Water tank out

[Scarlett]

Removed the aft water tank on our 53MY and moved the berth aft. Gained about 14 inches. Our mattress is a Calif. King which is 84 inches long and 72 inches wide. We have 33 inches between the foot of the bed and the closet and 19 inches between the foot of the bed and the corner of the head. It is a huge improvement in the space at the foot of the bed. The old tank was about 150 lbs of solid fiberglass and was tabbed very securely to the stern. Had to cut it in half to get it out. It was very well baffled inside. Our guess was it was 90 gallons. We are replacing it with a 70 gallon plastic tank mounted under the bed. Lost 2 drawers below the bed, but well worth it.

 

[SEVEN]

Beautiful work John. Looks fantastic.

 

[Byresch]

Looks good, enjoy it.

 

[Toolsntoys]

I did that also with my 53. High improvement

 

[racclarkson@gmail.com]

Does look very nice!

 

[Walter P]

I think I see a trend on the HOF. As these boats get older and in need of upgrading and restoration,
the present crop of owners seem to be getting very creative. Many of the changes such as the one on
this thread are IMO a vast improvement to the original layout. One of the main reasons that most of
these upgrades work so well is that they are all being done on a solid platform of known strength and
durability. It's interesting to note that there are very few other brands of boats that are being done. I
have always been a big fan of Hatteras yachts. They have a very distinct appearance (Thanks Jack
Hargrave) and have withstood the test of time. I believe they have a lot of years of giving pleasure to
future generations of boaters. Of course there are other classic restorations that are very noteworthy
such as Quentin's complete restoration of his Roamer.

Walt

 

[Scarlett]

That is very well said Walt, even if these changes and upgrades don’t make sense financially, they do make sense in improving the live ability of these old boats we all love. John

 

[SKYCHENEY]

This mod is exactly what Hatteras did on the later model 53's. My tank is under the bed.

Nice work. Looks great.

 

[jim rosenthal]

Totally agree. The changes made by owners here are not only valuable criticisms of the original designs, but testimony to the integrity and strength of these boats as they were built from the factory. Probablky no one expected them to be around for so long. Most of the Hatteras Yachts hulls ever built are still on the water.