Handling a 60-70 ft Hatteras Motoryacht

[shallowskiff]

I am interested in purchasing a Hatteras MY in the 61-70 ft range. Year model 1980-1990<br><br>Keep the boat in Florida and cross over to the Bahamas.<br><br>Questions<br>1# One person operating the boat? I am 54 years old and in good health.<br>My wife has some disabilities and would not be able to help much at all.<br><br>2# Bow thruster?  How well do they work?  Is this a must have? <br><br>3# NIAD stabilizer how well do they work? or any other brand?<br><br>4# Does the stabilizer help crossing big water? or does it help just when you are anchored?<br><br>5# Crossing over from Fort Lauderdale to Bimini what seas would you say are a no go?<br>I realize the yacht will handle a lot more than I can but what seas are just not comfortable to be in while crossing?  I guess wave height would be the best way to look at this.<br><br>I would definitely hire a captain to train me and log a lot of hours with him or her.<br><br><br><br><br ><br><br>

[shallowskiff]

Not sure why post got all those extra stuff added to it.

[shallowskiff]

I am interested in purchasing a Hatteras MY in the 61-70 ft range. Year model 1980-1990

Keep the boat in Florida and cross over to the Bahamas.

Questions 1# One person operating the boat? I am 54 years old and in good health.
My wife has some disabilities and would not be able to help much at all.
Can one person dock?

2# Bow thruster? How well do they work? Is this a must have?&amp

3# NIAD stabilizer how well do they work? or any other brand?

4# Does the stabilizer help crossing big water? or does it help just when you are anchored?

5# Crossing over from Fort Lauderdale to Bimini what seas would you say are a no go?

I realize the yacht will handle a lot more than I can but what seas are just not comfortable to be in while crossing?
I guess wave height would be the best way to look at this plus the wind.

I would definitely hire a captain to train me and log a lot of hours with him or her.

[Pascal]

1)- yes these boats ar very easy to single hand since you can dock from the lower helm and have doors on each side putting you within a few steps of your spring lines. Visibility aft from the lower helm to back into a slip vary depending on layout. Aft deck engine controls are a plus and/or stern cam at the helm

BUT... it all depends on your experience. That said once you get over 50/60’, boats are too heavy for a crew to be able to do anything beyond securing the lines. You just don’t manhandle a larger boat like you may a 40 footer

2)- bow thruster do help in some situations but have their limits.

3)- Naiads are good. I also like Trac which I m putting on my 53. Trac makes zero speed stabilizers which will work when anchored. And alternative that works both underway and anchored are gyros. Space can be a problem and costs ...

4)- yes they help a lot but have their limits? Just like bow thrusters. 4 to 6’ on the bean and you ll still be rolling the motion will be dampened though

5)- it s hard to answer as many people tend to over estimate wave height. Anything North of due east over 10 to 12 kts wind is usually a no go in the Gulf Stream as wind against current cause steep tall short waves. With a southerly component, winds up to 18/20kts may be ok. Hatteras MY have a fine entry and cut thru waves better than most boats that size

[R D Young]

There are a whole lot of questions here, but I would first ask 'what is your level of experience with the sea and motor yachts in general.' It will take more than logging some hours with a captain to know what to do when three things go wrong at the same time - either in the middle of a crossing or some out-of-the-way anchorage and essentially being single handed. Then there is the issue of your insurance carrier who will likely require at least one competent crew member on board while navigating.
1. One person can dock, anchor, or pick up a mooring ball under ideal circumstances, but those seldom happen. Picture yourself backing into a narrow slip with a cross wind and tossing bow and stern lines to a dock hand who was hired last week.

2. Bow thrusters can be a life saver (cross winds) especially for a 'newbie' with a 70' beast.

3. and 4. NAIAD stabilizers work well especially if well maintained. They do NOT work at all when anchored. They need water passing over the fins at cruising speed to help keep the vessel level. By 'big water' I assume you mean steep, not deep. They are less effective in following seas.

5. From FL to Bimini in the gulf stream, the issue is wind direction as much as wave height. North wind with south swell equals washing machine seas. You can test the Hatteras strength or just turn back (no embarrassment there) and wait until the feeling passes.

I would suggest that you take a bunch of rides as volunteer crew (or even share expenses) and spend time in the engine room on a similar vessel, in varying weather before writing the big check.

[northshoreone]

With a partner with limitations that's allot of boat to run by yourself!! The only chance I see that you could pull it off is with one of the wireless systems controlling gears, bow thruster and a stern thruster hanging around your neck. You will need camera's at the stern on each corner for sure for docking. First on the list is can you even get an insurance co to write you coverage! On a boat that size you will need to prove years of experience on something in the 50 ft range. I had and ran a 70 by myself a few times but I don't advise it even if you are very experienced. To the gas dock or the pumpout is one thing but beyond that your asking for trouble IMHO. With a boat in that age range you also better be very mechanical, they have allot of systems that will need your attention at the worst possible moment! I went from a 53 to a 70 and there is a BIG difference from one to the other. Keep in mind as well that with a boat of that size and age you will be buying yourself close to a FULL TIME JOB to keep it maintained.

[oscarvan]

Not to discourage you.... but if you come here to ask these questions the answer is "No". You're going to need that Captain aboard for years to, in my humble opinion, safely and reliably solo that size of a boat.

And it's not even the size of the boat. There's just a LOT to learn, starting with knowing what you don't know. There's a reason they pay competent skippers good money. Rookie mistakes become big problems quickly, especially if you're going in bigger water. (The Gulfstream can BITE). And then there's the systems. A simple failure can compound if you don't know the systems and don't know how to regroup and work with what you have.

You're asking whether brand "x" hiking boots are suitable to climb a 12000' mountain.

The sea is very unforgiving of negligence and/or incompetence.

Rent, take classes take tests..... rent some more. Get sea time.... hundreds of hours, hundreds of dockings. Then you will KNOW what you know and don't know, and what kind of boat YOU need to do what you want to do. And you won't be asking here......