Help on Hatteras trawler question

[igloo]

A newbie question. Just curious if you good folks who know boats would care to give me your opinion on a 58 foot 1979 Hatteras Trawler. We are not looking for speed, and I know that cruising speed is about 10 with the Detroit 6-71N diesels (which I have read are pretty reliable diesels). However, since I'm gathering information, any opinions would be appreciated. Obviously a marine survey would be in order on any boat we buy as well as gathering any other pertinent information. With any boat we buy, we are looking at only going no further than 20 miles offshore and possibly cruising the intercoastal waterway so. Since we would not be in any hurry, the trawler idea just gave me something to consider.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

[Angela]

You need to first clarify whether you're asking about the 58' Motoryacht or the 58' Long Range Cruiser. There was no 58' Hatt made that was specifically called a "trawler."

 

[REBrueckner]

A 58 Hatt with 6-71's IS the LRC....

great boats, but have not been aboard one to know the pros and cons of the layout....at least look at a 58 YF (have a cockpit) to compare with your needs as older YF is a much less expensive boat than an older LRC...these are much easier to get on and off if you'll be using a dinghy for local exploring, dog walking, beach trips.etc....the 58 YF can be found with 8-71's the price difference will pay your slightly higher fuel costs for 20 years....

 

[MikeP]

The first Hatt we ever set foot upon was a 58LRC and we fell in love with the boat. But reality intruded and we realized there was no way we could afford to buy one. So we bought a nice 53MY. But if the opportunity arose AND if we had a slip to support its beam (which we don't), we'd buy one in a second!

 

[SKYCHENEY]

Any of the Hargrave designed hulls can be run at trawler speeds. The LRC's have full displacement hulls, but the other motoryachts that are semi-displacement are great boats as well. If you have questions, this is the place to ask.

 

[Pascal]

Hatteras never used the word Trawler... what's a trawler anyway, it's a marketing thing... Most "trawlers" are not trawlers anyway!

I was docked next to a 58 LRC in Oriental and Coinjock, Knucklehead (he lurks here...) what a great boat! good looking lines, cockpit and aft deck, etc...

 

[igloo]

You need to first clarify whether you're asking about the 58' Motoryacht or the 58' Long Range Cruiser. There was no 58' Hatt made that was specifically called a "trawler."

Thanks for catching my oversight. The boat I was referencing is the LRC.

 

[ron6785]

The 58LRC is a great boat. If you plan to do true Blue Water sailing the LRC is really the only Hatteras designed for it. Most other Hatteras yacht have semi displacement hulls and are really not designed for extensive off shore cruising. I Have an 53MY, but as others have mentioned if you are willing to pay the premium your getting a great boat . Since most of us cruise at close to hull speed, the LRC will get you there at the same hull speed at a more economical fuel rate. Also unlilke alot of the Indonisian so called trawlers the 671's give you more power and speed, which lets you cruise at hull speed in rough water conditions. However, you mentioned that you don't plan to go "offshore" , so any of the Hatteras MY will give you what you want, but the fuel/water capacities and the full displacement hull give you the option to blue water cruise not to mention the boats really hold their value.

 

[igloo]

The 58LRC is a great boat. If you plan to do true Blue Water sailing the LRC is really the only Hatteras designed for it. Most other Hatteras yacht have semi displacement hulls and are really not designed for extensive off shore cruising. I Have an 53MY, but as others have mentioned if you are willing to pay the premium your getting a great boat . Since most of us cruise at close to hull speed, the LRC will get you there at the same hull speed at a more economical fuel rate. Also unlilke alot of the Indonisian so called trawlers the 671's give you more power and speed, which lets you cruise at hull speed in rough water conditions. However, you mentioned that you don't plan to go "offshore" , so any of the Hatteras MY will give you what you want, but the fuel/water capacities and the full displacement hull give you the option to blue water cruise not to mention the boats really hold their value.

Thanks for the info. I should have mentioned in more clarity about the 20 miles offshore. Our basic plan would be to cruise maybe 10-20 miles offshore down the eastern side of the U.S., and then up around Florida to Texas coastal areas, as well as the ICWW eventually. Who knows we may later decide to go more "blue water" cruising.

 

[REBrueckner]

Perhaps someone can comment whther the LRC has a deep enough keel to protect running gear...the YF and MY do not have a deep keel so when you touch bottom you likely touch with props as not. What years were the 58 LRC made??

 

[bobk]

The keel on the 48MY series I is well below the props. We ran over a dredge pipe in Hells Gate a few days back and hit something submerged in the Alligator Pungo Canal this morning and didn't get any vibration. But then the Series I was designed as a dual mode hull, displacement or planing. Love that keel.

Bob
Chateau de Mer
1981 48 MY

 

[Walter P]

Bob is correct regarding the big keel on his 48 Series I MY. Actually as many of you know, the 48 MY (1981 - 1984) had a hull design very much like the LRC in that it had soft chines for the fwd 2/3rds of the running surfaces and a smooth transition to hard chines aft. This "dual mode" hull gave the boat a gentle roll in a seaway much like a full displacement boat (like Nordhavn and other real trawlers) with the ability to get up and scat if given enough power. The real reason for the hard chines aft was to supress excessive roll at slow speed while retaining the advantages of a soft chine design.

