Newbie looking for 52-58 MY

[tomrealest]

I generally agree with everything that the others have said.

I bought a 1978 58' Yachtfish in the winter of 2002. I probably looked at 20 to 30 Hatteras's. Most of them were poorly maintained probably by people who could not afford to maintain them or didn't know how to do the work themselves. I basically fall into the category of not knowing how to do the mechanical work myself and have used the same boat mechanic since I bought the boat. I think I can take care of just about everything now by watching and asking questions of the mechanic. We have been aggressive on the maintenance because I would like to get ahead of any potential "issues".

I have our boat in south Florida and have used it in the Bahamas and the keys to Key West in addition to having it as far north as Cape May. On the 53's & 58's for what you are describing you have to have stabilizers. Absolutely buy the best boat you can afford and it will be in your price range probably. Under no circumstances buy a project boat. Your idea of finding a great boat form dock mates or friends will probably get you the best boats but it is probably hard to do. I prefer the 8v71TI's over the 8v92's.

My wife is 5'1" and is not athletic. She was intimadated of the idea of docking with the lines on the stern of the 53'. When she was on a 58' Yachtfish (which was junk) she knew that was the style she wanted. Almost 14 years later she is still happy with that decision.

There are Hatteras's out there in great condition. You just have to be patient to find one. We were and we got a great boat from a retired Air Force pilot who was meticulous in taking care of the boat.

Don't feel bashful about using this forum. It is an invaluable source of valuable information and insight. The membership is awesome.

[jim rosenthal]

All very good advice and a good example as well of what this forum does best. A tip of the hat to all who have contributed here.

Look at a LOT of different boats. Hatteras built the 15-10 series for about twenty years so there are various editions of each design; some you will like more than others. Because the company paid attention to comments from buyers and owners, generally speaking the designs evolved for the better.

Detroits that have had decent maintenance will take you a very long way. If properly treated, they are among the most reliable diesels ever made.

I don't know about the figure of 60K for majoring both engines in-frame. Can anyone comment on this? It sounds like it might be in the ballpark, but may vary from region to region.

Don't neglect to look in the Great Lakes area. There are some very well-cared for boats up there, with all freshwater boating and a short season, plus indoor storage. You would hire a captain and mate to take the boat home, and you could get invaluable experience and instruction on your own boat.

[saltshaker]

Get out there and look at these boats. Once you have been on a few of the different models, you will know which you like best. After that, concentrate on the model that fits your needs. From there, find the one that is in the best overall condition. Remember, interior redecorating is the cheapest thing. Don't let the Admiral fall in love with a boat just because it has the right color scheme. Bringing the mechanicals up to speed or fixing rotten coring are the most expensive.

This is about the best advise any of us could offer without knowing you're detailed needs in a boat. A stand up ER is fantastic but I wouldn't make your purchase solely on that. Most of these boats have decent ER space so as long as you can work in the ER with relative ease, they will be fine. I have a walk in stand up ER and I do like the ease of ER checks while underway. Determine what it is you need and see what layout works best for you. Cost of operation is similar for most of the MYs in the 52-58 range. If you move up to the 18'2" beam wide body boats, you'll get a ton more space and much bigger ER. You'll also have bigger engines and higher ownership cost. Not too much more unless you get into the 12 cylinder boats. Get on board various models and start narrowing down your search. Ask questions about specific models you are interested in and any particular boat you may want to pursue.

[jrbrein]

I don't know about the figure of 60K for majoring both engines in-frame. Can anyone comment on this? It sounds like it might be in the ballpark, but may vary from region to region.

Jim,

I went on BoatDiesel.com and asked this question. The answer I got for a ballpark number to start was about $4000 per cylinder. This was for an in-frame rebuild.


Jonathan

[saltshaker]

Jim,

I went on BoatDiesel.com and asked this question. The answer I got for a ballpark number to start was about $4000 per cylinder. This was for an in-frame rebuild.


Jonathan

that's ball park but much depends on the condition of what's in there, which engines and most importantly, accessibility.

