Preparing to bring my new boat home

As many of you know, I’ve bought another Hatteras, this one with Cummins QSM11’s making 535hp. She’s an ’86 Hatt 45C in very nice shape. Nobody got too “creative” on the interior, and the exterior was gone over and painted several years ago. With help from Randy, I’ll be moving her north from New Bern NC to New Haven CT in 3 weeks. She will replace my ’79 Hatt 43C with DD 6v92TA’s making 435hp.

I’ve always done all my own engine work and maintenance, but timing and distance leave me depending on the yard to get most of the prep work done for the trip north. It will be an approximately 500 mile trip over 4 to 6 days, depending on weather and luck. The engines surveyed out quite well and the sea trial also went well. I’m really just looking for a sanity check on getting prepped for the trip.

The yard will be doing the commissioning after layup for the winter. Oil changes on the mains and genny, fuel filters, coolant checks, tranni oil levels, etc – the usual stuff. Visual checks of the hoses and clamps, belt condition and tension. Impellers were done at the start of last season and have less than 50 hours on them. There are spares on board. The yard will exercise all the through hull valves.

So, what am I missing? The belts on the mains were replaced in 2017. Probably have 200 hours on them. I haven’t had to deal with alternator belts since I sold my gas powered Chris when I bought the 43C in 2003. Should I replace them? Part of me would like them to be new, but I also worry about new belts breaking in and stretching over the first 10 – 20 hrs of running, leaving me with the job of adjusting them in a hot engine room on the way home. What are your thoughts?

As far as spares onboard, the previous owner has left a fairly full complement. I plan on having fuel filters (primary and secondary), impellers for the mains and genny, pre-mixed 50-50 coolant, engine oil, tranni oil, some spare hose clamps, and a jug of diesel fuel. I will have a pretty comprehensive set of tools with me, including an impeller puller. Any other special tools or spare parts you can think of that I should add?

Bob,

Don't know how much of this is applicable you boat.

1. I'd like to have some lengths of fuel hose with push on unions for just in case. I have 1/2" & 3/8" on Aslan, don't know about your Cummins.

2. Some lengths of silicone hose in whatever sizes. When you say "some spare hose clamps", I'd make that a bunch.

3. Some hynautic or applicable hydraulic oil plus some lengths of hydraulic hose with unions and plenty of oil pads.

4. How about some jumper cables if you need to bridge banks?

I'm sure others will have some ideas. Good luck with the trip. Looking forward to hearing about it.

Bob got mine already, steering supplies and some jumper wires.
We carry a 25' single jumper so we can basically jump out anything in the ER and a few short ones.
For me there's no such thing as having too many Racors and secondaries on board, especially with an unknown boat, they don't go bad when put back in the garage.

Oh, one more thing, up to date life raft, and handheld VHF and GPS.

Good luck with the trip, hopefully the weather is cooperative.

A bale of oil absorbing pads, if you don't already have them. Whoops, RAC already mentioned those.

Spare sunglasses and reading glasses, if you use them. Ask me how I know.

Fig Newtons. Or cookies of choice.

Have a great trip. Once again, if you decide to come up the Chesapeake Bay, let me know. If you stop in or near Annapolis, dinner on me. And a doggie bag for Randy.

Thanks. Great offer, Jim. Maybe I'll pray for bad weather. And don't worry about the oil pads; remember I'm a seasoned DD guy. I use those things for handkerchiefs. Good suggestions all around. Keep em coming..

Spare bilge pump, silicon hose tape, large serrated knife or saw, gorilla tape...you can always tape the saw to a boat hook to cut warp from the prop rather than going into the water if you are lucky.

Think you will be surprised how enjoyable it is to have modern engines.
We now use more oil rags when we're adding oil than oil rags catching leaks because we don't have any oil leaks.
Our 4 strokes use about 1 quart each per canyon trip, figure 150 miles total out and back @ cruise plus trolling all day.
Also really like the digital readouts, sooooo much good info.

Not that you’ll need it but having seatow/boatus towing membership is a no brainer.

How about a spare, starboard engine?

In addition to the above make sure you have a small air pump so you can pump up the hynautic. I also really like having a small electric priming pump just in case...

When I brought my boat from Seattle to San Diego 5 years ago these were the things I wish I had on board

More beer, matches, more flashlights, a spare engine raw water pump, more ice, more beer, ear plugs for my crewmates snoring, a spare fire extinguisher, a spare fender, a spare dock line, spare jackets and blankets, a very sharp knife, extra toilet paper, a plunger, lots of paper towels, regular towels, Dawn liquid, sunscreen, first aid kit and more beer.

2017 belts??
Replace them..
The Cummins belts are self adjusting. Keep the old ones for spares.
Have the pulleys on the gen-set polished and only one (if any) adjustments need to be made.
We luv the QSM11s. Follow Tony's web site for fine details on them (ie; not over propped).

Congrats and best of luck to you.

Emergency Plug and repair kit (it's a new boat for you so better safe than not).

Of course an up dated first aid kit.

Fig Newtons for Randy?

can't think of anything to add to the fine list here. don't think you need a spare engine, you've got randy aboard :) you and randy have a safe trip. looking forward to seeing the new ride, post covid.

Make sure the chartplotter has a chip that covers the entire trip geographically. Don't ask me how I know about this one.....

