New Hatteras Owner Seeking Advice

[Triskele]

I'm a relatively new Hatteras owner (4 months) and I am a bit overwhelmed. I live aboard the boat. It is a 1981 43' Double Cabin. Have so many questions, don't know where to start. Here goes in no particular order.

1. My boat seems to be sitting low in the water. How low should it sit? Have attached a photo, but essentially the waterline is covering nearly 3/4 of the exhaust ports. Does this seem right? Bear in mind, I am a live aboard and have loaded this boat down with my personal effects. Also, both fuel tanks are nearly full (main is 3/4s). Before adding some fuel, the waterline was about half the height of the exhaust opening. At the time the main tank only contained 3/8 tank of fuel. When I added more fuel, the boat sat another 1 in. or 2 in. lower in the water (however, I didn't notice this change until later). Any thoughts?

2. Can anyone recommend a good (knowledgeable and reasonable $$$$) Detroit Diesel mechanic in Chattanooga area? Needs to know DD 6-71s.

3. Is there anyone on this forum who is a knowledgeable Hatteras owner living in or around Lake Chickamauga in Chattanooga who would be willing to spend a little time with me going over this boat and systems?

4. I am told that my boat has a fuel transfer pump that I can use to move fuel between tanks. Is this true? If so, is there an operators manual anywhere that I can access to learn how this works?

5. How is the oil changed on this boat? I keep hearing conflicting information. Is there an oil drain plug? If so, where is it located? I keep hearing about a pump to pump the oil out. Is this true? Any manuals or information around on how to change the oil on DD 6-71s?

I guess that should do it. Haven't even begun to scratch the surface of my questions, but will quit for now. Don't want to abuse my welcome. In the future, I will try to limit my questions to one a thread. Thanks!!

 

[SereneWarrior]

Will try to provide some useful info and I'm sure others on the forum will also:
1. How low the aft portion of the boat sets in the water is a function of several things. First, you hit the nail on the head by stating the boat is probably fully loaded with your belongings and a nearly full fuel load. The fresh water tanks and holding tanks will also have an effect, depending on how full they are. Also consider the "attitude" of the boat, which is dependent not just on total loading, but also on the distribution of that weight. consider that your exhausts may be low in the water because you have a lot of weight back aft. How high/low is the bow in the water?
2, 3, and 4. Sorry, can't help you there.
5. On my boat, a previous owner replaced the oil pan drain plug with a hose fitting. The hose leads from underneath the engines, aft toward the transmissions where I can access the end of the hose. I have an oil change pump mounted to the top of a 5 gallon bucket. I can connect the hose fitting to the pump and pump the old oil directly into the bucket. When the bucket is nearly full, I just get another bucket and continue till there's no oil left in the engine. Once empty, I put the hose end fitting back on, change the oil filter and refill the sump with fresh oil. I can do both engines in an hour and a half without rushing.

Welcome to the forum! You will find a treasure trove of knowledge and experience here, as well as some pretty cool boaters.

 

[sandspur1966]

From the sound of your questions I would recommend hiring one of the Hatteras guys to spend some time with you aboard instead of relying on the "kindness of strangers" who despite all the best intentions, may not have the best information.

Bruce Morrison and Roger Wetherington are two who have helped countless new owners become comfortable with their new babies.

Bruce, for one, I know travels since he has done much if not all my work over the past few years. He lives in Beaufort NC and travels to me in NY and there are no shortage of people on this site who will vouch for his knowledge and teaching ability.

Roger is another terrific resource equally knowledgeable and a natural teacher as well but I am not sure if he is willing to travel.

Also it sounds as if you may not have the original owners manual aboard. Hatteras has a terrific service where they will, for a fee, print and send you a copy of the original manual that came with your specific vessel. It is important to have.

As far as your questions, all our boats are sensitive to the cumulative effect of added weight. If your true waterline is always at or above the actual painted waterline (top of your bottom paint) I would suggest that you take an inventory of everything you have aboard that is not factory installed. As a liveaboard you may be surprised at what this adds up to be. I ran a friends 56 MY this summer, He lives aboard and she only leaves the dock for trips to the travel lift and also he is a real "collector." She was less than half full of fuel and had a fresh bottom on her I was alone aboard and i was absolutely shocked at her performance. As I moved the throttles up to cruise speed, she just continued to squat deeper and deeper... sorta sad. He will read this I am sure but it isn't like I havent said the same to him many times

A fuel transfer system, if you have one, is likely to be aftermarket added. Most of our boats have a manifold system using the pickup and return of the main engines as a way to move fuel around.

