Training

[edward]

How much training would you need to safely operate/run a 53 Hatteras motor yacht ? My background /experience has been confined to 20-25 foot outboards. .
Thanks, Edward

 

[Glory]

Depends on the student.

Just think about how many skippers cans correctly rig and secure fenders.

 

[Pascal]

The 53 is very easy to handle in close quarters as the lower helm is within a couple of steps of your spring lines and has very good visibility aft. The weight of the boat, the hull shape make it more stable in a breeze and the torque of the diesels an large wheels make it very responsive

That said, because of of the size and mass, you need to approach any maneuver with a different mid set.

Anything under 30' you can basically muscle around and as long as you can get within a foot of the dock you can usually pull it in. It's a bad habit but it works. Once you hit 30/35 you have to be able to get the boat when it needs to be so don't rely on jumping on the dock and pulling... it's not hawrder but there is a discipline you need to have.

For instance when I pull near a dock, I don't get off th boat unless I have the boat secured which means throwing the lines around the pilings or dock cleats and doubling them back to th boat usually starting with the spring line so if the wind or current pushes me off I can spring off that line. Once you get that, boat size really don't matter. I've been singlehandling my 53 for years as well as boat as big as 84 if I need too

 

[edward]

Thanks, would two weeks with a qualified insurance approved captain/instructor be a reasonabletime frame?
Edward

 

[Boatsb]

Your asking a question we can't answer.

I've seen paid with years of experience that can't dock a boat to save their life. Others that took to it like it was second nature.

Experience is key. Practice is paramount.

 

[MikeP]

Met a guy in Stamford CT some years back after he bumped/banged his new 70 footer into a slip. We were talking afterward. It was his first boat. NOT his first big boat, his first ever boat! He paid cash, got a briefing from the company, and off he/his wife went!

So a 53 is pretty light duty!

We moved to a 53 from a 36 Mainship 13 years ago. The hardest part of getting used to the 53 was figuring out the electrical system! Operating the boat is, as Pascal pointed out, pretty straightforward and quite forgiving. Best advice, as has been stated...take it slow in tight quarters. IMO, in tight quarters or docking if you are moving at walking speed, you are going much too fast.

 

[tomrealest]

Where are you located? You might find someone here on the forum who would help you out.

The basics are pretty easy to understand. When I got my first twin screw boat, a friend gave me about a 2 hour lesson. He told me, just pull the boat out of the slip and back it in. When you have that down perfectly, pull the boat out of the slip and down the fairway. Then practice getting back into the slip from the fairway until you have it down pat. Go out at different times when the tide is going out or in, when the wind is blowing, etc. Don't worry worry about taking a boat ride until you are confident getting it in the slip. Perfect Practice Makes Perfect. This is about thinking logically about what you are doing. Get your thinking squared away and you will not have any problems.

 

[Top Hatt Craig]

If you're comfortable with single engine boats you're going to love twins. I've never driven a bulldozer but it's similar to the control of twins. Our 43' DC is our first boat and it's much easier to maneuver around docks than the egg beaters I grew up with. At the pump out dock we stern in with the dock on starboard so the hose can reach. The prevailing winds push the bow away from the dock very quickly so we drape a stern line around the dock cleat, tie off (at boat cleat) then put port in forward and the bow comes back to the dock so nicely I almost look forward to pumping out, almost. 53's are found with, and without bow thrusters so give that some thought.

 

[Tim Powell]

I have to tell you what a old charter boat capt told me when i ask about the same question.

APPROACH THE DOCK AT THE SPEED YOU WISH TO HIT IT.

 

[SEVEN]

Remember this. SLOW-SLOWER AND EVEN SLOWER. Take your time and never be in a rush. Just know that if you ding or scratch her it will cost thousands to repair.

 

[bobk]

There used to be a computer hands-on type of course called BoatMaster. It allowed you to enter your boat parameters (size, draft, power etc.) and sea/current/wind conditions and practice what ever maneuver you wish on the computer. I just looked for it under that title and didn't see it, but I do have the PDF for it which by it self might be useful. If you want it, send me your email address via PM.

I'll second the others in that the bigger the boat, the easier it is to handle.

Bobk

 

[Tim Powell]

There used to be a computer hands-on type of course called BoatMaster. It allowed you to enter your boat parameters (size, draft, power etc.) and sea/current/wind conditions and practice what ever maneuver you wish on the computer. I just looked for it under that title and didn't see it, but I do have the PDF for it which by it self might be useful. If you want it, send me your email address via PM.

I'll second the others in that the bigger the boat, the easier it is to handle.

Bobk

http://download.cnet.com/BoatMaster/3000-2115_4-75181259.html

 

[wpc691]

Just my 2 cents as a long-time outboard/new twin screw "big" boat driver.The biggest difference for me from a mid-size outboard to a bigger boat is windage. In calm water and still air, the big boat is actually easier to drive in almost any situation than the outboard. In a 15 knot wind, think again; the bay boat just doesn't react as much, or develop as much momentum when it does. Study Chapman, and practice using spring lines. If The Admiral is your deckhand, practice and agree on commands before you need them in a tight spot. Good luck, you'll love the boat.

