Looking for a quality 53 for sale on the east coast

[kjcampos]

We were on a 54MY last week and I thought that was wide. I can only imagine how nice the 56 feels. However, I was worried about getting a boat with such a large beam. I thought it would be difficult docking, finding slips, maneuvering in fairways, etc. I also assumed that the fuel burn would be a lot greater.

hi Looking Glass in our trip up North to New Jersey we did most of the trip on the outside from Marathon Marina to Lighthouse Point Marina at the end of the Toms River except for the ICW from Morehead City NC to Hampton VA and back South to Florida we ran outside from NJ to Hampton Va then we did the ICW all the way back to Miami then outside back to Marathon Marina in the Keys we run our boat from 1200 -1350 RPMs ...and we do about 8 - 10 KNTS depending on the current...with the run up to 2000 RPMs for about 10 minutes at end of the day...we also ran a few times at 1500 RPMs all day on the outside so we could run at 10 KNTS and we have DD 8V-92TI engines and i keep a very accurate log and we only burned on average 10 Gallons an hour which for me is VERY GOOD...oh yea i forgot we did have to run our generator...20 KW... for about 3 hrs...we have an Inverter that runs the boat the other hours.. on the days we did 10 hrs or better which was just about every day.....

[Looking Glass]

hi Looking Glass in our trip up North to New Jersey we did most of the trip on the outside from Marathon Marina to Lighthouse Point Marina at the end of the Toms River except for the ICW from Morehead City NC to Hampton VA and back South to Florida we ran outside from NJ to Hampton Va then we did the ICW all the way back to Miami then outside back to Marathon Marina in the Keys we run our boat from 1200 -1350 RPMs ...and we do about 8 - 10 KNTS depending on the current...with the run up to 2000 RPMs for about 10 minutes at end of the day...we also ran a few times at 1500 RPMs all day on the outside so we could run at 10 KNTS and we have DD 8V-92TI engines and i keep a very accurate log and we only burned on average 10 Gallons an hour which for me is VERY GOOD...oh yea i forgot we did have to run our generator...20 KW... for about 3 hrs...we have an Inverter that runs the boat the other hours.. on the days we did 10 hrs or better which was just about every day.....

That is better mileage then I thought you would get. I plan to run mostly at hull speed as well, which will be an adjustment since I usually run my current boat at 18-21 knots.

When you say you run your generator for 3 hours at day I assume that is to charge the batteries that run the inverter? I guess this is different then my current boat, where the house batteries charge while I am under way. Although, since I spend every night in a slip, hooked up to power, perhaps they do not charge as much as I think. We do not have an inverter, everything is 12 volt.

[Looking Glass]

We all use our boats in different ways so as much as I can understand that a few owners rarely use or need a tender, personally I can't imagine not having one.

Launching from the top deck is extremely easy and can be done quickly by one person if rigged right. The key is to have a long line attached on the tender from the stern and bow cleats. I also keep a line attached on the boat top deck with a carabiner at the end which gets clipped to the tender line. That way I can control the tender from the top deck as I am running the davit. No need for a second person or a boat hook.

As to the size of the 53, yes it feels much bigger than most 40 footers but you quickly get over it. I do most docking from the lower helm and the sight lines both forward and aft are great. By being at the lower helm you are within a few steps of the side decks and spring lines.

Also the hull shape and the weight makes it much easier to handle because they won't get blown around by wind unlike smaller lighter flat bottomed aft cabins

I disagree about the rudders being too small. One test of rudder effectiveness is to start moving on one engine and see how much the boat turns before the rudders kick in. The 53 will barely start showing sign of turning before the rudders become effective enough to keep it going straight on one engine.

Thanks for the info. Most others also tell me they dock from the lower helm. Are you doing it yourself, is a first mate helping or are you depending on shore hands? I have never tied up by myself, it always seems that the wind or current will push me away by the time I get down from the flybridge to the swim platform. Currently, when docking, my wife steps off the swim platform and hooks either a spring line or stern line (most slips in my area are floating) and I take it from there.

[Pascal]

I have single handed the 53 many many times and again due to the layout, hull shape and mass it is a very easy boat to handle. The keel prevents it from being blown by wind as other boats with high wind age and flat bottom.

By docking from the lower helm you are within 6 steps of your lines. No need to rush down some ladder and move up a side deck. Personally my rule is that nobody steps off the boat until it is secured especially off a platform since usually you can't see that person from the helm. It s just too dangerous. What we do is set our lines ahead of time and decide on the sequence depending on wind, current etc. we keep it simple by using numbers from biw to stern. 1 is the bow line... 4 is the stern. So the sequence will something like 2 4 1 3 (spring stern bow spring). That way we re on the same page.

Whether Naomi helps me or now, we throw the lines behind the dock cleats ( or piling ) and bring them back aboard to the cleat and secure them. No need for help on the dock, no need to step off the boat. Every time we ve had an issue was when some clown on the dock grabs a line and doesn't follow instructions. I ve seen many dock hands take a line and trying to pull the boat in instead of just cleating the damn Thing.

