Pinging PascalG

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knotheadcharters

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Interested in possible purchase of a 1969 Hatteras 53' and figured you would be the one to talk to. I am a little concerned with 40 yr old DD's, I know if properly maintained but... Also How are they to handle around the docks? do they sit nice or get squirrely? I plan on living aboard and heading out to the Bahamas and further south down the Caribbean? How are they as a sea boat? Range with 550 gals.? One last question, the Admiral wants to do the Loop is a 53 Hat too big or just right? I have a million questions but I won't clobber you. thanks
 
Chris, we have three 53' Hat's in my boat club. One of them is in my marina and I am very good friends with the owner. I will be glad to get any information you would like. On one note, my friend just upgraded the engines from the Detroit's to Cummins. There was nothing wrong with his old engines but decided on the upgrade for better performance and future resale value.
 
quote:
Originally posted by C team

Chris, we have three 53' Hat's in my boat club. One of them is in my marina and I am very good friends with the owner. I will be glad to get any information you would like. On one note, my friend just upgraded the engines from the Detroit's to Cummins. There was nothing wrong with his old engines but decided on the upgrade for better performance and future resale value.

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Craig
I don't want to hijack the post but a quick question, what Cummins did he install?
 
quote:
Originally posted by abalmuth

quote:
Originally posted by C team

Chris, we have three 53' Hat's in my boat club. One of them is in my marina and I am very good friends with the owner. I will be glad to get any information you would like. On one note, my friend just upgraded the engines from the Detroit's to Cummins. There was nothing wrong with his old engines but decided on the upgrade for better performance and future resale value.

Click to expand...
Craig
I don't want to hijack the post but a quick question, what Cummins did he install?

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I will get right back to you with that info. I believe they were the 480hp.
 
[/quoteOne last question, the Admiral wants to do the Loop is a 53 Hat too big or just right? ]

I'd say it is just right!
 
It's not too big for the loop, the 53 MY (like all these flush decks with pilot house) is very easy to handle since you are a few steps from your springs

Great handling in close quarter due to weight and hull shape

In open waters they cut nicely thru a chop or head seas, up to (real) 6 footers. On the beam they can be rolly (higher CG and narrow beam) so if you really want to go to the Carib finding one with stabs would be a plus. Following seas are ok, you get a work out from working the wheel though but nothing worst than the average boat...

The DDs are fine, easy to maintain... sure they re heavier and not as efficient but repowering isn't cheap.

Budget permitting I'd look at the wider beam boats like the 56, like all they ve come down in price and the extra 2' of beam make a huge difference

At hull speed I burn about 9 to 10 GPH so max range is close to 500nm. My boat has naturals so won t get on plane, with the turbos at 16kts, range will drop to 200/240 NM
 
19 feet is Dead Max for the loop using the Champlain and Welland Canals which are the highest. If you want to do the Erie Canal or the East part and Oswego canal the heights are as follows.

If you want total and unrestricted free cruising options around America's Great Loop with
the ability to cruise the full length of the Erie Canal - your vessel MUST be able to pass under a 15' 6" fixed
overhead clearance. If you can clear 17' but can not clear 15' 6" you can bypass the east section of the Erie
Canal and exit onto the Oswego Canal and take Lake Ontario to take the northern Canada route through
Canada's Heritage Canals, or you can go through the Welland Canal into Lake Erie.
Finally of course, if you can't clear 19' 1", you will never make it from the Great Lakes (Lake Michigan) to the
Illinois or Mississippi Rivers and therefore will not be able to complete the Loop.
 
Thanks all for the replys, I too would be hull speed most of the time unless trying to outrun weather. 53 is about as large as I want to go the Admiral is afraid of not be able to handle too large of a boat with just the 2 of us.(gotta keep her happy) I guess stabilizers or possibly Sea-wise? Gyro system, expensive but in the long run maybe worth it. Most of the time will be ICW and upper Bahamas spending lots of time in the Chesapeake Bay. I love the stand up engine rooms, at 6'2 230lbs. engine access is key. So far the 53 seems to be the perfect liveaboard we'll see how it goes. I do like the 48 LRC's but they are out of budget. One other question, how are the sight lines for docking stern in? Do you use the flybridge or lower helm station with the cockpit doors open?
 
[quote53 is about as large as I want to go the Admiral is afraid of not be able to handle too large of a boat with just the 2 of us.(gotta keep her happy)

You'll find that the larger boat is easier to handle than a smaller one for the reasons mentioned by Pascal. We moved from a 46 to a 55. Even without walk around decks, and with much greater windage, the handleing is much more forgiving. And, as Pascal also said, the additional beam makes a huge difference, especially for the Admiral! Agree w/ you 100% about the stand up ER.
 
I agree you'll want stabilizers for sure if you're going to do a lot of cruising with one.

Those Hatts can be rolly due to the fact that they have lots super structure for their beam. And then people start putting wave runners and tenders up top as well only exaggerating the effect.