Oil change, don't know if the 43 DC had a factory, remote oil change system or not... tend to doubt it but I am no expert on that model (I have owned a 46c and two MY's.) Most boats that didn't have them out of the factory, usually had one installed later given what a PITA it is to change oil without one. Look at your oil pans (using a small mirror if you need to) and you will likely find hoses affixed to the bottom of each pan running to a manifold and gear pump. If you do not have one, Reverso is a good vendor http://reversopumps.com and they often have systems in their clearance section of their website at deep discounts.

Just my opinions, others with specific knowledge of your model Hatt may have better info.

Welcome Aboard!

 

[Triskele]

Will try to provide some useful info and I'm sure others on the forum will also:
1. How low the aft portion of the boat sets in the water is a function of several things. First, you hit the nail on the head by stating the boat is probably fully loaded with your belongings and a nearly full fuel load. The fresh water tanks and holding tanks will also have an effect, depending on how full they are. Also consider the "attitude" of the boat, which is dependent not just on total loading, but also on the distribution of that weight. consider that your exhausts may be low in the water because you have a lot of weight back aft. How high/low is the bow in the water?
2, 3, and 4. Sorry, can't help you there.
5. On my boat, a previous owner replaced the oil pan drain plug with a hose fitting. The hose leads from underneath the engines, aft toward the transmissions where I can access the end of the hose. I have an oil change pump mounted to the top of a 5 gallon bucket. I can connect the hose fitting to the pump and pump the old oil directly into the bucket. When the bucket is nearly full, I just get another bucket and continue till there's no oil left in the engine. Once empty, I put the hose end fitting back on, change the oil filter and refill the sump with fresh oil. I can do both engines in an hour and a half without rushing.

Welcome to the forum! You will find a treasure trove of knowledge and experience here, as well as some pretty cool boaters.

Awesome advice. Really appreciate the feedback. Thank you.

 

[Triskele]

Thanks so much for the feedback and advice. Appreciate the contact info. Would love to get an experienced Hatteras person here to go over her with me. Thanks again for the helpful response.

 

[jim rosenthal]

Welcome to the HOF. I agree strongly with the above recommendation- get an experienced Hatteras tech (Bruce or Roger would be the best you can get if they are available) to go through the boat with you. Not only will they know everything on the boat, they will also know what is original (and can be maintained using the owners manual) but they will be able to tell what is NOT original, more than likely, which is also something you want to know.

Oil changes on boat engines and generators are not the same as they are in cars or trucks. You can't get under a boat engine to drain the old oil out. The usual methods are:

1) warm up the engine (keep in mind that a Detroit weighs 3000 lbs, so it takes a while to warm up all that oil, which is about 25 quarts in a 6-71, I think) You will either pump out the old oil via the dipstick and a portable 12v pump and bucket (maybe two buckets full) or there may be an oil change pump and system permanently plumbed into your boat. The usual arrangement is one pump and a valve and manifold system that allows you to use the pump to drain out the oil in either main engine or the generator, which has its own little diesel engine. In any case, the oil will need to be hot. Cold oil of the viscosity used in DDs does not flow well at room temperatures.

2) Remove the oil filter and replace it with a new oil filter filled with the correct engine oil for a DD.

3) Refill the engine with new oil, run it, check for leaks, check the level, add as needed, etc.

What you should do is watch someone do this, help him or her, and take notes. Don't tackle it yourself the first time. You may damage something and you are likely to make a mess in the engine room.

Get the owners manual from Hatteras Yachts, if you don't have it. Read it cover to cover a few times. Keep it handy and in good shape, there's a lot in there that you need.

Lighten ship as much as you can. I lived aboard years ago and the rule was "ready for running in thirty minutes or less". Most liveaboards I know have had storage garages where they kept most of their non-essential stuff, out of season clothes, etc. Boats do far better in every respect when they are minimally loaded. If your exhausts are constantly awash, it sounds like there is too much stuff on her.

It takes about a year to familiarize yourself with everything on a boat, especially an older one where things may have been changed. These are great boats and very well-built, durable safe craft. Take care of her and she will take care of you.

