Thoughts wanted on this 1987 41 Convertible

Hello, a friend (and Hatteras owner) recommended that I join this forum to ask about a Hatteras that I have some interest in. Hopefully this is the best section to post this. Some background: We're new to boating and our primary wants/needs are a boat that will serve as a "summer condo" for long weekends (likely slipped in Mystic, CT), initially for short trips to Long Island, Block Island, etc., and then I have longer-term aspirations of cruising it farther distances. I've never fished, but want to try that out and see if I love it, but a broker I've been working with advised that I shouldn't worry about whether my boat is capable of fishing off of, because I'll make plenty of new friends at the marina who fish and have boats optimized for that.

We had a contract on a long-distance (VA) 2001 Silverton 35/351 back in late March which has proven to be one delay after another (they still haven't gotten it ready for survey), and we're at the end of our rope on that and are likely going to cut bait and investigate some other options closer to home. One such boat is the following 1987 Hatteras 41:

** I'm too new to post links - do a search on YachtWorld for a 1987 Hatteras 41 in CT **

The boat is currently going by the name "Probable Paws". According to a search I did, the prior owner had it named "Designoar" and then the following words for prior names also come up, but the boatdb website strings the names all on a single line, so I don't know where one name ends and another begins, so here's the string of words:
AJA LEE SWEET SPOT SEABIRD

This boat appeals to us for a few reasons:
1) It only has one stateroom, giving it a larger room and salon, and since our only daughter is in college, it will mostly be my wife and I sleeping on the boat most of the time.
2) I believe the prior owner (not the current one) spent a ton of money redoing the interior, with fancy woodwork, granite or marble, and even coffered wood ceilings. It looks like a luxury apartment inside.
3) It's a Hatteras, so it's solid.

Downsides from my perspective:
1) Much older boat (1987) compared to being able to get something much newer if we went with a Silverton, for example.
2) Externally, it seems like it's optimized for serious fishermen, which I'm not and may never become. In particular, I really do like the built-in steps that the Silvertons (and some other boats) offer, compared to the ladder, as my wife has some issues with her legs (though she scaled the latter on our friends Hatteras and told me not to worry about that). I should note that our friend who recommended I join this forum has a 52' Hatteras convertible and they use theirs much the same way we intend to use ours (in fact, we probably plan to take ours out for traveling more than they do theirs).

Even if none of you have any first-hand knowledge of this particular boat, anything you can glean from the listing/photos would be appreciated, as will as any honest opinions you care to offer.

Looks beautiful, one thing to keep in mind with the hours on those motors, they could get close to needing major service. I have the same ones in my 38, and just recently discovered parts such as the turbos are getting harder to find. Some money was definitely spent on that interior refit, and is stunning.Make sure you get a good survey, good luck with the purchase

is this it?

http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/1987...g#.Wx6wnyAnZhE

You found a nice looking boat there if that's the one. I'd not be afraid of the engines until surveyed. I've seen 3500 hours on some and 2000 on others..

FYI she will take some power and fuel to cruise compared to the other boats you mentioned and even a series 1 41c.

Nice looking boat. Get a good serious surveyor, and also an engine surveyor experienced with DDs. Interesting it has 6-71s- I thought they had 6v92TAs. Personally I would rather have what's in there.

These engines make a lot of power for their displacement, but if treated well they can do it for a long time. If the boat surveys well, you should be fine.

oldboat, yes, that's the one.

Yeah, it's a gorgeous interior. Anything I purchase will definitely be surveyed, and if I buy a diesel boat, I had planned to have a mechanic experienced with these types of engines inspect it as well (unless you think that a having a surveyor with experience with these engines, combined with oil sample analysis is sufficient). I should note that our work acquaintance/friend with the Hatteras 52 (who does a lot of his own maintenance) offered to give the engine bay a once-over as well, pre-contract.

Other friends (non-Hatteras owners) have advised me to not pursue this boat, due to its age and potential for big-money issues, especially since this would be my first boat.

To be honest, I am a little worried about the age and potential for big-money issues, and I also prefer the stairs vs ladder that Silvertons (and some others) offer. I've been leaning towards a 2000-2002 Silverton 35/351 (likely with gas engines - boo), of which I can find a few in my region for $70-75K. But feel free to try to convince me otherwise. :)

Remember a Silverton is not built to take the punishment a hatteras is made for.

Its not a comparison of equals.

Take a ride in a Silverton in 6 foot seas and the decide.

You really cant compare a silverton to this sport fish. Not just the ride but the build quality, systems, material used etc... for instwnce the fiberglass fuel tanks of the hatt will never need replacing whereas the aluminum tanks of a 15+ uear old silverton are likely nearing replacement due to corrosion.

Gas vs diesel...safety and better maneuverability

The list goes on...

Waters can be rough in Block island LI Sound, you ll have a much better confort and safetey margin with the hatt.

