Another chance to compare Nordhaven and Hatteras. I can't resist any longer. What we are comparing is a brand that markets their ability to cross the ocean with several owner operated boats, with the assistance of numerous factory support folks to keep them running versus an single Hatteras owner that did it all by himself 30 years earlier. What a claim Nordhaven has to brag about, we can fix them as fast as they break. BTW, the Hatteras 30 years ago did not need any fixing.
I reject the boat show comparisons. A contest as to who can display the best prepared couple of boats. Want to see a real comparison. Find a couple of Nordhaven and Hatteras that are 3 or 4 years old, privately owned and used, sitting on the hard, and put your glasses on. I did exactly that about 4 months ago. Two Nordhaven and several Hatteras, both sport fish and motor yachts. Give them a good visual examination. What do you see? Lets start with the under water Nordhaven fittings. Eroded on both boats I saw, likely electrolysis. Notice the Nordhaven hull finish and fairness, probably good competition for a ferro-cement finish, notice the pitting of the stainless deck gear, and the Marine Trader style semi transparent interior wood finish. That finish is great for hiding a lot of small imperfections. None of this crap on the Hatteras. Worst I could find was some stainless pitting on the swim platform ladder. These are different boats for sure, but when you focus on the quality of workmanship and materials, these boats are miles apart.
So why do Nordhaven boats sell. Simply stated, you do not have to be smart to have money; have you noticed the fall out of the newly revealed ponzi schemes? They have a style that is attractive to many buyers. Nordhaven builds their boat in the far east to take advantage of the labor costs and avoid western world environmental requirements. They use US components where brands are visible and recognizable. Then they ship their product here and place a premium price on it. It costs a lot, it must be good. Someone is getting wealthy.
And finally, three thoughts on related subjects. First, Hatteras may not be building the boats that members of this forum admire. They could build a boat that I would really get excited about and like to buy. Just one problem. I do not have $2M plus for boat buying. So, no sale. They are simply not building boats for me and perhaps others on the forum to buy, since we will not. Just the facts of life. They are trying to provide a product attractive to those who are in a position to buy. Second, I wonder what the factory support for Nordhaven is like, once the sale is complete and after the warranty expires. Think they match or come close to the Hatteras support for all their boats, new, old, and very old. Doubtful? And last but definitely not least, Hatteras is a "Made in the United States" boat, for those who consider that fact.
Pete
