Plan B2
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jul 5, 2007
- Messages
- 259
- Status
- OWNER - I own a Hatteras Yacht
- Hatteras Model
- 53' MOTOR YACHT (1969 - 1988)
Over the years I have seen many inquiries about the cost of owning and operating our boats. I have had mine for a little over a year now and it has been quite the first year of ownership.
I made the decision to purchase a 53MY in 2005. My budget was pretty weak for this , but I kept my eyes open and tracked down a hull that I felt would work for me. A little more than a year ago I landed the purchase of a 1984 Classic 53MY. I had the engine and the general surveys in hand and knew I had some work to do.
The boat had good bones but there was a list of items that required immediate attention:
Fuel supply problem on starboard main
Small deck area at the bow was soft
Loose temp exhaust temp switch
1 Bad Battery switch
1 Bad Bildge pump
1 Bad bildge pump auto switch
Worn life lines at forward deck
And the Nice to have list:
Boot stripe was not the original Blue
Bright work looked like it had been done while under way on a rough crossing to the Bahamas
Entertainment items need to be updated
Desire to extend the swim platform and install a spiral stair
Update interior soft goods
That was the short list(s) of items that made the "to do" list at the time of purchase.
Here is how the list turned out.... so far!
Fuel issue turned out to be a hard to find pin hole leak on the suction side of the pump after the filters. Replaced fuel pump, Rebuilt all Racors for everything and replaced several hoses as a result of the investigation for that one. I also installed the guages on the racors so I can monitor the health of the fuel systems and filters.
The boat spend a month in the yard getting the soft spot repaired and the stripe painted back to the origianl spec and the bottom painted. While it was out I had the swim platform extended and all new support brackets fabricated and installed.
The Galleymade windless had to be Removed and reinstalled to repair the deck, therefore is was seerviced while it was disassembled.
I also had dripless shaft seals added to the main shafts and repacked the rudders seals. During that project one turbo flange desintigrated and had to be replaced.
Life lines ordered and installed
Spiral stair was custom built from stainless and the stair treads were powder coated to match the hull.
Routine service for the two mains and both generators has been performed. Oil, filter, coolant tested, impellers, belts.
Had an oil line in the port tranny develop a leak so I ended up replacing hoses on both transmission to be sure.
A couple of "nice to have items" got done:
Installed 41" flat screen and a a lift for the TV in the salon, with surround sound
Installed a KVH Sat system
Upgraded the stereo at the fly bridge with blue tooth and Mp3 capabilities with RF remote
Recovered the dinette seating
Changed the mini blinds in the salon and guest cabin
Recoved the headboard, and changed the curtains in the master
Have started the task of refinishing the brightwork, and all the interior wood work, this is going to take a while.
Some other items that have "appeared" in the first year:
Oil line leak to one turbo, changed all four lines
two start push buttons failed on the fly bridge. the housing cracked allowing the button to fall apart
110V fresh water pump pressure switch
Aft deck faucet lever broke
micro wave in the GE combo unit failed
Ice maker on aft deck crapped out
Replaced fly bridge stereo speakers and added two more to the aft deck
Replaced mirrors in the guest and master heads
Generator starter solenoid on the Westerbeke
Replaced several hose clamps and upgraded several more on the exhaust system to T-Clamps
Replaced the whole house water filters and the individul ones at the galley and the aft deck bar
New Aft Nav light, complete fixture and new light fixture over both side doors
I had one unforseen and totally unexpected repair:
The port prop which was good at survey, became out of balance. I never felt it strike anything, and there was no visible damage. I even had a surveyor inspect for probable cause. Nothing, but all four blades were out of tolerance when we sent it to the prop shop. As a result I lost a cutless bearing resulting in shaft and strut damage. The vibration came on gradually over just a few hours of running at hull speed. When I went to push her up on plane to clear the blowers for the day I felt the vibration and noticed a temp increase in the port engine. I shut her down and limped back to the marina. Only one more short trip with the boat yard owner to trouble shoot and it was into the slings for a look. Fortunately we were able to pull the prop and shaft that day allowing me to put her back in the slip while we considered the options. It turned into a six week lead time for the strut, so I was happy to be able to work inside the boat in the slip over the winter. It gave me time to begin work on the interior wood work.
I was on the boat during the sea trials and winessed the entire survey process. Did the original suvey miss something? I don't know. Boat ran to WOT with no vibration. Did soemthing happen in the yard while the work to install the dripless seals was being performed? They had to move the shaft back to instal the new seals, did the disturb the cutless bearing? I don't know. And as I indicated above I never felt any kind of impact. This running gear failure still has me wondering what the cause was.
It has been a very busy first year and I am glad to have it behind me. I am having the Salon A/C compressor replaced this week in preperation of an extended cruise planned for the end of the month. With the exception of the port running gear nothing has been a shock or disappointment with this purchase. Given the age and history of the boat I beleive I made a fair offer and have taken the necessary steps to begin the process of bringing her back to the condition these boats deserve. There is still a lot to do and it is an ongoing task to keep up with the maintenance on these boats, but that isn't that why we do this?
I still have a lengthy list of projects and actually look forward to getting around to them over the next several years.
I performed as much of the work as I felt comfortable with my self. Paint work the soft deck and the running gear were all handled by the yard. The A/C is also being done by the pros. I kept pretty good records for materials and labor and the bottom line for the first year is close to $35K out of pocket before I paid for the slip, insurance and fuel. Most of the more expensive items will not be repeated during my ownership. This is to be my retirement boat and I plan to own it until I can no longer safely enjoy and operate the boat.
