1995 Carver 440... "Turn Key"
The Carver 440 is an amazing boat for the loop, and Cheri Baby II is literally, “Turn Key”. She is ready to go… (even has full fuel tanks… 500 gallons.) She could leave on the loop from where she is, tomorrow.
SPECIFICATIONS:
LOA (w/platform)_________________44'7"........13.59 m
LOA (w/platform & pulpit)_________47'8".........14.53 m
Beam ____________________________15'0".......... 4.57 m
Draft (fully loaded)________________4'3"............. 1.30 m
Bridge clearance (per our measurements, clearing anchor (masthead) light & radar and full load of fuel and water, antennae folded down.)
__________________________________18'0" ..........................5.64 m
Weight (w/fuel & water)__________32,000 lbs. .............14,500 kg
Water____________________________160 U.S. gals..........624.59 liters
Waste____________________________80 U.S. gals. .........302.83 liters
Fuel______________________________500 U.S. gals. ........1,892.70 liters
Sleeps____________________________Up to 7 (depending on arrangement)
Cabin headroom__________________6'6" ........................... 1.98 m
She has so much storage, a full queen bed, cabinets everywhere, huge entertainment center, full size refrigerator, large aft deck with bar, fridge and icemaker, large flying bridge area with lots of seating, etc., and additionally, Cheri Baby has some has some special enhancements which make her even more loop and/or cruising friendly. We will cover many of those features below, but for starters, note in the pictures she has custom handrails on both the top deck and the swim platform. In addition to the additional security in rough water, the handrails on the swim platform make a great place to tie up a dinghy… they also fold up for storage if removed. The handrails on the top deck give you a bit of security when you are launching the dinghy.
Another very useful feature we added was the hand rail across the transom... it gives another solid handhold wherever you are on the swim platform. One more part of that project was the removable ladder which is used to make the climb to the top deck to launch the dinghy much easier, from either of two alternative routes. All rails added were stainless steel of course, and all were bolted through.
Cheri Baby's original electronics have all been replaced with Garmin equipment, including the AIS (that is, Auto Identification System, handy around Tow Boats), the Radar, the Autopilot system, GPS antenna, aft facing camera, engine room camera, and one of the UHF radios. (The second radio (an ICOM) has the hailer built in) (If you don't think you need two radios you have never cruised around Tow Boats or locks. We often have a hand-held operating also.) Her engine room camera allows easy checks on the engines while cruising. She had an NMEA 2000 network added to allow state of the art electronics and system communications. Her top deck dinghy cradle was modified to accommodate a full 12 foot RIB dinghy, and then swim platform davits were added also (along with a winch), to allow that option for carrying your inflatable dinghy if desired.
We added heavily reinforced cleats on each side of the transom. They make tying up at the stern of the boat much easier... (particularly when it is desirable to use diagonal lines across the transom to tie up.) We still use the main cleats, of course, but when you have to reach a cleat quickly from the dock or the swim platform, the transom cleats help a lot!
One of the nice features of the Carver 440 design is the access to the engine room, under the steps to the forward area… the steps fold up on a hinge, while air pistons support the weight. And the engine room itself is easy to navigate, lots of room to move around.
The salon windows are all covered by Levolor top down, bottom up cellular blinds which keep heat out in the summer and cold out in the winter.
If you are not familiar with the Carver 440 Aft Cabin design, please ask for additional pictures... I have a layout from the original brochure for the boat, and can forward that. Suffice to say the Master Stateroom is very private, located below the aft deck, with steps down from the salon... that cabin and head are the full width of the boat, which is why that area is so large. This stateroom makes the boat very comfortable for "live aboard".
Cheri Baby II is powered by two of the highly sought-after Cummins C-series diesel engines. These 8.3 liter turbo charged engines are 6 cylinder and 420 Horsepower each. In addition to their power and reliability, what also makes the Cummins 6CTA engine unique is its replaceable wet cylinder liners. (If ever necessary, the 6CTA engines can be rebuilt inside the hull without being removed.) Engine hours are ~1860. Something like 800 of those are from the loop.
