so why would/did you get an older hatteras?

[mstailey]

Captddis,
So true, so true. If you look at the members pictures of my boat the first picture is running the St. Clair River. Now folks around here in MI will attest to the fact that given the right circumstances that river can get down right sporty. If you notice the Hatt flag on the bow - it's straight back. Not due to speed (43's don't go that fast) rather it's due to a 20 knot head wind. You will also notice there is about 2-3 ft chop at a very short frequency.

I ran that boat for 2.5 hours in the river at 15 knots. No embellishment, I have a picture frame that sits on top of the table in the salon and is not secured in any way. The picture was still in the same spot undistrubed at the end of the trip! There was also a 41' SeaRay and a 28' Wellcraft running single file behind me as they tried a couple of times to jump my wake or run the river outside of me. Ultimately both of them just gave up and tucked in.

This is why I own a Hatteras.

 

[egaito]

Several reasons. First, I loved the beam on my 56 MY. The smallest Hat with the largest beam. Second, the ride. She rides like a tank. Sure, she only cruises at 16 kts but that's fine. Third, she was a fresh water boat and although a 1981 model (bought by me in 1998), she showed like new. Fourth. I paid in 1998 about what she sold for new in 1981. I also expect to sell her, when I do, and get what I paid for in 1998. The depreciation curve has flattened out and that is good for me. Fifth, I can call Roger Wetherington at Hatteras and speak to the man who wired my boat in 1981. There is no substitute for that kind of service in my mind.

Funny you mention Roger...when I purchased mine, a 1968, a surveyor I know got one of the engineers from that era on the phone. He was still happy to talk about her, and to re-assurem me that the repower with 2x the horsepower wouldn't overstress the hull.

Recently, I was thinking about electrical bits, and asked the surveyor again....and she pulled up the chief electrical engineer's number, who I'm sure would be just as happy to hear from me.

As much as I loved the Cruisers I had, and sold Ang, to double the HP in that boat would have twisted it in half. With that boat, a mid-80's model, to call and ask a question, you would find really helpful people that knew nothing about boats that weren't just a few years old.

 

[spartonboat1]

Captddis,
So true, so true. If you look at the members pictures of my boat the first picture is running the St. Clair River. Now folks around here in MI will attest to the fact that given the right circumstances that river can get down right sporty. If you notice the Hatt flag on the bow - it's straight back. Not due to speed (43's don't go that fast) rather it's due to a 20 knot head wind. You will also notice there is about 2-3 ft chop at a very short frequency.

I ran that boat for 2.5 hours in the river at 15 knots. No embellishment, I have a picture frame that sits on top of the table in the salon and is not secured in any way. The picture was still in the same spot undistrubed at the end of the trip! There was also a 41' SeaRay and a 28' Wellcraft running single file behind me as they tried a couple of times to jump my wake or run the river outside of me. Ultimately both of them just gave up and tucked in.

This is why I own a Hatteras.

While we should be meek in life, it is difficult not to be smug when those who would pass us drop back in behind. I have also had that happen in the open Lake Huron, and the other boats were actually flying up in the air, when trying to pass, while we were somewhat sedate in movement at full cruise. Yes, they fell back behind. This does not include running out with 5 or 6 in the lead in the river, until they hit the big water. Within a mile we were alone and they were headed back in.

 

[egaito]

So just about everything I could possibly say about why I picked an older Hatt has been said by others, but there was another overwhelming influence on me beyond these aspects.

As a "kid" in the computer business, Hatteras was a customer. After a few trips out to the plant, my contact could see I was already a boat nut, already knew something of Hatts, and took me into the plant.

Well, let me tell you, it was all over from that day on. I had to have one

From the Smuggler's Special (these were the days of Miami Vice) to the Nicaraquan gun boats with 50 cal mounts in their foredecks, to the joinery on the "regular" hatts they were building.....it was a done deal.

Then looking, and I did look at other brands as a gut check, there was simply no comparison in the way the Hatts had stood the test of time compared to others in the same size/price range.

For some reason I had already gotten over the idea that boats "get old" Sure, a 1980's Carver looks and feels "old". The lines always looked dated, the quality was spotty, the values dropped like a rock. But do well maintained Hatt's ever really get "old"? The lines are classic enough to always be in style. The hulls are tough enough to take out marina's during storms. The wood is wood, and everything else is a maintenance part that can still be maintained......

Are we biased, sure. But for good reason!

 

[Woodsong]

As much as I loved the Cruisers I had, and sold Ang, to double the HP in that boat would have twisted it in half. With that boat, a mid-80's model, to call and ask a question, you would find really helpful people that knew nothing about boats that weren't just a few years old.

Well, it appears there is a theme here amongst some of the hatteri folks....owning a Cruisers Yacht, selling it quickly to another enthusiast, and getting a hatteras. Considering that I have a Cruisers right now myself (2003 model 3372, LOA 37'6"), I suggest we continue this tradition of passing on our Cruisers for the hatteras replacement. Who here is going to step up to the plate so that I can experience first hand the joys of owning a classic hatteras? Surely someone here can see it ought to be their civic duty to buy my current boat!

 

[Angela]

Well, it appears there is a theme here amongst some of the hatteri folks....owning a Cruisers Yacht, selling it quickly to another enthusiast, and getting a hatteras. Considering that I have a Cruisers right now myself (2003 model 3372, LOA 37'6"), I suggest we continue this tradition of passing on our Cruisers for the hatteras replacement. Who here is going to step up to the plate so that I can experience first hand the joys of owning a classic hatteras? Surely someone here can see it ought to be their civic duty to buy my current boat!

No, to keep the tradition, you have to recruite someone who does not yet know or appreciate the Hatteras, and then the tradition will be that that person who buys the Cruisers will move up into a Hatteras in a couple of years...and so on.

 

[Maynard Rupp]

Wev bought ours because of the construction and looks. I am an airplane mechanic and look at boats with a critical eye. All other brands look awful when you do a little digging. When we first decided to look for a 35 to 38 ft. cruiser, a friend of mine that sells all kinds of used boats and is a surveyor, said don't even consider anything except a Hatteras or a Bertram. We looked at lots of Bertrams and I think they are put together like a pickup camper. When you have a limited budget, can't afford to lose lots of money over time, and want an awesome boat, a Hatteras is the only choice.

 

[nyrussell]

When the Admiral and I started looking at living aboard late last year (right around this time, actually) we looked at a lot of sail boats and only one Hatteras (or motoryacht). Never regretted the decision to by this girl. From having a dirty fuel tank and having an engine stop while entering a marina in a stong head wind (remind me in the spring to get the damage fixed LOL, just in time for the season in NY-NJ) to hitting confused seas off the UN on the Admirals second time driving her we felt safe and secure every time we have gone out. As for why a Hatteras.... The Reputation for getting one home.

BTW week 39, still need to fix up a nursery on our 40DC

Noel

 

[Wild Bill]

After reading all these posts, I come to one conclusion which happens to fit very well with why I bought an old Hatt.

It's a labor of love.

These are fine old ships. They were built for the sea. They deserve to be at sea. Forevermore.

 

[MikeP]

Because a new Bayliner, Carver, Silverton, or SeaRay in the 50+ ft range was way too expensive so we had no choice but to settle for something we could afford.



YES, I'm kidding. We bought a Hatt for all the same reasons everyone else here has covered! It's proven itself to be worth every penny and then some!