The stoutness of a Hatteras hull

[Keith]

I have been motoring up the coast of California, Oregon and Washington heading ultimately for Alaska in 2011. A couple of nights ago, we rounded Cape Flattery and entered the Straits of Juan de Fuca. It was pitch dark, no moon light, you know the feeling, your universe is the boat. We were doing 11 knots on the flood tide on autopilot. I was standing at the starboard side of the helm drinking a fresh cup of coffee peering out into the darkness while keeping a sideways eye on the radar when, we slammed into something so hard it stopped the boat, dumped my coffee down the front of my shirt almost knocking me to the floor. I immediately brought the throttles to idle and moved the transmissions to neutral. My son came running forward from the back deck and ran down to check the engines and bilges. A couple of seconds later we heard and felt this rumbling noise down the underside of the boat. We ran aft just in time to see a log approximately 24 - 36 inches in diameter and about 30 feet long roll out behind the swim platform. We though this is it, we're going down, the log had to have sheared something important off! We did a thorough investigation but could find nothing wrong, engines were still running, no leaks, we had steerage, we dodged a bullet! We were headed for Anacortes but, decided to tuck into Port Angeles for the remainder of the night instead. In the morning, we investigated again. No leaks, the running gear seemed to be OK, but, there were some small gouges and nicks on the bow. We continued on to Anacortes where we are now docked. I'll have a diver go down and check for damage in a couple of days. Hopefully there is nothing other than the nicks and gouges at the bow. My heart has finally returned to normal rhythm! My son and I have spent the last couple of days on what if questions and how we could have avoided the log and do we need some kind of major crash pump system or do we just stop running at night. The decision now is, no more night runs in the Pacific Northwest unless there is absolutely no option.

Keith and Jenny
Lady J 1966 50' YF

 

[Finalee]

I know the feeling. These Hatts are very rugged. I hit a telephone pole several years ago with mine. When we pulled her, the only evidence was a chip off the bottom paint . A lot of other hulls would have been holed.

 

[MikeP]

I can see the headline, "Hatt mows down log!" Good advertisement.

Pascoe's site mentions a 53 SF that essentially took out concrete pilings during a hurricane in FL with no structural damage to the boat.

I wouldn't change anything you're doing. Just write it off as a "boating incident" and laugh about it.

 

[kwerges]

Without taking the thread off-topic, I've been watching the weather reports for the last two weeks for Cape Flattery due to our recent purchase of a 58' Yachtfisher out of Seattle. The NOAA site has recorded 13-16 foot swells at 11 seconds. How's the ride been?

 

[krush]

lots of plugs and some sort of crash pump may save the day

how about planks and an underwater hammer&nails

 

[Pascal]

glad you survived the hit!


i'd still want to check the running gear asap. what saved your boat, in addition to the construction of the hull is the entry design and the keel (assuming the early 50YF have a similar hull to the early 53MY).

the log bounced on the bow, pretty vertical at the water line and then must have slid under the keel, never having time to pop back up in the running gear. with a flatter entry and bottom, you woudnt' have stopped/slowed down and it would have ripped the running gear

luck probably help a little bit!

 

[86Hat41]

I run at night all the time. The golden rule is- Only go as fast as you want to hit something.

 

[boatwright]

any inpact that is severe enough to stop a 50' boat at 11 knots is one heck of a thump. while our heavy glass hulls are great and the fact you are safe is proof, there can be serious damage that only expereinced people can find easily. while the hull may not show obvious damage the glass can be "shattered"in its structure and be badly weakened. bulkhead bonding may be compromised.the boat stoped but the motors kept pushing,did the engines move,how is the alignment? i very much hope nothing is wrong but better to take a serious look now before continuing your trip and when a timely insurance claim can be made if needed. glad your safe i run at night often here on the east coast, but when i was in the PNW the high number of logs made running at night a very serious chioce.