The transmission is a 2.9 to 1 ratio reduction spinning 32 x 38 inch props. With these engines Cheri Baby can easily hit 25 miles per hour (22 knots), and can cruise at 20 mph if desired. You will find that the loop is commonly run well below that… (we were typically at 10 mph or below, but more than once we chose to outrun storms or darkness, which is where that extra power and speed came in very handy.)
We are the third owners of Cheri Baby, and other than the loop, she is a freshwater boat. Her first owners had her on the Illinois river near Lake Michigan for 25 years. She wintered in drydock all those years in heated storage.
Cheri Baby has a hardware nebo system installed… (The nebo app is used for all kinds of looper networking, locating old friends and finding new friends). There are lots of spare parts included, many filters, various pumps, props (recently retuned), a full set of new fuel injectors, new transmission coupling, even a propeller shaft... We have all kinds of manuals and service records… including many .pdfs of original Carver and other component documentation. We have a hard copy of the original 9 section Carver Owner’s guide, put together specifically for Cheri Baby.
It is important to note... maintenance on loop boats at times is lacking because the owners are planning to dump them when they finish. You will also find boats that sit unused for a year or two go into disrepair. That was not the case with Cheri Baby. We have used her since the loop, and planned to keep her for a long time, so multiple maintenance items have been performed since she ran the loop, to keep her in top operating condition… (Cheri Baby's last bottom job was in summer 2025) If something doesn’t work, we fix it. That is just the way it is. That is why we say she could take off on a Great Loop trip tomorrow.
With all these and other enhancements too numerous to mention here, we think Cheri Baby II is an ideal boat for the running the Great Loop, cruising, and/or live aboard. If you are seriously considering any of those, and looking for a reliable, comfortable boat, you should certainly check her out. And seriously, it is not too late to leave on the loop this year from her current location… Loopers are passing through the area right now…
Deck features and equipment:
• Non skid decks
• 2 bow cleats, 1 anchor cleat, 4 springline cleats, 2 stern cleats all 12 inch
• Two custom transom cleats, 12 inch (extremely useful tie points)
• Stainless Steel Rails all around
• Deck hatch with screen
• Fiberglass bow pulpit with safety rails
• Lewmar anchor windlass
• Lewmar Delta, fast set anchor, rode of 150 feet of 3/4 line and 30 feet of chain
• Remote controlled forward spot light
• Hadley Air Horns
• Dinghy Hoist on top deck
• Spare Danforth anchor with 165 feet of 3/4 nylon line and 3 feet of chain.
• Multiple fenders, with two large Ball fenders, very desirable for locks
• Multiple dock lines
• Dock Box on Swim Platform (stores the rear davits, anchors, lines)
• Sea Deck Trim in Various areas, particularly the top deck for additional non skid.
• Additional handrails on top deck
• Removable handrails on swim platform
• Optional spiral steps to aft deck from swim platform
• Foredeck sun lounge 6 x 4 feet
• Canvas cover for forward windshield on salon cabin.
• Swim ladder on the swim platform
Aft deck/equipment:
• Hardtop with arch and enclosure
• 13 x 8 feet enclosed, with surround weather shield (Eisenglass)
• Wet bar/sink
• Ice maker
• R/O water filter… sources water from freshwater tank, always supplies very clean, potable water to ice maker and wet bar.
• Small refrigerator with freezer
• Tie up line and power cable storage hooks
• Aft flag pole
• Boarding step ladder
Interior/Galley Features:
• Large Salon area, twin recliner couch, with 3rd independent recliner.
• Entertainment center with adjustable facing TV monitor, blue tooth capable input.
• Stereo speakers throughout cabin and on bridge with zone controls
• Three burner electric stove top
• Full size refrigerator/freezer
• Lots of Galley cabinet space, over and under
• Large deep sink
• Microwave/convection oven
• Washer/Dryer built into cabinet adjacent to galley (and they work!)
