Looking at a few 53 - 58 Hatteras Yachtfish need Advice Please

[Yachtnovice]

Been looking for a boat for the Family that can do overnights, some long range coastal cruising trips and also have the Kids and Grandkid fish from. Have seen a few older 53 to 58 foot, 1970's to 1985 Hatteras Yachtfish. Now I know there is another website that is chock full of Hatteras owners but I think their opinion might be a little jaded.

Price although important is not the reason I am asking:

Are these good boats -concerns about age (35-40 years old) and if so why, what makes them good/great (at least that's what the owners are saying)?

Engines - Detroit 8v71 Naturals /and or turbo w/Allison trans - replacement parts and life span before a major overhaul due?

Fuel mileage (the 58 ft weighs about 70,000 pounds).

Does it pay to insure a boat this old - will insurance comp write replacement insurance?

cost to maintain - older slower heavier boat cost more than a smaller lighter newer boat ( not apples to apples I know but asking for opinions)

And anything else you could think of would be appreciated. I know a 53-58 is a big boat and getting into that size for what looks like a bargain basement price is only the beginning of what it could /will cost. It just looks like they are almost giving them away and with the market down, I wonder if it's worth it.

thanks, and can't wait to see the responses.

[ranger58sb]

I've not been aboard one, but they have a very good reputation. Hatteras (the company) is apparently very supportive, and Hatteras (the owners club) ditto.

As far as I know, the DDs and Allison gears could last another lifetime assuming good maintenance regime, albeit maybe with some major overhauls eventually. Here's where current engine hours will give you some clues, along with whatever insight you can gain about how the previous owner(s) maintained the systems. And of course you'd have a mechanical (engine) survey done before finalizing a purchase, so the DD specialist would check things like cylinder compression and so forth.

-Chris

[beachbum29]

They are well constructed boats but never expect to get any type of fuel economy out of one.

I've heard them called, "battle axes".

Many say never buy one that's been used as a charter boat because the systems will be worn out.

Good luck on your search.

[captain58sailin]

There will be inherent problems with a vessel that age, like most of the wiring will have to be replaced. Hopefully not all at once. I am a sucker for old boats, so I am the wrong one to be chiming in. I am currently having my '77 model Skookum rewired, not because of any failures, it just seems like the prudent thing to do, some of the wires I have messed with had stiff cracking insulation. The 8V71s are good engines, I don't like the sound of them, but they do run. You can have a good engine survey done and they can tell you the state of these engines and other mechanical things before you make an offer. Back in the early '80s, I had the pleasure of going aboard a 58' Hat, they had 8V92s in it and it was very nice and scooted right along.

[CPseudonym]

"asking for opinions"

Great advice so far so not to rehash any of it...

Great boats that are not for everyone. Built tough as nails(my opinion) and they can be hungry beasts to kept fed. Hatts in that size need a good diet of cash to keep in good working order. Their systems and hulls are well built. Am told you can contact Hatteras with your hull number and they'll send you anything you need to know. Wiring diagrams, original plumbing schematics, the works.

Price: You're buying condition of boat so get your surveys and line up your ducks.

Fuel Mileage: That thing in your hand called the throttle is going to decide that for you, push forward as far as your credit card will let you.

As to the age question my Owens is a 1967 and it's just getting broke in IMO Hatts are no different IMO.

Insurance: the marina is going to demand liability, a full coverage agreed value policy is not that much more so get one.

Great boats but go in with your eyes wide open as the purchase price is only the "ante" to buy a seat at the table. I've heard of a few fellas that have put 3 to 5 times their purchase price into the boat in repair and re-fit costs. How nice and new do you want the old girl to be?

You asked for opinions and there are mine. Good luck in your hunt.

[Yachtnovice]

Thank you all for your thoughts, ideas, and experience, I appreciate it.

Good comments all around and I will look to utilize / incorporate them into my search criteria.

Thanks again,
Yachtnovice

[ranger58sb]

I meant to add a comment about the fishing part. Depends on what kind of fishing, where, etc. If trolling, you'd want to observe visibility from the helm to the cockpit, see whether that works. We troll with our sportfish, with some of the rods in rocket launchers at the aft end of our flybridge. It's important to be able to handle the rods up there (set drag, adjust the distance, etc.), and then to be able to pass down to the cockpit when we've got fish on. Maybe or maybe not as easy with one of the Hatt yachtfish models. Also, the cockpit on one of those may not be as large as on a sportfish or convertible.