 

[Jaxfishgyd]

Randy lives very close by....He owns 2 Hatts and does actually know what he's doing.....

 

[Freeebird]

Randy lives very close by....He owns 2 Hatts and does actually know what he's doing.....

Charlie gave me a heads up about your post. I'm about an hour and a half from Chattanooga but will help any way I can. As for mechanics, I can tell you who NOT to use locally, but it depends on what you need.

 

[bobk]

Welcome to the HOF... one of the good reasons to own an old Hatt.

I don't know who Randy is referring to, but I had two very good experiences with a guy who calls himself Diesel Don. He is PRICEY, but he knows his stuff and travels as far as Key West for his customers. Sorry, no contact info any more. He surveyed the engines on a boat for me in Chattanuga and did some minor service work for me in the Keys. I'm glad I didn't have to pay his travel time for that one.

If you call Hatteras for the owners manual, you might also get the prints for the wiring and plumbing systems.

Bobk
Chateau de Mer
1981 48MY

 

[Triskele]

Charlie gave me a heads up about your post. I'm about an hour and a half from Chattanooga but will help any way I can. As for mechanics, I can tell you who NOT to use locally, but it depends on what you need.

Hello Randy...I would like to exchange contact information with you. Will contact you privately offline. Thank you for introducing yourself.

 

[Triskele]

Hello All...thank you for your input and feedback. There is a tremendous amount of information and knowledge generated in this forum. This forum is a great service to Hatteras owners. I'm glad to be a part of it by way of becoming an owner. Thank you again for taking time to extend your warm welcomes and sincere and informative responses.

 

[Freeebird]

Welcome to the HOF... one of the good reasons to own an old Hatt.

I don't know who Randy is referring to, but I had two very good experiences with a guy who calls himself Diesel Don. He is PRICEY, but he knows his stuff and travels as far as Key West for his customers. Sorry, no contact info any more. He surveyed the engines on a boat for me in Chattanuga and did some minor service work for me in the Keys. I'm glad I didn't have to pay his travel time for that one.

If you call Hatteras for the owners manual, you might also get the prints for the wiring and plumbing systems.

Bobk
Chateau de Mer
1981 48MY

Bob, I wasn't referring to Diesel Don. I've never heard anything bad about him other than he is pricey and doesn't return phone calls.

 

[Freeebird]

Hello Randy...I would like to exchange contact information with you. Will contact you privately offline. Thank you for introducing yourself.

You're very welcome. I just sent you a PM.

 

[Finalee]

Regarding the exhaust relative to the water. When mine is full of fuel the ports are 3/4 full of water. Tanks empty the water comes up an inch.

 

[Tim Powell]

Hello Randy...I would like to exchange contact information with you. Will contact you privately offline. Thank you for introducing yourself.

Watch out for Randy he loves millers and will travel He is a good sorce and can certainly Teach you a lot he will not tell you but he is a delivery guy. Who loves beer boats and women in that order
Welcom aboard better have thick skin some of these guys put the anchor in deep watter. Tim

 

[Freeebird]

Miller beer? I don't think so, tIM.

 

[34Hatt]

Randy lives very close by....He owns 2 Hatts and does actually know what he's doing.....

Wow never thought I would see Charlie say that in print

Maybe the world is going to end

 

[34Hatt]

Watch out for Randy he loves millers and will travel He is a good sorce and can certainly Teach you a lot he will not tell you but he is a delivery guy. Who loves beer boats and women in that order
Welcom aboard better have thick skin some of these guys put the anchor in deep watter. Tim

Tim you obviously have not hung out with the Bird so let me Educate you

First off Randy is not much of a Beer drinker and if he has ONE it won't be a Miller.

Second he is not much of a Drinker but a Goose and some Can-berry will work.

Third he is a little bit of a light weight!

I am referring to his Drinking and only his drinking

How did I do LOL.

 

[Scottbee]

I apologize for butting in here... but I'm confused by the third picture in the OP. is that a piece of a plastic bucket bonded to the hull??? What am I missing here!

 

[Freeebird]

I apologize for butting in here... but I'm confused by the third picture in the OP. is that a piece of a plastic bucket bonded to the hull??? What am I missing here!

It's a Tenna Sea thing, so you wouldn't understand.

I'm guessing he used buckets to plug his exhaust ports for winter storage.