• Wrap around dinette converts to double bunk
• Multiple storage areas under dinette seating
• Forward Cabin Locker converted to large pantry for shelved galley storage
• Forward Cabin has private access to the forward head
• Completely private aft stateroom with its own head
• Full queen bed aft. Inner spring mattress with My Pillow topper
• Multiple storage areas, cabinets, lockers in the aft stateroom
Heads and water system:
• Vacuflush heads, forward and aft, full size aft, new 2021
• 2 Vacuflush waste systems for redundancy with 80 gallon capacity total (40 forward, 40 aft both with working level indicators)
• Forward and aft showers with bifold doors
• 20 gallon water heater
• 160 gallon fresh water, with monitor (gauge) located in forward head
Electrical Systems:
• Dockside wiring (2) 120 VAC circuits -50 Amps each.
• 50 foot shore cables included. More cables and dockside adapters negotiable. Easily hooks up to single 50 amp 240 volt dockside power using an available Y adapter.
• Large breaker panel for both DC and AC equipment with cross over breakers for switching from shore to generator power.
• 120 volt AC receptacles throughout... several zones in circuit breaker box
• Kohler 8 KW diesel generator -2020 hours, new fuel pump 2025, new water pump 2020, latest water pump impeller 2025, new belts 2025.
• 60 amp Promariner ProNautic 12-60P Marine Battery charging system
• 600 watt 12 volt DC inverter, supports entertainment center at anchor.
• 12 Volt DC cabin lighting, along with indirect fluorescent AC lighting
• (2) 8D Marine Batteries (X2 Power AGM, one new 2024, one new 2021) Generator battery (Marine X2 Power AGM new 2021)
• Voltmeter in helm shows each battery status
Bridge Equipment : (many items are listed in write up above)
• Garmin VHS 215 radio with AIS (this AIS is not used, it only receives)
• Garmin AIS 800 Automatic Identification System transmitter
• Garmin GMR 18 HD3 Radar
• Garmin 12 inch GPS Chart Plotter GPSMAP 1243XSV
• Garmin 9 inch GPS Chart Plotter GPSMAP 943XSV
• Garmin GHC20 Autopilot Display utilizing Garmin Reactor 40 hydraulic autopilot system and SMART PUMP.
• Garmin GPS antenna
• Garmin GC100 Marine Camera (rear facing, Wi-Fi)
• Garmin GC12 Marine Camera (engine room, direct wired)
• Garmin Chirp Clearvu Sonar and Garmin Traditional Chirp Sonar Units networked to both GPSMAP units
• Garmin NMEA2000 Network
• All Garmin equipment listed is networked, the two Chart Plotters are tied together through the Garmin Network
• Glenn Denning Engine Synchronizer
• Rudder angle indicator
Misc. Equipment:
• Hydraulic Trim Tabs
• ACR Electronics Global Fix EPIRB unit
• 3 Automatic Bilge pumps
• 3 HVAC units, forward cabin, salon, and aft cabin, reversible for heat… all three replaced for Loop.
• Maple wood interior
• Shore water connection
• Fresh Water tank monitor (gauge)
• Carbon Monoxide monitoring system
• 500 gallon fuel capacity (250 x 2 tanks)
• Racor fuel filters, with vacuum gauges, each engine
• Fuel tank selector valves, with crossover pump (to move fuel between tanks)
• Oil changing pump (Exchanger) tied to each engine, including the Generator (includes spare impeller)
Notes:
• 2020 11 foot 6 inch West Marine RIB dinghy with 2021 9.9 HP Mercury outboard is negotiable
• We do not plan to use a dealer or broker at this time.
• If you are outside the AGLCA membership, for more information, you can contact us using this email: [email protected] We will check it daily.
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- Additional information
- I would have loved to include pictures of the engine room, but the site limits us to a total of 10 pics and we felt the ones we have shown most important... suffice to say Cheri Baby's engine room is clean and many more pictures are available... we have literally have hundreds... contact us by email for more at: [email protected]
- Pricing notes
- RIB Dinghy and 9.9 Mercury is negotiable
- Condition
- Literally Turn Key... She is waiting to take off on her next loop.