 

[rsmith]

Yeah yeah my Hatt is tough too. But all this backslapping leads to complacency and the feeling that you'll never end up in the water. News Flash there are Hatts on the bottom of the ocean. I would not leave the dock for a offshore passage without a gumby suit for each crew member a SOLAS raft with insulated floor,signal mirrors for each suit , type 1 pfd and strobes for each I also carry 2 406 epirbs and have all the survival gear in a ditch bag. I designate crew responsibility before the boat leaves the dock so that the I thought you were getting the --- dosent happen. when I was 17 I was on a 105' steel hull scallop boat that went down in 10 min 40 nm off cape may nj on a perfect july day 70*+ water temp after a hour I couldnt control the shakes.If our sisterboat hadnt got to us we would all have been dead. The sea dishes out some cruel punishment for the unwary. Didnt they think that Titanic was unsinkable too?

 

[newinlet]

About eight years ago we were heading to Glouster Ma on our 37 About 16Knts.
We felt a big bang under the boat. I slowed and stopped the boat and went down below looking for where the water should be coming in. Thank god no damage I figure we hit a log or something and the hull shot it down it missed our running gear. We kept going to Glouster no vibrations at all . It was dusk and I never saw a thing. Yep these old hatts are built like tanks but anything can happen.

When I hauled her that fall not even a mark in the bottom paint

 

[Keith]

In response to the sea conditions - they have been pretty bad for the last three to four weeks. We were stuck in Grays Harbor, Washington for three weeks do to huge seas. One storm brought in 30 - 36 foot swells! Rounding Cape Flattery was no picnic, the seas were ten to twelve feet. The boat handled nicely but, seas that large and pretty high winds cause leaks where you never knew they could be... We don't have stabilizers so there was quite a roll. Land lubbers say that there is nothing to do while the boat is on auto pilot but sit back. Little do they know that every muscle in your body is flexing just to hold on!

And, those who have suggested additional damage not apparent, I hear you. After the divers initial review, my plan was to haul the boat and have, certainly, the bow where the main hit took place checked. My original post was just the explanation - damn, this is a good boat! I wonder how many of the newer boats would have held up.

In Anacortes,

Keith and Jenny
Lady J

 

[67hat34c]

Good thing you were not drinking beer, may have spilled it and would be far worse than coffee.

Glad the stain on your shirt is the worst damage you sustained.

 

[rsmith]

Good thing you were not drinking beer, may have spilled it and would be far worse than coffee.

Glad the stain on your shirt is the worst damage you sustained.

10-12' seas at night in a rolly polly MY I would have been checking my shorts.

 

[MarioG]

About three years ago we hit a partially submerged palm tree around 3 am on our way to the Florida keys. It stopped the starboard engine dead cold. A fast check down below showed no damage. Started the stopped engine and continued on to islamorada about 80 miles. the only damage was a badly bent prop. Ironicly, no vibration was felt at 10 kts. . Indeed, our boats are solidly built and have been known to take a beating.

 

[scary]

We must have passed in transit

In response to the sea conditions - they have been pretty bad for the last three to four weeks. We were stuck in Grays Harbor, Washington for three weeks do to huge seas. One storm brought in 30 - 36 foot swells! Rounding Cape Flattery was no picnic, the seas were ten to twelve feet. The boat handled nicely but, seas that large and pretty high winds cause leaks where you never knew they could be... We don't have stabilizers so there was quite a roll. Land lubbers say that there is nothing to do while the boat is on auto pilot but sit back. Little do they know that every muscle in your body is flexing just to hold on!

And, those who have suggested additional damage not apparent, I hear you. After the divers initial review, my plan was to haul the boat and have, certainly, the bow where the main hit took place checked. My original post was just the explanation - damn, this is a good boat! I wonder how many of the newer boats would have held up.

In Anacortes,

Keith and Jenny
Lady J

I just traveled south from Seattle to St Helens three weeks ago with my 48 LRC. We must have passed in each other. As commented by others I slow down at night for just that reason. I run at 6 knts at night. I waited for a window of oportunity and that was the 10-12ft conditions you mentioned. Winds were in the mid twenties to low thirties. Now that your in Anacortes you won't need to run at night unless you chose to. I'm not so worried about holing the boat as I am spending a lot of money repairing running gear. As you may have noticed the bottom up here is very hard and the water is full of large debris. It might be a good idea as mentioned to check shaft alignment. I would look at the wear pattern on the shaft at the stuffing box.

