48 Convertables

[season]

As I get closer to making a decision on which Hatteras makes the most sense for our needs (70% cruising 30% fishing) the convertibles continue to be forefront. There are more of them to choose, they are capable of getting home in weather that would be preferable to avoid and they are priced more competitively than the CPMY's that could also fit the bill. While there are volumes of great comparative discussions on the differences of the 46 and 52 convertibles; a forum search turns up little on the 48C. While it appears they were only produced for a few years (why), they seem to be a great layout with the mid level galley and larger master in the bow. Do bow masters have hull slap noise issues that make them less desirable? I like the ER access in the cockpit and the over under guest stateroom arrangement that appears to increase room in that area. There is also a storage space that most have utilized for a washer/dryer that is nice for cruising. The profile is similar to some of the larger Hatt convertibles and is modern in its appearance. There are not a lot of them for sale but I am attaching one from the NE that looks to be a pretty decent set up and asking price. I would appreciate any thoughts and opinions on the 48C and this one in particular.
Thanks
Randy
http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/1988...s#.VChsW0vkb1o

[capttonyf]

If you can find a good deal on one that's in great condition there is no reason to not buy one. They're a Hatteras, built well, and will provide you with a nice stable cruising/fishing boat to enjoy your time on.

You asked why it was only built for a short period of time. The 48C was a big, Heavy, 48ft boat but the engine room came with only DD8V92's. With the design and the weight of the boat. The motors had to be put under heavy load everytime the boat was brought up on plane, which put alot of strain on the motors and limited their life to about 1500 hours before needing rebuilt. The boat also required alot of trim tab to keep it running at the proper running attitude. We had a Custom 48 with a tower listed for sale years ago and the owner had moved on, so I was responsible for managing the boat until it sold. To get the boat on plane you had to give it a healthy dose of throttle with some loading up and a little black smoke to get her over the hump. Now once on plane she ran great but if the bottom wasn't perfect it was hard on the motors getting it to that point.

I believe Hatteras realized this and they retooled the boat, added 2 feet midship at the the engine room and started calling it the 50C in 1991. The 50 became one of their best boats. The added hull length with very little weight gain improved the running angle and help the boat get on plain much easier. By adding the two feet they were also able to create more space in the engine room allowing 12 Cylinder Motors to fit which have more torque, which also assisted the boat jumping to plane without over loading the motors. This extends their life tremendously.

Looking at the listing and it being a NE boat it appears it doesn't have a ton of time on it. The Generators have under 2000 hours and the motors have 545hrs SMOH which stands pretty true with what I mentioned above about engine life limited to 1500hrs +/-.

Like I said if there is a nice boat out there that's priced right you can't go wrong, these are just a few of the reasons it's not as popular as some of the other boats you mentioned.

Tony

[season]

Thanks Tony, it makes sense that with the 45,46 and 52 convertibles enjoying long production runs there was a reason for the 48C's short timeframe. I will continue to concentrate on those boats.
Randy

[rsmith]

Why would it be harder to push than a 52 with the same power? I saw one listed a while ago for 89k asking seemed low for a "newer" Hatt

If you can find a good deal on one that's in great condition there is no reason to not buy one. They're a Hatteras, built well, and will provide you with a nice stable cruising/fishing boat to enjoy your time on.

You asked why it was only built for a short period of time. The 48C was a big, Heavy, 48ft boat but the engine room came with only DD8V92's. With the design and the weight of the boat. The motors had to be put under heavy load everytime the boat was brought up on plane, which put alot of strain on the motors and limited their life to about 1500 hours before needing rebuilt. The boat also required alot of trim tab to keep it running at the proper running attitude. We had a Custom 48 with a tower listed for sale years ago and the owner had moved on, so I was responsible for managing the boat until it sold. To get the boat on plane you had to give it a healthy dose of throttle with some loading up and a little black smoke to get her over the hump. Now once on plane she ran great but if the bottom wasn't perfect it was hard on the motors getting it to that point.