In fact I'm sitting in Flying Fish Marina here on Long Island in the Bahamas helping a friend deliver a 109' to St. Martin and an old style 70+' Hatt pulled out of here last night in snotty weather headed for the T&Cs. They were gone for about an hour or so and then they blew a hydraulic actuator on one of their stabilizers. They immediately turned around and headed back in. They said it was a very rolly ride till they got in the lee of the small islands just out front of the marina.

The gyro stabilizers are nice and of course they work at anchor. Which would be great for a boat like that, but I don't know if that boat has room for one.

As to their tracking in a following sea, I'd say they are average at best. They have a flat bottom aft that gets lifted up by a following sea and then they can start to bow steer.

Now don't get me wrong, I believe they can be a great live aboard, cruising and loop boat. But like any vessel you need to understand and work with their limitations.

As to the engines, what model Detroits are in it? Have they ever been truly majored and if so by who?
 
There is room in a 53 ( and most classic Hatt MY) for gyro stab in the genny room under the galley unless it has two gensets. Not cheap though but would be my choice

Or you just pick your days... :)
 
A gyro stabilizer is generally installed in the aft 1/3 of the vessel, so I'm not so sure below the galley of a 53' Hatteras would be the preferred location. That type stabilizer is very costly, requires at least 3KW of power to operate, requires cooling water pumps and needs several hours warm up time to spin up to speed before it becomes effective.

I agree with Picking Your Days.

If you think you are going to do long distance cruising on a small boat and a schedule, you are fooling yourself. Just wait a few days and the weather will change. I'd bet that the cost of a gyro stabilizer installed in a Hatt 53 would equal the fuel cost to do the entire loop. Besides boats are supposed to roll aren't they?
 
It takes about 30-45 min. for them to spool up. And you're right, they are not cheap and do need a fair amount of DC and AC power. But they do not cost any more, and in some cases less than, traditional fin type stabilizers.

"Besides boats are supposed to roll aren't they?"

Try telling that to guests paying $25,000 to over $100,000 a week for a charter. :-)
 
"Besides boats are supposed to roll aren't they?"

Try telling that to guests paying $25,000 to over $100,000 a week for a charter. :-)

I tell that to clients all the time that are paying $75,000.00 USD, a Day, plus cost. It is not uncommon to sit on location for 5 to 7 days at that day rate, doing noting but burning fuel and light bulbs waiting on weather.
 
The engines are 8-71's with 800 hrs SMOH. The ad says naturals so I don't think she'll do 16kts, but that is ok, I prefer naturals less to worry about. Picking days is better than shelling out thousands for stabs or gyros, I can buy alot of fuel and sit on my duff until a good weather window.
 
quote:
Originally posted by L. Keith

"Besides boats are supposed to roll aren't they?"

Try telling that to guests paying $25,000 to over $100,000 a week for a charter. :-)

I tell that to clients all the time that are paying $75,000.00 USD, a Day, plus cost. It is not uncommon to sit on location for 5 to 7 days at that day rate, doing noting but burning fuel and light bulbs waiting on weather.

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In case you haven't noticed, we re all talking recreational boats and yachts here, not commercial vessels... Indeed when guests are paying $25k for their week vacation, they don't want to have to hold their plate...
 
quote:
Originally posted by knotheadcharters

The engines are 8-71's with 800 hrs SMOH. The ad says naturals so I don't think she'll do 16kts, but that is ok, I prefer naturals less to worry about. Picking days is better than shelling out thousands for stabs or gyros, I can buy alot of fuel and sit on my duff until a good weather window.

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A 53 with naturals is really a trawler... Will not get on plane and will top at 13 to 14kts... Some will advertise a cruise speed of 12 to 13 kts but at that speed you ll burn at least twice what you burn at 9 to 9.5 kts, makes no sense
 
8V-71N's are decent engines if maintained and the overhaul was carried out by a Factory Shop using standard parts and Reliabilt components. There is that weak fork drive for the blower, but you can update for a little $$$.

That's why I left the Yacht charter business back in the late 70's, I found that commercial clients have a whole lot more money and whine a whole lot less.

Put a little silicon on the bottom of those plates and the paying sports will not have to hold onto their plate.
 
"I tell that to clients all the time that are paying $75,000.00 USD, a Day, plus cost. It is not uncommon to sit on location for 5 to 7 days at that day rate, doing noting but burning fuel and light bulbs waiting on weather."

Apples to oranges as you well know.

Interesting that you mention "Reliabilt components". They don't have a very good rep in South FL., at least from what I have been told. Especially the injectors. I take the word on them is more positive there?

"Put a little silicon on the bottom of those plates and the paying sports will not have to hold onto their plate."

Would that it was that easy. :-)
 
If you are going to do the loop I would go for a trawler UNLESS you really want something with more speed. You will see a huge difference in fuel burn. A 49 Defever with twin 120HP Lehmans will burn around 4-5GPH. What is it you are looking for the most in your larger boat? Speed? Layout? Size/space? Unless you need speed, you could get the same size vessel and if truly cruising long distances, save $200-250 a day just in fuel costs. Do that for 30 days= about $6k in fuel. Obviously fuel is just a minor part of cost of ownership though so other factors are more at play as you decide what you want.
 
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