 

[luckydave215]

The real advantage with handling big boats is that the bigger the boat the slower things happen, so you have time to think about it before reacting.

 

[Boatsb]

Big boats hit harder as they have mass behind them.

Panic is the biggest issue I've seen over the years.


The first 1000 dockings are the toughest. After that they get easier.

 

[luckydave215]

Big boats hit harder as they have mass behind them.

You bet, there aren't any small mistakes lol.

Panic is the biggest issue I've seen over the years.

The slower reaction time of heavier boats helps on this somewhat.

As a small child in a blue water sailing family I learned to handle heavy, single screw full displacement offshore sailboats. They are VERY un-handy around the dock, requiring you to think through your plan in advance, and we had big boats, up to 70'. I was expected to handle the boat just like everyone else, even at less than ten years old. It's just the way it was in my family....... the best advice my dad gave me then was
"Never move a boat near the dock faster than you're willing to hit it"

 

[jim rosenthal]

All good advice. Probably it would be useful to get an experienced captain to spend some time with you and your boat, helping you get used to it. That way, when you are taking the boat out or putting her back in the slip, it won't be the first time you're doing it.

And keep in mind you don't have to get good at running all boats. Just the one you own.

Computer simulations are good at showing you WHY boats do what they do, but nothing substitutes for experience at the wheel of your own boat, to see how she feels and how the controls feel.

I have not spent a lot of time running 53MYs- maybe five or six hours total. I CAN tell you that in my limited experience the thing that I recall most clearly is the lag when you advance the throttles- and nothing happens until the DDs wake up and spool up a bit. It's a LONG 2-3 seconds....

 

[bobk]

Computer simulations are good at showing you WHY boats do what they do, but nothing substitutes for experience at the wheel of your own boat, to see how she feels and how the controls feel.

I have not spent a lot of time running 53MYs- maybe five or six hours total. I CAN tell you that in my limited experience the thing that I recall most clearly is the lag when you advance the throttles- and nothing happens until the DDs wake up and spool up a bit. It's a LONG 2-3 seconds....

Jim, X2 on computer simulations. My Hatt is my second twin screw boat. Before it I had 4000-5000 hours on single screw trawlers and I forgot what I learned many years earlier. The simulator quickly refreshed me on how to maneuver with twins and would certainly help a new owner to under stand the principals before getting behind the wheel for practice.

The two-three second shift response may well be the result of a transmission problem. Are pressures high enough, seals good etc. Been there done that. Now after engaging, the 48MY jumps when gears are engaged at idle.

Bobk

 

[racclarkson@gmail.com]

Now after engaging, the 48MY jumps when gears are engaged at idle.

Bobk

I was fortunate to be able to drive a couple of large twin screw boats early in life. Came back to it in the '90s and took 20 years off until '15. It comes back pretty fast.

I continue to struggle with one thing on a not infrequent basis. I really dislike my Glendinning combination shift/throttle controls (1st gen.). Oh it's top quality stuff for sure, and their customer service is top drawer. There is just not enough detent in the controls when shifting. Actually, there are three detents per side: One for neutral and one each for in-gear idle fwd and reverse. I talked to Glendinning last year; it is pretty much what it is. I've painted a red stripe across the shifter housing between the handles in '15. Even so, I still have to physically look down or sometimes I'm in gear when I think I'm in neutral. That two seconds before you get a response to your correction can get your sweat pumps up to max. Gonna have to do something further to make the gear selection more obvious. My attention span is getting shorter, and I didn't have all that much to begin with.

I thought about attaching an indicator tab to the inside of each shifter, but the housing is sort of a flattened triangle and the arc of the handle runs into the housing as the throttles are advanced. Anyone have any insight into this short of hiring a lee helmsman?

Finally a comment on docking commands and ADMIRALS as deckhands: Nah, I'm in deep enough on that one already.

 

[Pascal]

Jim, are you talking about a lag on the throttles or the trannies? I've ne ER seen a lag on the throttles, the DD will rev up right away even though you rarely need to rev them up when docking. It helps sometimes but the torque at idle is pretty big. Eve the delay is when shifting forward, it's almost always due to low oil vêle in the Allison gear. So many owners and captains forget they need to be checked running in neutral and warm. The delay never happens in reverse

Lack of tactile feed-back ne thing I don't like about electronic control especially the cat control. The distance between neutral and in gear is minimal, about an inch, making if very difficult to know you're in neutral unless you look in good conditions it's not an issue but when you need to check on line settings and fender adjustment it's easy to leave one in gear... and even at 550rpm a 1650bp c32 delivers massive clear ripping torque