steering station is both accommodating for the skipper and comfortable for guests who want to be part of the action at the helm.

Last year, Carver Yachts’ flagship 530 Voyager Pilothouse proved to be one of the most successful new models the company has ever introduced. So successful, in fact, Carver sold 63 of them in 1998 and is now building an average of 2.5 of these boats a week.

But not everyone is looking for a 53-foot boat. For buyers who want just as many amenities and the same basic layout in a smaller, midsize version, Carver has just introduced its new 450 Voyager Pilothouse.

We took a close look at the new 450 Voyager Pilothouse with Jim Berkebile, Carver’s vice president of new product engineering. The 450 offers a truly luxurious interior, two feature-packed helms and an overall sense of style that is rarely matched in a boat of this size.

This new Carver also offers better-than-ever performance, thanks to an all-new 46-foot, 11-inch hull. Twin tunnels are built into the bottom to protect the boat’s propellers and minimize drag — but the overall hull design is still basically a modified-V configuration with around 16 degrees of deadrise.

The resulting design, when coupled with a pair of 450C Cummins diesels, allows a top speed of 22 knots and a cruising speed of 26 knots at 2,400 rpm.

Under way, the 450 offers responsive handling, a rock-solid ride and predictable performance. The twin Cummins diesels run quietly, making normal conversation aboard possible, even at top speeds.

One Posh Pad
The 450 Voyager Pilothouse’s exterior is stylish — full of curves and radiused surfaces. Window frames are rounded, which reportedly helps prevent leaks; and door frames inside and out are rounded, too.

But all it takes to appreciate the way Carver built the new 450 Voyager Pilothouse is to step aboard.

Walk into the cockpit of the 450, and you’ll find a wide-open area that’s big enough for sportfishing, protected by high gunwales and a shade-providing dinghy deck (on the flybridge, above). There’s an opening transom gate and a wide molded-in swim platform, for convenience when you’re diving with friends or bringing aboard a monster billfish catch.

Engine room access is through a hatch in the cockpit sole. The compartment has stainless steel non-skid surfaces on its floor, and it is well-laid-out for easy access to the boat’s powerplants.

Along with the boat’s standard twin 330 hp or optional 450 hp Cummins diesels, there’s a Kohler auxiliary generator (9 kw is standard; but a 13 kw model is required for boats with air conditioning). Forward, an equipment bulkhead offers a neatly arranged set of battery switches, a bank of batteries and an optional Xchanger oil exchange system.

Instead of a ladder, the 450’s cockpit has easy-to-climb molded-in steps leading up to the flybridge, to starboard. And a few more molded-in steps on the port side lead to the sidedecks and foredeck area, protected by a sweeping stainless steel rail.

You enter the saloon by grabbing a sculpted piece of stainless steel hardware and passing through a curved sliding door, imported from the United Kingdom. It’s a work of art in itself — but when you open it, you’ll gaze upon another eye-catcher, opposite the entry: a wet bar with a mirrored sink and craftsman like cherry wood cabinetry.

A comfortable L-shaped settee is to port, with double built-in recliners — as comfortable as the La-Z-Boy at home, but a lot more elegant. It’s fronted by a high-low table that opens up to double its size for cocktails and dining.

Another settee is located to starboard, which converts to a berth for guests.

Entertainment features in the saloon include a color television and a Harmon Kardon stereo system.

The pilothouse is two steps up from the saloon, forward of the smaller settee. It offers a whopping seven feet of headroom, and is open to the saloon for easy conversation under way. There’s a large settee opposite the helm station, so that four to six people can relax with the skipper and enjoy the pilothouse’s remarkable 360 degree view.

The 450’s helm seat is like something out of Star Trek: an Ultraleather upholstered command chair with optional six-way power, for maximum comfort. A joystick, built into the left armrest, can be used for one-touch steering and to control the autopilot.

Buyers have a choice of two types of electronics packages: a fully equipped upper station, for use as the primary steering station, or a dual station electronics package that provides redundancy, instead of repeaters for the pilothouse.

Our test boat featured dual station electronics by Raytheon, with a smorgasbord of tasty navigation and communications gear. Thanks to the ample space available at the helm console and mounting areas overhead, the 450 can handle enough equipment to meet just about any need — whether you’re interested in long-range cruising or short harbor-to-harbor hops.