[kjcampos]

hi guys ...we too looked at a lot of Hatteras and some of them were just so bad the owners should be Horse Whipped..LOL..we came to Hatteras looking for anything from 48' -53' ..we really wanted a 53'MY our friend has one and we really loved it so we concentrated our look just for 53 footers..drove many places and flew many places only to be disappointed of what we saw...then while on a trip to Miami our broker told us to go look at a 56' MY in Lighthouse Point Fl. we had no idea of the 56' MY ...i told the broker that we were looking at 53' Hatteras and he told us you can fit the 53' MY inside this boat and sit still has room he was not lying....when we saw the boat and my wife saw the wide beam and all the extra room with the higher head room bathtub in the master and the VIP in front of the engine rooms there was no changing her mind and i am so glad for it ....was more expensive then the 53' MY and what we wanted to spend but with the wide beam it almost seams like u get twice the boat with all that extra room.....for my $$$$$ wide beam is the only way to go....and yes we do have Stabilizers and a Bow Thrust which are all needed


Joe
1981 56' MY
Lake Gloria II

[SKYCHENEY]

hi guys ...we too looked at a lot of Hatteras and some of them were just so bad the owners should be Horse Whipped..LOL..we came to Hatteras looking for anything from 48' -53' ..we really wanted a 53'MY our friend has one and we really loved it so we concentrated our look just for 53 footers..drove many places and flew many places only to be disappointed of what we saw...then while on a trip to Miami our broker told us to go look at a 56' MY in Lighthouse Point Fl. we had no idea of the 56' MY ...i told the broker that we were looking at 53' Hatteras and he told us you can fit the 53' MY inside this boat and sit still has room he was not lying....when we saw the boat and my wife saw the wide beam and all the extra room with the higher head room bathtub in the master and the VIP in front of the engine rooms there was no changing her mind and i am so glad for it ....was more expensive then the 53' MY and what we wanted to spend but with the wide beam it almost seams like u get twice the boat with all that extra room.....for my $$$$$ wide beam is the only way to go....and yes we do have Stabilizers and a Bow Thrust which are all needed


Joe
1981 56' MY
Lake Gloria II

It all depends on how and where you plan to use the boat. Up in the Lakes, we cruise with two other Hatts that have the 18' 2" beam. There are many times during the busy season when the marinas cannot accommodate that beam. They need a side tie as the wide slips are limited or not available. With our 15' 10" beam, we usually have no problem at all and can even back into a 40ft slip if necessary.

[kjcampos]

It all depends on how and where you plan to use the boat. Up in the Lakes, we cruise with two other Hatts that have the 18' 2" beam. There are many times during the busy season when the marinas cannot accommodate that beam. They need a side tie as the wide slips are limited or not available. With our 15' 10" beam, we usually have no problem at all and can even back into a 40ft slip if necessary.

hi SKYCHENEY...we have never been on the Great Lakes we are mostly on the Gulfcoast of Florida down to the Keys and we came down the ICW from where we bought our boat in NC south and we never had a problem calling the same day we cruised for a transient slip for the night...i don't know about the Great Lakes but they don't let you put your 56' into a 40' slip around here i wish they would so i would only have to pay for a 40' slip.....lol


Joe
1981 56' MY
Lake Gloria II

[SKYCHENEY]

hi SKYCHENEY...we have never been on the Great Lakes we are mostly on the Gulfcoast of Florida down to the Keys and we came down the ICW from where we bought our boat in NC south and we never had a problem calling the same day we cruised for a transient slip for the night...i don't know about the Great Lakes but they don't let you put your 56' into a 40' slip around here i wish they would so i would only have to pay for a 40' slip.....lol


Joe
1981 56' MY
Lake Gloria II

I'm glad it has all worked out for you. The 56MY is a great boat. My point is just that not everyone has the same needs and other models may work out better depending on where you cruise or how you use the boat.

[saltshaker]

hi SKYCHENEY...we have never been on the Great Lakes we are mostly on the Gulfcoast of Florida down to the Keys and we came down the ICW from where we bought our boat in NC south and we never had a problem calling the same day we cruised for a transient slip for the night...i don't know about the Great Lakes but they don't let you put your 56' into a 40' slip around here i wish they would so i would only have to pay for a 40' slip.....lol


Joe
1981 56' MY
Lake Gloria II

Although you can usually find slips, your options can be limited with the bigger boat. I know I've run into that more than once. You also will be limited to which yards you can use based on the size of the lift and well. May not be an isuue depending on the facilities available in his homeport and cruising grounds but it is something to consider. I know I ran into this in Fl, NC and NJ. Most yards that can hull and store the bigger boats are often more expensive and not DIY friendly. That being said I love the bigger boat.