Looking for a quality 53 for sale on the east coast

[SKYCHENEY]

Yes, Seas the Moment. My mistake. In Fort Lauderdale.

She looks like she's had some nice interior remodel and upgrades.

[Looking Glass]

She looks like she's had some nice interior remodel and upgrades.

Yes, she has had a lot of upgrades, some of them quite expensive. Most of them I like.

Out of the 10 boats we visited in our search, she seemed to be the best cared for, and also had all the features we wanted, such as stabilizers, bow thruster, tender, newer paint, ... Our only real concern is that the engines have 2600 hours on them. As long as they come out okay, I think she will make it through survey with few problems.

[seasalt]

Out of the 10 boats we visited in our search, she seemed to be the best cared for, and also had all the features we wanted, such as stabilizers, bow thruster, tender, newer paint, ... Our only real concern is that the engines have 2600 hours on them. As long as they come out okay, I think she will make it through survey with few problems.

Could you post or PM me a list of the 53's you looked at? Thanks

[Looking Glass]

Could you post or PM me a list of the 53's you looked at? Thanks

Okay. Done.

[Looking Glass]

We have survey scheduled for the first week of January. Hoping everything goes well.

[MadHatter53]

Could you post list here with the pro/cons of each.

[Looking Glass]

Seasalt asked for a list, and I sent him a detailed PM, which I just tried to copy and paste and it was not there. I guess something went wrong when I sent it. Sorry about that Seasalt.

I will try to respond some time today.

[Looking Glass]

I only spent an average of 45 minutes on each boat, so my observations are based on a quick overview and initial impressions. For what they are worth, here they are:


Fort Lauderdale


Regalia 1980 $199k – Overall in decent condition but some of the mounts for the rails were loose,causing water infiltration into the starboard engine room. It looked like it could be a significant problem. The engines were stated as recently overhauled but did not look like it. The paint was so-so with a lot of rust stains. We waited 3 days for the broker to show it too us and he didn't bother to show up at the appointment anyway. It was very frustrating and we just did not feel it was worth the price based on what we saw.


1978 $149k – The paint job is in terrible shape. Embarrassingly so. Interior was nice, with some upgrades and great wood. No stabilizers. We did not want to buy a boat that needed to be painted before we could even use it.


1975 $195K – We never got on this boat but it looked like a steal. It was being sold from a charity donation at under value. It was under contract by the time we found out.


1978 $145k – Broker never got back to us. I believe it was moved to Tennessee.


1986 $189K - This boat just did not feel right to us. It did not seem well kept, cosmetically, and we worried that the same was true mechanically. The engines were supposed to have been recently majored but the engine room did not reflect this. It may be true but the overall condition of the boat was not as good as other we have seen in this price range.


Annapolis Area


Ariel $248k – This seemed like a very nice boat. Everything seemed to be in good condition. Lots of nice interior features. The only reason we walked away was we do not like the Extended Deck Version. It is worth checking out. Very knowledgeable broker. The price should probably come down a bit, in our opinion.


1982 $139K Grasonville- This boat just needed more work then we wanted to do. Needs a lot of interior updating and was not very clean, overall. I seem to recall a soft spot on the fly-bridge as well. Might be a good deal if they lower the price and you are willing to put in a lot of sweat equity.


1984 Kent Island $179k – Not well kept and we read horror stories on the forum from a previous sea trial.


1974 Kent Island $95k – We really like the woodwork in this boat and it seems to have a lot of potential. We heard from locals that the engines are way past due for an overhaul and we wanted something more turn-key. Also a soft spot on fly bridge. This boat has potential for the right person, just not us.


1981 UJJAY $200k – This a really nice boat and we almost purchased it. Well kept and some nice interior upgrades (floors) The paint is in pretty good shape. The only problem is a large soft spot on the bow. A local yard estimated $11k to repair it. The owner preferred to sell as is, so we made an offer based on this repair and the time we would need to spend dealing with the yard, etc. We also did not want to close until the yard was ready for us in February. The broker said the owner did not want to wait that long, so we walked away.


The one we bought:


Ironically, we did not even buy a 53MY after all.


Seas The Moment 1979 58MY (Roto-X)$225k – Very well kept, nice paint, significant upgrades including enclosed aft deck and enclosed fly-bridge with hard top and glass.Many posts from the current owners on the forum indicating the boat was well cared for. Seller was motivated and we got a good price. The only thing we do not like is the salon windows do not open and the engine hours are on the high side (2600).

[SEVEN]

2600 hours is nothing if they were maintained and not run at WOT all their life. If the motors are clean as the boat appears and they survey out good, you've got yourself a new Hatteras. Good luck.

[MadHatter53]

Good luck on your new find and hope the survey is good. Thanks for posting info on the boats you looked at. Im Still searching and will be looking at a few in fL after the new year. I have been on the one in grasonville 2x and I don't know what it is about the boat but it's kinda still on my list. I didn't notice any soft spots but I didn't bring a moisture meter but it looked like all the salon windows leaked at some point also the windshield showed signs of a leak.