I believe Hatteras realized this and they retooled the boat, added 2 feet midship at the the engine room and started calling it the 50C in 1991. The 50 became one of their best boats. The added hull length with very little weight gain improved the running angle and help the boat get on plain much easier. By adding the two feet they were also able to create more space in the engine room allowing 12 Cylinder Motors to fit which have more torque, which also assisted the boat jumping to plane without over loading the motors. This extends their life tremendously.

Looking at the listing and it being a NE boat it appears it doesn't have a ton of time on it. The Generators have under 2000 hours and the motors have 545hrs SMOH which stands pretty true with what I mentioned above about engine life limited to 1500hrs +/-.

Like I said if there is a nice boat out there that's priced right you can't go wrong, these are just a few of the reasons it's not as popular as some of the other boats you mentioned.

Tony

[capttonyf]

Why would it be harder to push than a 52 with the same power? I saw one listed a while ago for 89k asking seemed low for a "newer" Hatt

I'm assuming you meant why WOULD IT NOT be harder to push a 52 with the same power. The 48C and the 52C both are almost the same in weight and only a few inches difference in beam yet the 52 has 4 feet extra running surface. Not to mention two different hull designs, the extra length help prevent it from squating when powering up from idle and also helps the boat run at a much more level attitude. This happens all the time with boats, you add length and they run better and faster. A few examples are the "52C", it was a 50 with 2 ft added to the cockpit which made it a much better boat. The "43C" which became the 45C, a much better running boat after they added the 2 feet to the cockpit. The 60MY witch became the 67CPMY and a better runnung boat. In most cases when you add running surface without adding much weight a boat will run faster with less squat. A few other examples are the Mid 1980's Viking 46C became 48C, Egg Harbor 33/35. All of the Post Yachts, the 42,43,44,46,and 47 are all the same boat with 15' beam, all have had the same power either 6V92's or 6V71's and even though the 46 weighs a bit more than the 42 because of extra hull length, they run the same speed with the 46 being maybe a knot or two faster.

In other words the size of a boat doesn't always matter, a better design, or an improved upon original design will run better with the same power. The Hatteras 1980's 43, 48, and 50 weren't as good of an original design as they could have been, so they improved upon them by turning them into the late 1980's and early 1990's 45C, 50C, and 52C. In the case of the 48 becoming a 50, they rode that design with very minor tweaks by adding prop pockets in early 2000's all the way until like 2006. So the orignal 1988 48 wasn't that bad, it just needed a two foot tweak and it then lasted in the lineup for like 18 years. Not Bad.

Tony

[drburke]

I recall from reading the Jack Hargraves book that Hatteras asked him (his company) to revisit all of their boat styles about that time and he and his team made the sort of tweaks you are describing to the whole line.

That is exactly why I wanted a post-84 52C since the company became a little more fuel conscious with such changes to the hull.

DAN

[Tim Powell]

Seems as the 48 had a bottom issue. Not sure maybe some old heads will chime in. Some went back to the factory. I could be totally incorrect."

[captddis]

Twelve went back and were redone. Some hotshot decided that the bottom no longer needed to be sandblasted before the stringers were laminated into the hull. The boat was in Panama City at for a Dealer meeting. We took it across the Gulf on a choppy day and the boat started to feel funny and had to use duct tape to keep the cabinets from opening. got into St Pete at 3:00 am and went to bed. Next day it went to a Rendezvous at Captiva.
Took the boat back to St Pete and the dealer got a call to haul the boat and lock it. They were sending one of their captains to pick up the boat and take it back to New Bern. The capt was to run the ditch at no more than ten knots.

We flew up a month later to pick up another 48 and we were sent home. We were just told there was an 'engineering problem"

A few months later when pressed as to what was going on, Don Farlow told us that a Hatt employee was showing the engine room on the boat we crossed the Gulf with to someone at the rendezvous and saw that the stringers came loose from the hull .

That Said I do like the 48 other than a tight engine room. And all of the affected boats were redone and are fine.

[Plan B2]

What model year was recaled after the Rendevous at Captiva?

[captddis]

It was 1987 and I believe the boat was an 1988 model.