A full array of multifunction gauges is standard, and there’s an electrical panel with the boat’s most-used circuits (the full electrical panel is located in the master stateroom).

The test boat also had an optional video monitor to keep an eye on the engine room. (If you see a foot of water down there, you know you’re in trouble.) We also had bow thrusters (with duplicate controls on the flybridge), an air conditioning unit to serve the pilothouse and windshield defoggers for cold mornings on the water.

A single pilothouse door provides access to the starboard sidedeck. A beefy 1.25 inch top rail with two safety rails mounted below it provide maximum security when you’re moving around the foredeck and sidedecks. A sliding gate built into the port side rail allows convenient dock access.

At the foredeck, there’s a sunpad with a channeled fiberglass mounting surface that drains water from the area quickly. The bow offers an anchor windlass and a pair of compartments for storing line and ground tackle. A spotlight is mounted on the bow rail.

On Top of the World
The 450’s second steering station is easily accessible from the cockpit, from those molded-in steps mentioned earlier. You enter through a hatch in the flybridge deck, which can be closed in bad weather.

The bridge towers high above the water and has a surprising amount of entertainment space. It’s wide and open, yet there’s a feeling of safety, thanks to high sides and a wrap-around windshield.

As you enter, a large dinghy storage deck is aft, which can hold up to an 8.5-foot dinghy and an optional Marquipt davit — or it can serve as an additional sunpad area. Forward, there’s a sink and an icemaker (or an optional refrigerator) to starboard, and settee seating on both sides. The portside settee has a round high-low table and plenty of room for four to six adults. The smaller settee, to starboard, offers seating for two.

Swivel bucket seats are provided for the helm and companion positions, behind a curved wrap-around windshield. The flybridge helm on our test boat was equipped with a full array of multifunction gauges, a compass and a sophisticated optional electronics package that included a Raytheon Raydata navigation system and an autopilot. The flybridge also has its own stereo system — one of three separate systems on the boat.

Everything in Its Place
Just a few steps away from the saloon’s reclining settee is a well-designed galley. In fact, it’s so well designed, it doesn’t look like a galley, and it functions as an expansive walkway between the saloon and the two forward staterooms.

The spacious galley area is well appointed, with maple hardwood flooring, solid-surface Karadon countertops, a solid-surface sink with a designer faucet and a cutting board that fits over the sink when it is not in use. There’s also a three-burner countertop range, a roomy Nova Cool undercounter refrigerator/freezer, a built-in coffeemaker and a microwave oven.

Options include a dishwasher and a trash compactor — and without them, there’s an amazing 30 cubic feet of storage space aboard.

The staterooms are just three steps down from the galley, at the end of an alcove that offers built-in lighted shelves, suitable for displaying artwork.

To starboard, the master stateroom features a queen-size berth and a stereo system, plus something you wouldn’t expect: a mirrored ceiling. There’s ample storage, with nightstands on either side of the berth, under-berth storage compartments, cherry wood cabinetry that conceals more storage and an optional washer and dryer behind sliding wooden doors.

Standing headroom is impressive, and the overhead halogen spot lighting provides a warm ambiance. The stateroom also comes with a 13-inch color television, and a sliding cabin door, so that no one will ever get hit by opening or closing doors.

The master head has curved cherry cabinetry, a fiberglass liner and a shower stall with clear plexiglass doors. It also has a mirrored overhead, which gives a feeling of spaciousness and makes the most of the room’s lighting.

A guest head is on the port side of the alcove. It is spacious and also features curved cherry cabinetry and overhead mirrors.

The adjacent forward stateroom is as large as the master, and is in fact a little brighter, thanks to light from an overhead portlight. It has a queen-size berth with under-berth storage, a 13-inch TV and cherry wood detailing.

The boat’s optional air conditioning unit is housed under this berth, encased in thick sound insulating material. And like the master, the forward stateroom has a cedar-lined hanging locker.

With all the luxury and convenience features of a much larger pilothouse motoryacht in a convenient midsize package, Carver’s new 450 Voyager Pilothouse is certain to appeal to boat buyers who appreciate having things done right. This is one boat that will make everyone aboard very comfortable.