Backup capability for navigation. I have an IPad with Garmin app on it for near shore navigation emergencies

Good complement of biobor or other fuel biocide of your choice

Good complement of fuses especially any specialty fuses such as for battery or thruster.

Lots of warm socks and layerable clothes. Will be pretty cold still outside especially if you have a freak storm sneak up on you. Froze my feet off moving a boat up the coast in April once.

Duct tape (rescue tape).

Diet Orange crush, and make sure the microwave is operational, Randy loves leftovers! Oh and Fireball for the after action event review meeting better know as the sunset. Safe travels and take good care of Randy we aren't done with him yet. Does your boat have AIS?

Thanks, guys. Lots of the stuff mirrors my list, but quite a few good suggestions on things to add. We do plan on eating well. Randy knows the good spots to stop, but I don't take chances. My buddy Bob is bringing a tray of his gf's famous sausage and peppers and a lasagna. Believe it or not, Costco makes some superb stuffed peppers around here. We'll have plenty of crewmate Ron's home made soupy. I'll be there, so the bar will be properly stocked. Can't be without a good bloody mary or two. I have some nice chunks of yellowfin left in the deep freeze since last summer and I'll bring some of my magic blackening powder and some wasabi and soy sauce for them. And of course, I never take a trip without a bunch of New Haven's Hummels Big Bite hot dogs (natural casings of course).

I gave the boat yard a list of things to check and or replace this morning, belts and impellers among them. Good suggestion on the chartplotter chip. I'll confirm with the PO on that. I have good new, detailed paper charts for the expected route. They never fail. I'll spend the next couple weeks packing it all up.

I have Navionics on my iPhone as well as an AIS app that works most of the time. If you don’t have an aft curtain for that bridge enclosure, we’ll need a BAT (big ass tarp) and a portable gas heater.

Did you rethink that big tub of chili?

Batteries Good?

Don’t trust the yard or boat yard mechanics. If you can’t do it yourself leave it alone until you get it home. If it ran for the sea trial it will get you back to CT. If you have any problems at all guaranteed it will be a mechanic Screw up. We live in a world full of idiots what’s worse they’re all distracted by their phones.

Hello Bob!

Glad to hear your getting close to bringing her home!

Only thing I can think to add is to make sure you have some spare big fuses for the shore power connector, on board. Also, I found on my 45C that it has a bunch of ANL type fuses inside the electrical panels, in the ER. Might be a good idea to bring some of those along as well.

Have a great trip!
JCG

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by rsmith

Don’t trust the yard or boat yard mechanics. If you can’t do it yourself leave it alone until you get it home. If it ran for the sea trial it will get you back to CT. If you have any problems at all guaranteed it will be a mechanic Screw up. We live in a world full of idiots what’s worse they’re all distracted by their phones.

---

Good comments.

At least thoroughly go over any yard work, Maybe a shakedown lap around the area, return, check all out, then deploy.

In April 2015 I purchased a Hatteras 45C with 2007 QSM11. The engines had just over 1,100 hours
In June same year we transferred the boat from New Orleans to Rep. of Panama, a 1,600Nm trip.
The only problem during the trip was the loss of steering the first day in the Gulf of Mexico due to a broken Cotter pin at the steering piston.
Now with 2,600 hours on the engines, I am very satisfied with the engines and their reliability, they have never failed to start. The only maintenance so far apart from filters, oil and zinc, yearly acid flush of the cooling system, have been one change of impellers in 2016 not because it was needed but I wanted a start with new ones, then I check them every year when I take them out for the acid flush of the cooling system, I check the belt every 250 hours and tighten if necessary. I recently had to change the engine mounts on the port engine due to vibrations. No oil under, the pads are kept clean. Two years ago, I had the get the Smartcraft LCD screens changed as the started to get blurry.
That’s it with the engines so far.
As somebody mentioned keep the boat slightly underpropped and do not abuse the engines and they will last “forever”, there are several threads at Boatdiesel about what to watch out for. Exhaust manifold crack seems to be frequent due to over propping.
As it comes to the rest of the boat, I have not had any problem for 5 years that would interrupt a journey.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Pearl Island

In April 2015 I purchased a Hatteras 45C with 2007 QSM11. The engines had just over 1,100 hours
In June same year we transferred the boat from New Orleans to Rep. of Panama, a 1,600Nm trip.
The only problem during the trip was the loss of steering the first day in the Gulf of Mexico due to a broken Cotter pin at the steering piston.
Now with 2,600 hours on the engines, I am very satisfied with the engines and their reliability, they have never failed to start. The only maintenance so far apart from filters, oil and zinc, yearly acid flush of the cooling system, have been one change of impellers in 2016 not because it was needed but I wanted a start with new ones, then I check them every year when I take them out for the acid flush of the cooling system, I check the belt every 250 hours and tighten if necessary. I recently had to change the engine mounts on the port engine due to vibrations. No oil under, the pads are kept clean. Two years ago, I had the get the Smartcraft LCD screens changed as the started to get blurry.
That’s it with the engines so far.
As somebody mentioned keep the boat slightly underpropped and do not abuse the engines and they will last “forever”, there are several threads at Boatdiesel about what to watch out for. Exhaust manifold crack seems to be frequent due to over propping.
As it comes to the rest of the boat, I have not had any problem for 5 years that would interrupt a journey.

---

Well, that's certainly encouraging. She's definitely not over propped. Loads are fine, and at 2100rpm she's only at 19.2gph per engine.