There is no easy way to restore and update a big old boat, but there IS a less difficult way: start with a high-quality boat like a Hatteras, and work your way through, one problem at a time. I don't know how long it took the factory to build your boat, but I would guess it was under construction for several months at the least. So if things are taking a long time, don't beat yourself up, just keep at it and enjoy the little victories along the way. Because there WILL be victories, big and small.
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Re: Shay La Vie! YouTube channel,70' Hatteras CMY. First boat,fixer-upper no experien
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12-26-2023 01:46 PM #22Senior Member
- Join Date
- Apr 2005
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12-28-2023 04:44 PM #23Registered Member
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- May 2023
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- 38
Re: Shay La Vie! YouTube channel,70' Hatteras CMY. First boat,fixer-upper no experien
Thanks guys for the laughs!!! And all the encouragement! I will definitely post more about the projects.
I hope everyone's having a wonderful holiday and that 2024 is full of wealth, health and happiness!
(especially wealth and health so you can take care of your boats, which will bring the happiness!)
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12-28-2023 10:24 PM #24Senior Member
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- Jul 2020
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- 1,185
Re: Shay La Vie! YouTube channel,70' Hatteras CMY. First boat,fixer-upper no experien
Welcome aboard! I think I saw one of your videos, I will have to hunt them down again!
Kudo's to you for having the guts to put yourself out there. The internet can be brutal!
I can tell you, as you already have learned, these boats can be a challenge and so much to learn!
I'm a noob too and only going on my 3rd year with a Hatteras.
Good luck and feel free to reach out anytime!1980 53' Hatteras MY, Hull # 592
"Moon River" <-- Finally picked a name
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01-04-2024 06:27 PM #25
Re: Shay La Vie! YouTube channel,70' Hatteras CMY. First boat,fixer-upper no experien
That's par for the course these days with a/c techs, unless they can sell you a new install for big $$$ most of them don't want to mess with it. Which is a bad thing to do, on the older cruisair systems, they last forever because the parts are mostly all common off-the-shelf items and are infinitely replaceable. The new ones those guys will try and sell you have proprietary circuit boards that regularly fail and at some point in the not-too-distant future will be unavailable so your only choice is you have to buy a new unit. Fix what you got. I'm still proudly running my 4 1980's blue cruisairs and plan on continuing to do so permanently.
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Re: Shay La Vie! YouTube channel,70' Hatteras CMY. First boat,fixer-upper no experien
One of my CruiseAire units is original to my 1971 Hatteras. It does have a digital control, but everything else is 1971. The other one has the original airhandler, but a replacement compressor chassis- which was installed in 1993 or something like it. The old ones really WERE better.
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01-05-2024 12:24 PM #27
Re: Shay La Vie! YouTube channel,70' Hatteras CMY. First boat,fixer-upper no experien
Oh they're 100% better. The only reason people replace them is they don't know any better, when something fails the techs will recommend a whole new system instead of swapping a new compressor you can get from grainger for $300 into the chassis or replacing an off-the-shelf temp or pressure switch for $60. There's no real diagnosis anymore, they just want to replace it. Then once it's replaced with a new one with those proprietary circuit boards you're basically stuck replacing it every 5-7 years. I've heard nothing but that about the new cruisair units.
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Re: Shay La Vie! YouTube channel,70' Hatteras CMY. First boat,fixer-upper no experien
The local CruiseAire dealer services the units on my boat every spring. Even HE advised me to keep them as long as I possibly could hang on to them. Fine with me.
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Re: Shay La Vie! YouTube channel,70' Hatteras CMY. First boat,fixer-upper no experien
I'm curious as to what refrigerant you are using in the grainger compressors. R22 compressors are non existent, not even China has them when I was talking to a friend that deals in the large open coolers found in grocery stores.
Walt Hoover
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01-06-2024 10:47 AM #30
Re: Shay La Vie! YouTube channel,70' Hatteras CMY. First boat,fixer-upper no experien
R22 is still readily available if you just search Craigslist or Facebook marketplace. I bought a 5gal jug of it that’s still mostly full that I keep on the boat in case I need it, and then I got another unopened one off Craigslist a year ago that’s in my storage unit to make sure I’m future-proofed. The boat systems aren’t like a home a/c they don’t hold all that much refrigerant. A 5 gallon jug will last you a *very* long time, I paid $300 for the jug I got last year.