I have no regrets, and look forward to the year round boating we get to enjoy here on the Tn River.
I made the decision to purchase a 53MY in 2005. My budget was pretty weak for this , but I kept my eyes open and tracked down a hull that I felt would work for me. A little more than a year ago I landed the purchase of a 1984 Classic 53MY. I had the engine and the general surveys in hand and knew I had some work to do.
The boat had good bones but there was a list of items that required immediate attention:
Fuel supply problem on starboard main
Small deck area at the bow was soft
Loose temp exhaust temp switch
1 Bad Battery switch
1 Bad Bildge pump
1 Bad bildge pump auto switch
Worn life lines at forward deck
And the Nice to have list:
Boot stripe was not the original Blue
Bright work looked like it had been done while under way on a rough crossing to the Bahamas
Entertainment items need to be updated
Desire to extend the swim platform and install a spiral stair
Update interior soft goods
That was the short list(s) of items that made the "to do" list at the time of purchase.
Here is how the list turned out.... so far!
Fuel issue turned out to be a hard to find pin hole leak on the suction side of the pump after the filters. Replaced fuel pump, Rebuilt all Racors for everything and replaced several hoses as a result of the investigation for that one. I also installed the guages on the racors so I can monitor the health of the fuel systems and filters.
The boat spend a month in the yard getting the soft spot repaired and the stripe painted back to the origianl spec and the bottom painted. While it was out I had the swim platform extended and all new support brackets fabricated and installed.
The Galleymade windless had to be Removed and reinstalled to repair the deck, therefore is was seerviced while it was disassembled.
I also had dripless shaft seals added to the main shafts and repacked the rudders seals. During that project one turbo flange desintigrated and had to be replaced.
Life lines ordered and installed
Spiral stair was custom built from stainless and the stair treads were powder coated to match the hull.
Routine service for the two mains and both generators has been performed. Oil, filter, coolant tested, impellers, belts.
Had an oil line in the port tranny develop a leak so I ended up replacing hoses on both transmission to be sure.
A couple of "nice to have items" got done:
Installed 41" flat screen and a a lift for the TV in the salon, with surround sound
Installed a KVH Sat system
Upgraded the stereo at the fly bridge with blue tooth and Mp3 capabilities with RF remote
Recovered the dinette seating
Changed the mini blinds in the salon and guest cabin
Recoved the headboard, and changed the curtains in the master
Have started the task of refinishing the brightwork, and all the interior wood work, this is going to take a while.
Some other items that have "appeared" in the first year:
Oil line leak to one turbo, changed all four lines
two start push buttons failed on the fly bridge. the housing cracked allowing the button to fall apart
110V fresh water pump pressure switch
Aft deck faucet lever broke
micro wave in the GE combo unit failed
Ice maker on aft deck crapped out
Replaced fly bridge stereo speakers and added two more to the aft deck
Replaced mirrors in the guest and master heads
Generator starter solenoid on the Westerbeke
Replaced several hose clamps and upgraded several more on the exhaust system to T-Clamps
Replaced the whole house water filters and the individul ones at the galley and the aft deck bar
New Aft Nav light, complete fixture and new light fixture over both side doors
I had one unforseen and totally unexpected repair:
The port prop which was good at survey, became out of balance. I never felt it strike anything, and there was no visible damage. I even had a surveyor inspect for probable cause. Nothing, but all four blades were out of tolerance when we sent it to the prop shop. As a result I lost a cutless bearing resulting in shaft and strut damage. The vibration came on gradually over just a few hours of running at hull speed. When I went to push her up on plane to clear the blowers for the day I felt the vibration and noticed a temp increase in the port engine. I shut her down and limped back to the marina. Only one more short trip with the boat yard owner to trouble shoot and it was into the slings for a look. Fortunately we were able to pull the prop and shaft that day allowing me to put her back in the slip while we considered the options. It turned into a six week lead time for the strut, so I was happy to be able to work inside the boat in the slip over the winter. It gave me time to begin work on the interior wood work.
I was on the boat during the sea trials and winessed the entire survey process. Did the original suvey miss something? I don't know. Boat ran to WOT with no vibration. Did soemthing happen in the yard while the work to install the dripless seals was being performed? They had to move the shaft back to instal the new seals, did the disturb the cutless bearing? I don't know. And as I indicated above I never felt any kind of impact. This running gear failure still has me wondering what the cause was.
It has been a very busy first year and I am glad to have it behind me. I am having the Salon A/C compressor replaced this week in preperation of an extended cruise planned for the end of the month. With the exception of the port running gear nothing has been a shock or disappointment with this purchase. Given the age and history of the boat I beleive I made a fair offer and have taken the necessary steps to begin the process of bringing her back to the condition these boats deserve. There is still a lot to do and it is an ongoing task to keep up with the maintenance on these boats, but that isn't that why we do this?
I still have a lengthy list of projects and actually look forward to getting around to them over the next several years.
I performed as much of the work as I felt comfortable with my self. Paint work the soft deck and the running gear were all handled by the yard. The A/C is also being done by the pros. I kept pretty good records for materials and labor and the bottom line for the first year is close to $35K out of pocket before I paid for the slip, insurance and fuel. Most of the more expensive items will not be repeated during my ownership. This is to be my retirement boat and I plan to own it until I can no longer safely enjoy and operate the boat.
I have no regrets, and look forward to the year round boating we get to enjoy here on the Tn River.
