Hatteras 52C vs 55C

[kiwilad92]

Hey lads,

Im after some opinions from those in the know or with personal experience on the 1985-1990 era 52 vs 55 convertible sports fish.

Good, Bad, ugly and why?

Looking to fully re fit and re power.

This vessel will be New Zealand based and ultimately do some travel.

The extra bathroom in 55 with the 3/3 vs 3/2 in the 52 does not concern me but I do like the idea of the larger engine room.

Hull and performance wise what can you offer?

Thank you.

[Briankinley2004]

I went with the 55 after looking at 52 & 50's mainly because of the engine room. Also the 12 71's are supposed to be a little more reliable than the 8-92's in the 52's. We are very pleased with the layout of our 55 and glad we went forward with it instead of a 52. We have the galley up model. Nothing wrong with the 52's for sure but the engine rooms are tight. The cockpit on the 50s is pretty small but interior is similar to a 52 or 55.

[racclarkson@gmail.com]

Besides the larger ER, the interior room is great. Wide side decks are real popular with the crew. The extra beam is harder to push, but no need to quibble.

Here's Aslan in Harbor Town over the 4th, 2019.
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[ageless]

When we were in the market our top end was 45’. We spent eight months searching and randomly decided to look at a 55 that was close to another boat and out of budget (apparently not). The minute we walked in we knew it was what we wanted. Our 55 is the 2/2 galley/dinette down with HUGE salon. I’ve been in a 50 and 52 many many times and the 55 is a better ride (opinion)

[Texastailboard]

There are many things to look at, yes the 50 has a tighter cockpit than the 52. The 52 has been an awesome boat. Yes I would like to have a bit more in the engine room, but when you say repower then a 52's engine room will be very spacious with the newer engines. I have looked at many other boats and I have considered changing but it would be a 60 or 65. lots depends on your demand of the boat and the area you want to operate. In the gulf of mexico we have a particular type of seas that makes for a tough time for many. It often times its 4-6 very rigid confused seas that build to rougher in the afternoon. The frequency of the waves is tough in Texas. With those conditions older Hats like our 52 plows through them and will sit pretty steady on a drift, compared to other manufactures that roll pretty bad. With any of the boats of that era all are made well. You just have to look at all of them closely and find you fit. I enjoy the width to walk around topsides of these boats especially in rough seas. Our 52 has the exhaust tubes out of the water and that gives me some less worries since we do not see our boat on a daily basis. A leak in an exhaust tube that has constant water can sink a boat very quick. Really other than typical making the boat your own stuff, the only upgrade I would make is a re power, that would open up the engine room and it would be awesome. One drawback for both the 52 and 55 is the engine room entrance. I feel that the designers could have tweaked a few different inches one way or another and would have allowed better access. We did do a recent modification to the top of the gunnel of our 52, we removed a strip of fiberglass which ran on the top of the gunnel from the back of the house to halfway in the cockpit, like a spray rail. It caused multiple trip issues boarding the boat. Something to consider is for both the 52 and 55 is the height of the gunnel from the waterline for releasing a billfish.

[cenger]

The most noticeable differences are the beam at 17’6”, the cockpit and the engine room... and what an engine room it is! I love Detroit’s and the 12v71 is a great engine but many choose to reposed. My DDs were rebuilt in place, getting them out will be a major project.

[racclarkson@gmail.com]

Funny, I have the identical Craftsman socket set.

[dsharp]

What is the headroom in the engine room on a 55?

[ageless]

What is the headroom in the engine room on a 55?

6' from ER floor to salon floor frame. I'm 5'11" and stand straight up when changing the port oil filters or anything on the inboard banks of my 12-71's, I can also easily fit in front of my port motor and have full access to her and the gen batteries. Starboard fwd of motor is tighter due to the fire system, her and house batteries suck to get to as the boxes are under the (4)HVAC units.

[ageless]

The most noticeable differences are the beam at 17’6”, the cockpit and the engine room... and what an engine room it is! I love Detroit’s and the 12v71 is a great engine but many choose to reposed. My DDs were rebuilt in place, getting them out will be a major project.

The aft starboard of my engine room is different from yours, could you post a pic so I could see yours?

I'm assuming you can access the shaft? That area above and inboard to the starboard gear is open in my ER, I wish it were covered all the way to the support