How many years?

[luckydave215]

Ownership of a Hatteras is usually something a boater grows into, something for the connossuer of fine boats. It's unusual for a Hatt to be a "first boat".
That being said, a new boat appeared on my dock this weekend, a beautiful 1974 42C. I talked to the new owner (of course) and he said it was his first boat....wow, that's starting at the top! I whored this forum to him, what a great resource, etc, and hopefully he'll be a member soon. Now there are three classic Hatts within three slips, me, Courageous, and "the new guy".
Soon we'll own the world!
Anyway, all this got me to thinking, how many years of boating experience did my fellow Hatt owners invest before insisting on a top of the line boat? What's the average? For me, it was quite a few. 48 to be exact.

This is me and my Dad, me at the ripe old age of two.

[Boss Lady]

I made the decision when I was a teen after I saw my first Hatteras. The marina was full of Chris Craft, Egg Harbors, and other mostly wood boats. The Hatteras was Fiberglass! and just gleamed in the sunlight. It was love at first sight. Then I saw my first very spartan Bertram. Well made but lacked the grace and finish of a Hatteras. Betram was a Buick and Hatteras was the Cadillac.

[yachtsmanbill]

I guess for me it was about 51. My dad got lucky when the folks honeymooned on his '49 34' Mathews. A lot of boats later and I settled for an additional boat for the herd, the Hatt in April of '06.
I swear this one is the last. The project ought to last at least 20 years, and by then I'll either be dead or at least in a wheel chair LOL. At best , a dock-o-minimum in Santiago Cuba. ws

[Boatsb]

Is it how logn until you wanted/needed one or when you finally were able to get one?

I started boating at 4 with my father and fel in love with it. Saw my first Hatt I remember at about 13. What a boat.

For years I had older wood boats until the early 90's when I moved to Florida and got out of boating.

After getting a smaller 28 foot pearson I had to have a bigger boat.

Hatteras Convertable, Bertram Viking and Post were the ones I always loved but who knew if I could afford what I wanted. I didn't until l had a fellow Hatt owner convince me they were affordable. Just took 8 more months to find one.

Lets see. wanted one for 29 years before I bought one at the ripe middle age of 42. Now lets see how long it takes to get me away from it.

[spartonboat1]

Assuming that "boating experience" includes rowing an old wooden dingy back and forth in front of my grandfather's Lake Michigan, on Grand Traverse Bay, lakefront house in Northport MI, that makes it 45 years for me til entering Hatt Heaven. In between then and my first Hatt possession in 1997 (yes, I think I am possesed by my Hatt), I had time on "someone else's" boat. This included a couple fiberglass runabouts (16' & 21'), a couple Chris-Crafts ('52 24' & ''56 27'), (all four my father's), a 1949 118' Defoe Cruisemaster, built in Bay City, MI, my own 9' Boston Whaler dingy, still owned today, and a Dr. Friend's 1972 35' Chris Craft 350.

I had purchased a 1953 40' DCFB Chris-Craft back in 1984, intending to rebuild it with sweat equity. Recovering from the financial disaster known as the Jimmy Carter Presidency (30% unemployment in Mich.), I re-entered the corporate world, which took me to corners of the earth far from the CC. The CC is still in a barn to this day, and never in the water during my entire and current tenure of ownership. While on the hunt for a upgrade to a fiberglass CC "350" of my own, I happened across my '72 43' DCFB MY by pure happenstance. In basically a fever pitch, I engaged in a cross country bidding war, won the rights to buy (?), and drove up to do the sea trial on two hours sleep, and thereby part company with the funds. Talked to the original broker the other day and he says, "call me please when you are ready to sell"...I caught the bug, when my frau and I got a tour of a 43' MY, out of the water, at a large marina one Spring day.

Between that "boom", when DD's first catch and fire up , which still makes my hair stand up, to the first big seas you take with applomb, I still have the fever.

The rest is history as they say.

[yachtsmanbill]

Do you have the disposition or Doc number on the DeFoe. I keep a halfassed database on their boats, and would like to look it up. Been on several of their commercial / military boats and love them. ws

[Boss Lady]

that first Hatteras that gave me Hat fever was a 42 convertible owned by Pete Hannah as in Hannah Steel, also Hannah Truck lines. He was a class act, he and the boat made a lasting impression. Pete was a younger guy than most of the people at the club, had the all American look, was a little flambouyant, (not stuffy or pompass like a lot of other owners, in other words he was cool) beautiful wife, drove a mercedes convertible, and had a Donzi Sweet Sixteen. He was always very polite. Nothing but class and the Hatteras was the perfect compliment. After that impression it always seemed that Hatteras people were different from the rest. I still think that way.

[SKYCHENEY]

I was 10 years old when my dad bought his Hatteras, a 43DC. From that day on I had the bug. My dad and I both loved the 53MY and hoped to own one some day. I can't tell you how many times I went with him to look at 53's that were on the market. Heck, I've probably been on half of the boats that you guys own right now. Anyway, when I finally felt my family was ready for boating, I bought my Hatt. I plan to keep her for a long time, as I have yet to find anything out there that I would be willing to trade her for.

Although I grew up boating and have been around the Great Circle, I have never personally owned a "big boat" until my Hatt. I guess I just had a little head start in what to look for in fine yacht.

[thoward]

I started as a child with an aluminum row boat. My family had a Whaler, a Bonita, 2 Prolines and a few others. I bought my first in college, it was a 19' cc. When I graduated I sold it and bought a 26' Welcraft cabin cruiser. I still have it but it has been modified to twin o/b and a full out fishing/diving machine. My wife and I decided to get a bigger boat so we started off with an 1968 Egg Harbor Sportfish. It needed lots of tlc and I got to redo every system in the boat. I learned a lot. After 2 years of work my wife decided she wanted 3 staterooms so we started looking at lots of boats in the 55' range. After looking at all the boats and watching all the hurricane damage we decided to get a Hatt. We were looking at a 53' SF when the 60 Conv. came along and we could not have asked for a better boat. So it was 35 years in the making but took 3 years to find the right one.

[jim rosenthal]

I was, I am embarrassed to admit, a very slow learner. I started with a wooden 43 Matthews MY, then had a wooden 37 Egg sportfish, then a 44 Striker, then no boat (I was supposed to grow up and get married- thankfully that didn't happen) and then, finally, the boat I ought to have bought in the first place- the 36 Hatteras. We're up to either fourteen or fifteen years together- longer than all the rest combined- and we're still a happy couple. I buy her things, she makes me look good. And I'm still good friends with the man that introduced us- Eric from Bayport Yachts (shameless plug here).

Jim from "Fanfare", it's your turn............your story is the best of all, I think.