Hatteras for big family

[Smart555]

Hello everyone!

We’re family of 6: 42, 38, 12, 9, 3,5 and baby boy looking for a suitable boat for us to try living aboard.
Because our older kids go to school and we’re not ready for homeschooling yet our plans are going to make weekend passages , but the main aim is to travel the Bahamas and Caribbean for 2-3 mounts in summer vacations. Actually we don’t like just stay at Marina. We prefer to move from place to place exploring new!

Our budget is araund 200-220k and we consider Hatterras 58 , 54, 53 1983-1986Y
The best for options for us to have 3 staterooms, open or semi open aft desk , and possibly offshore passages.

We have some questions for happy Hatteras owners:

Which of this boat more suitable for us?
What do we need to pay attention for choosing the boat?
How match is maintainins cost in Year?
Is it possible for this boats to cruise blue water for 10 hours a day in houl speed around 9knots?What about fuel consumption?
Is it possible to make comfortable long offshore passage from Fort Lauderdale to Caribbean?

We also considering Hatteras LRC. But in our budget we can afford only the boat 10 years older and most likely not bigger then 48”LRC. We understand that probably it would be better for us but we’re not sure if 40 years old downsized boat it worth the money we could spend for newer more comfortable boat.

Thank you in advance for your opinions!

[Stripes]

It sounds like a 5 Stateroom 70 Hatteras Motor Yacht would work best for you!

[SEVEN]

You’ve got a big family and these boats don’t have a lot of storage (even for clothes). What ever you get is going to be 5’ to small after just a short time. I do however agree if you can find one a 70’er it would be a good size for your family. I have a 53’er and have two teenagers living with us and it would be way to small to live aboard. Happy hunting.

[Smart555]

You’ve got a big family and these boats don’t have a lot of storage (even for clothes). What ever you get is going to be 5’ to small after just a short time. I do however agree if you can find one a 70’er it would be a good size for your family. I have a 53’er and have two teenagers living with us and it would be way to small to live aboard. Happy hunting.

Thank you! That’s just the idea of living aboard so far. May be we live aboard for half a year and then rent an apartment and keep using the boat only for traveling. Not decided yet. Only we’d like to try it. So we’re looking the boat not bigger then 60.

[SEVEN]

Thank you! That’s just the idea of living aboard so far. May be we live aboard for half a year and then rent an apartment and keep using the boat only for traveling. Not decided yet. Only we’d like to try it. So we’re looking the boat not bigger then 60.

Then go with the 58MY for the most room. Great yacht.

[Walter P]

Angela's 58 may be available......Great boat and she always kept it in perfect condition....

Walt

[Boatsb]

I was on Bill Roots 54 and was impressed. It's wider than the older 58's and has as much room as a 58. More modern and I'd bet a bit less maintenance to catch up on with the newer boats.


I believe Bills is an early version too. Some evolution has occurred since his was built.

Also for room you can't beat the Vikings. Right Jim.

[PeterK]

I have a 54 ED and Scott is right about interior volume. The 17'6" makes a real difference. The regullar 54 might be a better layout as although we have 4 cabins, 3 of them have queen berths and the 4th has upper/lower twins. The regular 54 are galley down (our is up) 3 cabins but 2 of them have 2 twins. There is a 1985 54 in my marina and it is a very nice yacht.

BTW have you looked at the model brochures section on the site and viewed different layouts? That was how we decided n the model we bought. It has been perfect for us (2 full time) with 3 adult offspring (just thought adult kids is an oxymoron...) that can all visit at the same time.

[GJH]

What's comfortable for any given person, let alone family , is a very personal decision. Have you folks ever stayed in an extremely small space together for extended periods of time? None of us strangers here really have any idea what would work for you.
Have you all been on any boats together and really visualized the dynamics of everyday life?

I could say, based on having six adults on board for a few days on my 56MY, 18'2" beam, (personally I wouldn't go much narrower) that it was comfortable, but everyone was on vacation and all were experienced sailors.

For us, as a couple living and cruising on board full time, the 56 was wonderful, perfect for us. But we know other couples who did the same thing comfortably for them on 36ft Krogen Manatees or 34 ft Mainships or American Tugs. Or even smaller interior volume sailboats for that matter.

[rsmith]

With small children you really need to give consideration to safety. We live in Florida and kids drowning in pools and falling off docks and bulkheads is a daily occurrence. You can say they will wear life jackets 24/7 but fat chance. The saying "familiarity breeds contempt " holds true especially for us who live and work around water. I've lost more than my share of friends to the watery grave. Happens all the time even to experienced people. There was just a highly experienced captain died upon NC when he fell in the water and was found days later.
With small kids you will need to be on a 24/7 vigil
Boating can be dangerous for even experienced people but a lot of the blowhards on here will say no. Their cavalier attitude towards safety only shows their limited length and depth of experience.
It ain't a Disney ride!