spartonboat1
Legendary Member
- Joined
- Apr 15, 2005
- Messages
- 2,494
- Hatteras Model
- 43' DOUBLE CABIN (1970 - 1984)
My Hatt is an older ('72 43'DC), a legacy they now call it, so my price was 'decent' (I guess), when I bought her in 1997. Some of the newer ones, well they cost a lot more. But prices are way down now, but I will stand pat.
Ran into a friend the other day, who also had an older 43'DC, but with 6-71Ti's. For his own reasons, he traded her in and got a much swoopier, prettier, faster 'other brand' big boat. She runs MAN's. Well he remarks that I am looking decent these days (the boat, not me). However, I already know he is disappointed because his boat 'blows around' when docking in the wind. Maybe lower weight and high sides have something to do with it.
This time he mentions that wow, those MAN's are expensive to maintain. I didn't mention that some earlier one's were called MAN Grenades, by my DD tech. Says he had a big relay go out on one of his engines and the part (he makes a size with this hands to indicate that the relay is about the size of a breadbox) set him back a cool $5k, not including labor; shipped all the way from Deutschland! $5k...Ouch. Not sure if I have any relays on my 6-71's. Oh well, he can afford it, I guess.
And there is a pretty Sea-Ray, about 30', running 8.1GM gassers, who is a couple slips over. She is fast and can run over 30kts! He runs a charter operation and is all decked out with fishing gear. Well, the other day he is coming in a 'little funny'. I go forward on the deck and he wife hollers they lost a tranny. So I run out and help him in, as his slip is at a right angle to the river. Difficult to do on one engine.
Later she tells me the tranny case has a hole in it and this is the second time in 5 years! "We will pull it ourselves and it is buried under a deck". Hard to maneuver it out!
Well, I did not want to be impolite (really), because I don't know their budget. But in today's market and lower boat prices, I wonder if he could trade up (my term) to an older Hatt convertible with some older, slower diesels, and a couple Twin-Discs. Don't hear of the TD's going out very often. TD tech in Wisc. told me over the phone "we don't know if they ever wear out, if you keep good lube in them".
So I guess there are low cost alternatives, to the old Hatts, but sometimes cost can mean many things, in the long run. My 2cw...
Ran into a friend the other day, who also had an older 43'DC, but with 6-71Ti's. For his own reasons, he traded her in and got a much swoopier, prettier, faster 'other brand' big boat. She runs MAN's. Well he remarks that I am looking decent these days (the boat, not me). However, I already know he is disappointed because his boat 'blows around' when docking in the wind. Maybe lower weight and high sides have something to do with it.
This time he mentions that wow, those MAN's are expensive to maintain. I didn't mention that some earlier one's were called MAN Grenades, by my DD tech. Says he had a big relay go out on one of his engines and the part (he makes a size with this hands to indicate that the relay is about the size of a breadbox) set him back a cool $5k, not including labor; shipped all the way from Deutschland! $5k...Ouch. Not sure if I have any relays on my 6-71's. Oh well, he can afford it, I guess.
And there is a pretty Sea-Ray, about 30', running 8.1GM gassers, who is a couple slips over. She is fast and can run over 30kts! He runs a charter operation and is all decked out with fishing gear. Well, the other day he is coming in a 'little funny'. I go forward on the deck and he wife hollers they lost a tranny. So I run out and help him in, as his slip is at a right angle to the river. Difficult to do on one engine.
Later she tells me the tranny case has a hole in it and this is the second time in 5 years! "We will pull it ourselves and it is buried under a deck". Hard to maneuver it out!
Well, I did not want to be impolite (really), because I don't know their budget. But in today's market and lower boat prices, I wonder if he could trade up (my term) to an older Hatt convertible with some older, slower diesels, and a couple Twin-Discs. Don't hear of the TD's going out very often. TD tech in Wisc. told me over the phone "we don't know if they ever wear out, if you keep good lube in them".
So I guess there are low cost alternatives, to the old Hatts, but sometimes cost can mean many things, in the long run. My 2cw...
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