Been doing it this way for years on my own 53 but also on the boat we run (84') which I occasionally singlenhand too

The key to stepping up to the 53 is to realize that you can't get away with what you may get away with on a smaller boat. You can't stand in the dock holding the line and hoping to wrestle it in place. Momentum can also be harder to stop. But the good news is that with the torque and hull shape, and with the layout, it's much easier to do it right

[Walter P]

Watching someone dock their boat with a plan, and following the plan to fruition is indeed a thing of beauty. I believe Pascal and Naomi have it down pat as I suspect most of our forum members do. The advice I usually give to new owners of Hatteras or most any other heavy boats is to take it slow and easy. While it's cool to watch some of the hot shot sport fishermen backing hot into their slip, I don't recommend it for most of us. A slight miscalculation can be costly and embarrassing and not necessary. Slow and easy, have lines set and you look good every time.

Walt

[Looking Glass]

I have single handed the 53 many many times and again due to the layout, hull shape and mass it is a very easy boat to handle. The keel prevents it from being blown by wind as other boats with high wind age and flat bottom.

By docking from the lower helm you are within 6 steps of your lines. No need to rush down some ladder and move up a side deck. Personally my rule is that nobody steps off the boat until it is secured especially off a platform since usually you can't see that person from the helm. It s just too dangerous. What we do is set our lines ahead of time and decide on the sequence depending on wind, current etc. we keep it simple by using numbers from biw to stern. 1 is the bow line... 4 is the stern. So the sequence will something like 2 4 1 3 (spring stern bow spring). That way we re on the same page.

Whether Naomi helps me or now, we throw the lines behind the dock cleats ( or piling ) and bring them back aboard to the cleat and secure them. No need for help on the dock, no need to step off the boat. Every time we ve had an issue was when some clown on the dock grabs a line and doesn't follow instructions. I ve seen many dock hands take a line and trying to pull the boat in instead of just cleating the damn Thing.

Been doing it this way for years on my own 53 but also on the boat we run (84') which I occasionally singlenhand too

The key to stepping up to the 53 is to realize that you can't get away with what you may get away with on a smaller boat. You can't stand in the dock holding the line and hoping to wrestle it in place. Momentum can also be harder to stop. But the good news is that with the torque and hull shape, and with the layout, it's much easier to do it right

Thanks for all the advice. That is exactly what I needed to know. It is much different than what we do now.

Typically, when backing into a slip, I would get the stern close enough to the finger pier for my wife to step off. She would then grab a spring line and walk back with me along the pier and tie me to a cleat when I was in place. If I started drifting because of wind or current she would be strong enough to keep me close to the pier.

I guess this is all going to be different now. I'll need to back all the way into the finger pier without any assistance before tying off.

[rtrafford]

If the 53 has enough horses, know that a simple bump in and out of gear will make her transom dance in favor of the engine side. With that weight and keel, I don't know of a boat in her class that handles as easily and predictably. While the bow thruster provides a nice backup-plan, the thrust should be sufficient to do whatever you want with the boat once one spring line is in place.

Watch the wind and tide and prepare that spring as your first point. That hull will do exactly what is expected from that point. Great design.

[JLR]

I'd like to chime in for a minute on this issue. As Pascal mentioned on his boat "Personally my rule is that nobody steps off the boat until it is secured especially off a platform since usually you can't see that person from the helm." I cannot think of a whole lot more dangerous things to do than to have someone step off of the swim platform in the course of docking or leaving a dock on these motor yachts. I have handled all of the boats I have owned single-handed. The bigger and heavier they were, the easier they were to dock. Aside from stupidity attributed to age and inexperience on my first boat, I have never had my wife or anyone else even on the swim platform while the screws were turning. The platform is often wet, the dock is a distance away and also usually above the level of the platform. The wheels are turning. That makes for a bad combination for someone on the platform leaving or getting on the boat. Needless to say, contact with the wheels will be catastrophic. So, please, please, do not have someone enter or exit from the swim platform while the wheels are turning. Fiberglass is cheap -- limbs -- well -- they are not.

[Fanfare]

Used limbs are pretty cheap.

[kjcampos]

That is better mileage then I thought you would get. I plan to run mostly at hull speed as well, which will be an adjustment since I usually run my current boat at 18-21 knots.

When you say you run your generator for 3 hours at day I assume that is to charge the batteries that run the inverter? I guess this is different then my current boat, where the house batteries charge while I am under way. Although, since I spend every night in a slip, hooked up to power, perhaps they do not charge as much as I think. We do not have an inverter, everything is 12 volt.

hi.. yes my generator only runs for 3 hours a day on about 10 hours worth of cruising time ..3 hours is enough to recharge my 24V batteries and it is on an automatic cycle when my Inverter batteries run down to 50% the generator will come on and shut itself of after 3 hours.....my Inverter runs on its own bank of 24V batteries and it runs most of my 110v stuff on the boat so we don't have to run our generator the whole time we are cruising .....my house batteries run my 32v-12v-50amp converters i have 3 of them to run all my 12V electronic equipment....i changed my 32V alternator from a 65AMP to a 125AMP to have enough power in the house batteries to run all 3 converters