Yes, absolutely do a full diesel survey by a detroit specialist. Rebuilding one of these costs a lot more than swapping a gasser

Any guesstimates as to what I might be looking at fuel-efficiency-wise? (GPH total, and at what speed)

I would put in an offer and deposit now. That's a lot of clean boat for the money. Reasonable asking price. Just sayin is all.

With boats like that out there mine is maybe worth 25K at the most.

I’m on the hunt for something much newer, but...DAMN!!! That’s a beautiful boat. The collective wisdom on this forum is priceless, so listen carefully and take it all in. They taught me most of what I know. She is a real beauty. All that woodwork...nice!

Agreeing with others, comparing that boat to a silverton is def not an apples to apples comparison. But as per your concerns....

Both of those boats have a lot of systems that will all require maintenance, upkeep and replacement.

If you want to fish, or you plan on using the boat for fishing, the silverton is definitely out, if you want cheaper, somewhat less maintenance maybe look at Ocean.

The hatt is a tank, it's going to be a more stable ride, but the trade off is it will burn more fuel than a flatter bottom boat, like an ocean, post...etc. It will however probably burn about the same fuel as the silverton with gassers.

But the bottom line comparison is that they will both have:

toilet(s) that will fail
hot water heater
bilge pumps
generator
air conditioners
water pumps
lighting
throttle/shift cables
hydraulic steering system
rudders
shafts
shaft and rudder glands

So no matter what you pick, they will have all (or more) of the above systems to upkeep/maintain/replace. The ONLY real difference is the workmanship/quality of each boat and the engines.

I've maintained Gassers, I've maintained Diesels. Honestly, I prefer to work on the diesels. Bolts rarely break, everything is built beefier and to last longer. Parts are a wash really, maybe if you have a common gasser 350 vortec or something it will be much cheaper, but really parts maintenance seem similar to me.

My advice: Go look at a bunch of boats, heck, just walk around a marina and look and talk to people. Get your feet on the ground, look at all the similar boats around you for sale, crawl around them. I think you need a better feel of what type of boat you really need.

What are your plans for the boat? What do you imagine or dream your weekend on the boat looking like?

Nice boat; I agree with everything said above.

Get a copy of David Pascoe’s book (and website) to educate yourself about quality boats.

Forget the age because Hatteras is made to last.

Folks here are being unusually reticent—any Silverton is like buying a mobile home. Didn’t they get sued for a boat that had it’s to rip off? Floating, cheaply made, dock queens.

Consider a Hatteras precisely because you are new: quality, durability, safe, retains value.

DAN

That 41 looks pretty clean. As others have mentioned you need a good engine survey and I would not be afraid of those engines. Respectfully, I’d forget the Silverton and look for something that will last and retains value like the Hatteras.

If you decide to move forward I would select your Marine surveyor carefully. The 1987 41 Hatteras was cored below the waterline(the only time they used coring below the water line). They probably made a dozen or less and then they quit making them for that model year. Many of these 41s have had issues of one degree or another regarding the core.

I was looking at one a number of years back and the broker turned out to be a bit of a trickster. The vessel was not even currently listed but he took me to Marina to see the boat, I guess he was going to try to bargain with the owner if I was interested. The boat had been prepped for bottom paint by sandblasting and it exposed two really big patch areas on the keel. That’s how I learned about the coring.

Cored hulls are fine, just need a bit of extra care.

I would not own anything other than a Hatteras given my station in life. But that does not mean they are perfect. I have two serious criticisms of Hatteras, pre-AMF ownership boat electrical systems, and their use of coring, especially the treatment of raw edges. I'll add one minor item which was the precision of fiberglass cutouts for window frames and portlights.

My opinion and it is worth no more than you are paying for it, run don't walk from any bottom cored production boat. Just do not run in the direction of a gas fueled Silverton. Find another Hatteras.

A cored bottom would be a deal killer for me. Back then coring was what I would call experimental and Hatteras didn’t do it very long

Yes, boats all similar systems but overall the quality of the hardware and systems used by Hatteras or Bertram or others has been higher than what the average builder used

Take fuel tanks for instance... how long do the aluminum tanks last on the average Silverton or Taiwan trawler? 15 years, 20 at the most? Major job ...

Excellent points all, and especially about the fuel tanks, Pascal!

DAN

Had a Silverton convertible docked across from me a few years ago, and the boat was only a few years old. Got a call from the marina that they needed for me to come down so they could inspect my boat. When I asked why, they said there was a major fuel leak on my dock. I assure them my Hatt wasn't the culprit but agree to head that way.

When I got there, there are already booms in place to help contain the spill. We walked out to my boat, and as expected, it wasn't the problem. As we were walking down the dock, a bilge pump on that Silverton cycled, and it was pure gas coming out. I said "I think we just found your problem boat".

Lucky it didn't go boom, but Silverton would not stand behind the tank. It was a major job to R&R that one, and the guy sold it sometime after that... to a friend of mine who I warned about the previous issue. So far, so good, but Silverton would not be on my short list of boats to consider.