 

[Keith]

The diver hasn't showed up yet so I don't know what damage there is to the running gear. The day he was supposed to come to look at the boat it was snowing and blowing a steady 30 knots. I'm glad I'm in a slip...

Interesting how these boats roll. They seem to roll to a point then the hard chine slaps hard, sometimes you can feel the thump, then the boat rolls in the other direction. I never felt that the motion was that uncomfortable but, I have never been on a stabilized boat so I have nothing to compare the motion to other than a sailboat which is entirely different.

I'll be up in the northwest for the winter so, if there are any other Hatts up here, drop me a line, it would be fun to get together.

Keith and Jenny
Lady J
Anacortes

 

[Bill Allen]

with a good searchllight mounted far forward as on a pulpit or bow rail to minimize reflection back to the helmsman, you can see most objects in calm waters. In even moderate seas vision is obscured and a heavy object like a log might well be underwater or invisible until it's too late. There is no real way to reliably avoid objects in even moderate seas even if visbility is clear..add rain or fog and its gets a lot worse.

Rob Brueckner aboard....

 

[jim rosenthal]

I had one of these episodes years ago when I first has Blue Note; I was running northwards in the Day in perfectly clear weather, near tolchester Beach; the channel is fairly narrow and on the eastern side of the Bay. There was a large (100 foot or so) MY coming south, dragging a huge wake. I didn't leave enough room (by far- totally my fault, by the way) and drove over his wake only to see the huge hole that my boat then fell into. Every tooth in my head rattled. When the rattling stopped, I was floating and still proceeding forward at idle. I took the boat out of gear and went below. Everything was fine. (we later found some tabbing loose in the forward stateroom under the bunks, but that may have been there already) The boat was undamaged. I learned a lot over the years, much of it about how much disturbed water follows big boats. Or even moderate size boats. I am far more careful now. And glad I have such a tough boat to keep me from killing myself during the learning process.

 

[boatwright]

I had one of these episodes years ago when I first has Blue Note; I was running northwards in the Day in perfectly clear weather, near tolchester Beach; the channel is fairly narrow and on the eastern side of the Bay. There was a large (100 foot or so) MY coming south, dragging a huge wake. I didn't leave enough room (by far- totally my fault, by the way) and drove over his wake only to see the huge hole that my boat then fell into. Every tooth in my head rattled. When the rattling stopped, I was floating and still proceeding forward at idle. I took the boat out of gear and went below. Everything was fine. (we later found some tabbing loose in the forward stateroom under the bunks, but that may have been there already) The boat was undamaged. I learned a lot over the years, much of it about how much disturbed water follows big boats. Or even moderate size boats. I am far more careful now. And glad I have such a tough boat to keep me from killing myself during the learning process.

along the same line of thought, when in a narrow or constricted waterway the wake from a large vessel or barge can bring sunken debris to the surface and what was a clear path can suddenly have an obsticle in your way. ie the dismal swamp canal and the erie canal are two places that are prone to this.

 

[Kim Beatley]

I was running yesterday in 4 to 6 foot chop at about 15 knots with my 1972 36 C. Really nasty conditions. Had the tabs down, as the effect on fuel economy is amazing. Waves were sending significant spray over the bow.

My sub-driver son had the helm, (Navy trains these guys right.) I went below for a little snooze. In the v-beth, you could hardly hear the waves hitting the hull.

On to the poiint.... My next door neighbor has a new 40 foot Fox Island, built in main. A beautiful boat. In his V-berth, in same sea conditions, you feel and hear every wave hit. A lot of shudder and noise.

I heard that Hatteras built the early models like "tanks." Mine sure feels like one.. ON days like yesterday, that is a good thing!!