You may want to consider looking over one of them. Only about 30 were ever built and I believe there's about a half dozen listed on Yachtworld currently.

Walt

 

[ron6785]

Thanks for the info. I should have mentioned in more clarity about the 20 miles offshore. Our basic plan would be to cruise maybe 10-20 miles offshore down the eastern side of the U.S., and then up around Florida to Texas coastal areas, as well as the ICWW eventually. Who knows we may later decide to go more "blue water" cruising.

Well any Hatteras will do what you're talking about, especially if they're stablalized, however the 58LRC has much more capability in terms of long range cruising. My 53My does well in the conditions your describing. Once you have made that trip, which we have done several times, the question becomes can I cross the Gulf and not have to hug the shore line, which the LRC can do, I can't. Can I cross the Gulf to Mexico and/or leave the Bahamas and go to the Caribe??? The answer is yes with no Problems with the 58LRC, don't have to worry about fuel stops, like the the 58MY. Since none of people who own these size and circa yaht go up on plane for great lengths of time unless they have much $$$$$$$. Then you travel at hull speed and the LRC does that most ecomonically. LIke I said before there are alot of Indonisian so called Trawler which look like a trawlers . but really have semi displacemant hulls( ie Grand Banks, Marine Traders, Choie Lees ) These boats have small engine/ engines which are economical but also dangerous on a semi displacement hull. We cruise with several and in all but calm sea's they are not fun, Many times they can not go when we do because of the Sea's. There is a 48LRC>

 

[Brian Degulis]

Thanks for the info. I should have mentioned in more clarity about the 20 miles offshore. Our basic plan would be to cruise maybe 10-20 miles offshore down the eastern side of the U.S., and then up around Florida to Texas coastal areas, as well as the ICWW eventually. Who knows we may later decide to go more "blue water" cruising.

For what your looking to do a MY would be better than an LRC when you consider comfort flexibility and ride. At displacement speed the MY will be stiffer and more comfortable than the LRC in anything but realy nasty weather. The MY will give you the option or cruising at higher speeds if you want to. The MY will also give you a newer boat in better condition for a lot less money. The drawback is the fuel consumption and the problems that go along with running a large engine at low RPMs. If at some point you decide your not interested in going fast you can make some changes to the MY to greatly improve the low RPM problem.

Brian

 

[GJH]

The keel on my 56MY is below the props, but stops a few feet short of them.

You'd have to run pretty deep aground to get to them, but of course they are not protected from objects that come from dead ahead of them. The only design that really protects them is a full skeg, including a shoe right underneath. This is far more common on singles than twins.

I once got to see a 58LRC out of the water, just across the same yard where my boat was out. The hull form was remarkably similar, the LRC having modestly rounded chines forward and still with a fairly flat bottom aft. Keel arrangement looked the same. A relatively untrained eye (mine), had to go back and forth a few times to make the comparison.

We like the layout of our boat much better than that of the LRC, for our purposes, with the exception of the cockpit. We have also been on a 65LRC, which is merely a stretch 58. We liked it a lot, the extra length mitigating the "chopped up" floor plan. We cruise slow, I'd be very happy with smaller engines/bigger props.

 

[Pete]

As a 48 LRC owner for 8 years, having searched for one for 3 years before buying, let me off another view. The hull shape is different from the planning hull design of most Hatteras boats. The best way to see it is to get positioned just behind where trim tabs would be mounted and sight down the bottom of the boat looking forward. On the planning hulls, you will see a almost straight up hill run to the bow along with a keel that is also essentially flat on its sides going forward. Next look at the same areas on an LRC. The bottom looks similar to a sail boat hull. From the bow the hull contour runs down hill to about mid ship and then starts to ascend as it continues to the stern. The keel is also deeper and much wider. The keel base also widens at the area where the hull bottom is deepest. The running gear uses larger propellers and much larger rudders. The gear ratio is also deeper. Overall, it looks like a sailboat hull, terminated 10 feet sooner at the stern, with a semi hard chine the aft third of the length. I would be interested to compare the LRC and the bottom of one of the sail boats Hatteras built back in the 80"s. I would categorize the motor yacht hulls as planning. They have a sharp entry, have hard chines the full length of the hull and a constant dead rise. The primary factor that makes them run in semi displacement mode is the power weight ratio. I once docked next to a brand new 1984 53 flybridge motor yacht, with 435 HP 871TI engines. That boat would plane beautifully.

Now a few comments on why we chose the 48 LRC. For the moment, I will ignore the additional dollars, but they were a consideration. The Admiral and I went into our search with a short list of "must haves". Some hers, mostly mine. Her primary "must haves" were, engine room access without going through the living area (I am a daily engine room person and she has trouble with a disorderly living space), galley up, cockpit for line handling, and a dinette. Mine were pilot house (the larger the better), a 12 volt DC boat, exposed inner hull bottom for entire propulsion systems, and stabilizers. We both agreed it had to be a Hatteras. We did look at two Defevers, just to confirm it had to be a Hatteras. The 48 LRC met all our needs and also put the master stateroom in the center of the boat (no more wave/hull slapping at night). I would have preferred 471 DD but the 48 only came with 453 DD. The Admiral would prefer full walk around decks, but the 48 maxed out the salon width instead. Everybody will have different priorities, but hopefully this insight of one owner's decision making will be of some assistance.

Pete