Shay La Vie! YouTube channel,70' Hatteras CMY. First boat,fixer-upper no experience.

[jim rosenthal]

There is no easy way to restore and update a big old boat, but there IS a less difficult way: start with a high-quality boat like a Hatteras, and work your way through, one problem at a time. I don't know how long it took the factory to build your boat, but I would guess it was under construction for several months at the least. So if things are taking a long time, don't beat yourself up, just keep at it and enjoy the little victories along the way. Because there WILL be victories, big and small.

[Passages]

There is no easy way to restore and update a big old boat, but there IS a less difficult way: start with a high-quality boat like a Hatteras, and work your way through, one problem at a time.

Exactly. What's that saying?

Q - How do you eat an elephant?

A - One bite at a time.

[Hat4Shay]

Thanks guys for the laughs!!! And all the encouragement! I will definitely post more about the projects.

I hope everyone's having a wonderful holiday and that 2024 is full of wealth, health and happiness!
(especially wealth and health so you can take care of your boats, which will bring the happiness!)

[Bob Quinn]

Welcome aboard! I think I saw one of your videos, I will have to hunt them down again!
Kudo's to you for having the guts to put yourself out there. The internet can be brutal!

I can tell you, as you already have learned, these boats can be a challenge and so much to learn!

I'm a noob too and only going on my 3rd year with a Hatteras.

Good luck and feel free to reach out anytime!

[cww]

Several AC techs came out... the first guys didn't have a clue about boat ac. They told me that my second pump was dead (which I already knew) and none of my ac would work without it, (which was not right). The second guy, who seemed to really know his stuff, but sadly, he took one look at it and said it was too much liability for him because of all the rusted/corroded valves and old hoses, and he passed on the job. The next guy got some of it working on Friday, but sadly, it had all quit working by Monday and he was too busy to come back. I think he just didn't want the job either. It was a hell of a mess, I know. Jim and I have now replumbed it from thru hull to seacock and 4/7 units work fine and now it's not such a mess that the next AC guys will pee their pants just looking at it. =-)

That's par for the course these days with a/c techs, unless they can sell you a new install for big $$$ most of them don't want to mess with it. Which is a bad thing to do, on the older cruisair systems, they last forever because the parts are mostly all common off-the-shelf items and are infinitely replaceable. The new ones those guys will try and sell you have proprietary circuit boards that regularly fail and at some point in the not-too-distant future will be unavailable so your only choice is you have to buy a new unit. Fix what you got. I'm still proudly running my 4 1980's blue cruisairs and plan on continuing to do so permanently.

[jim rosenthal]

One of my CruiseAire units is original to my 1971 Hatteras. It does have a digital control, but everything else is 1971. The other one has the original airhandler, but a replacement compressor chassis- which was installed in 1993 or something like it. The old ones really WERE better.

[cww]

One of my CruiseAire units is original to my 1971 Hatteras. It does have a digital control, but everything else is 1971. The other one has the original airhandler, but a replacement compressor chassis- which was installed in 1993 or something like it. The old ones really WERE better.

Oh they're 100% better. The only reason people replace them is they don't know any better, when something fails the techs will recommend a whole new system instead of swapping a new compressor you can get from grainger for $300 into the chassis or replacing an off-the-shelf temp or pressure switch for $60. There's no real diagnosis anymore, they just want to replace it. Then once it's replaced with a new one with those proprietary circuit boards you're basically stuck replacing it every 5-7 years. I've heard nothing but that about the new cruisair units.

[jim rosenthal]

The local CruiseAire dealer services the units on my boat every spring. Even HE advised me to keep them as long as I possibly could hang on to them. Fine with me.

[whoover]

I'm curious as to what refrigerant you are using in the grainger compressors. R22 compressors are non existent, not even China has them when I was talking to a friend that deals in the large open coolers found in grocery stores.

Walt Hoover

[cww]

I'm curious as to what refrigerant you are using in the grainger compressors. R22 compressors are non existent, not even China has them when I was talking to a friend that deals in the large open coolers found in grocery stores.Walt Hoover

R22 is still readily available if you just search Craigslist or Facebook marketplace. I bought a 5gal jug of it that’s still mostly full that I keep on the boat in case I need it, and then I got another unopened one off Craigslist a year ago that’s in my storage unit to make sure I’m future-proofed. The boat systems aren’t like a home a/c they don’t hold all that much refrigerant. A 5 gallon jug will last you a *very* long time, I paid $300 for the jug I got last year.