You'd also want to see about visibility to the stern for docking, anyway, though.

-Chris

[haw1961]

Most of these models have a split engine which I don't like. Different strokes, maybe you will like it. The fuel issue has been covered. At cruise which is probably 15-20 you will burn 3-4 gallons per mile. Hatteras and Bertram are the worst for fuel consumption. There are many complex systems with many expensive parts. In the end you will pour tons of money into a boat, and still have an old Hatteras that you can't sell. If you can find one that somebody else has already redone, it may be worth it.

[cabo_sailor]

My father had a 1976 Hatteras 53 and loved it. His best fuel economy was around 11kt after that it sucked fuel. When he went to sell it, he had a problem that many wanted a cruiser with a higher speed. He was considering having the forward water tank exchanged for additional fuel. One thing that has not been mentioned is that the boat is fairly narrow beamed for its length and tends to roll a bit. We had Naid (sp) stabilizers and they were wonderful. When they kicked in, it made a definite difference in the ride. Of course like anything else they are expensive, an accidental grounding (more of a bumping along the bottom) cost him $8k for repairs.

One other problem he had was that the fridge is a full size kitchen model which was nice until it had to be replaced. He had to hire someone to remove the circular staircase, several strong lads to carry the fridge topside and lower it over the side and repeat the procedure to install the new fridge.

He loved the boat and advancing age was all that made him sell it but even he admitted it was expensive to maintain.

Rich

[beachbum29]

There's an 80 Hatteras 53' Motoryacht in my marina that's just been reduced to $124,900.

Haven't been up close but looks very nice from afar.

[cabo_sailor]

One of the things that my father noticed when he was looking for a Hatteras was that the 53's were generally run by their owners. The 58's tended to have at least a professional captain. Not exactly sure why this was but it was an observation that he made after looking at a bunch of boats.

As to fishing we seldom fished from the Hatteras itself. In the motoryacht configuration the decks were simply too high. The height could at times make docking an interesting event. The fishing solution was to simply lower the 14 ft Boston Whaler stored aft of the fly bridge. With a 25 hp outboard it was much more convenient for fishing.

Rich

ps: A slightly amusing anecdote. My father kept his boat in a canal behind his house in Punta Gorda FL. After a couple of instances of getting bad fuel at the local marina he contracted for a small tanker truck to come to the house. They would run the hose from the truck to the back yard and proceed to fill'er up.

One day my father had invited a friend to go out for the day and the friend insisted on paying for half the fuel. My father just smiled and watched the expression on his friend's face when the tanker truck showed up. Needless to say, dad let his friend off the hook. As I recall, a fill-up was on the order of 400 gallons but I may be mis-remembering.

[captain58sailin]

I'll bet he would've had a heart attack at today's prices.

[cabo_sailor]

Originally Posted by captain58sailin

I'll bet he would've had a heart attack at today's prices.

Captain 58, I would have had a heart attack! It would take me months to save enough to leave the dock.

By the by, since it seems that you have a 58 Hat - do you have any observations on why they seem to employ captains instead of owner/captains? I wouldn't think another 5 ft would make a difference unless it was that those that could afford the 58 could also afford a captain.

Rich

Whoops, my bad. I see you have a 53 not a 58. Wishful thinking?? Anyway I would still be interested in your insight.

[Weyalan]

53-58 foot is one helluva lot of boat if you aren't particularly experienced (I'm not saying the OP necessarily isn't although his moniker might be indicative). There are plenty of modern 40-45 footers that have 3 or 4 separate cabins. I mean, each to his (or her) oww and all, but if you truly are a Yachtnovice, I'd suggest you set your sights a little smaller.

[captain58sailin]

Sorry, no Hat here, I just had some exposure to a 58' years ago when I was chartering out of St. Pete beach, we tied up next to one and got friendly with the hired Capt., he gave me the grand tour and we went out to run the grass off the bottom. Very impressive unit, quite expensive even in the early 80s'. It was owned by an electronics manufacturer and he rarely came to the boat, once in awhile they would take the vessel to meet the owners somewhere else for some big fishing tournament. I never got invited along, dang it! I don't have any insight as to the why someone would hire a Captain on a permanent basis to run my play boat, seems like you are taking all the fun out of having one of these beauties, if you are going to do that, why not just charter a vessel where you want to go and then save on the expense the other 50 weeks out of the year? I guess you have to be in a higher tax bracket than I am to have that make fiscal sense.