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Hatteras 55 opinions

Discussion in 'Hatteras Yacht' started by Knight, Nov 30, 2016.

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  1. Knight

    Knight Member

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    Opinion request of the early 80s hatteras 55ft. Ride, reliability, issues, fuel economy, etc....I'm also wanting to compair it to an 45ft, 46ft. I understand dock fees and more real estate to deal with. thanks
  2. Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

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    What engines? Options? tower?
  3. Knight

    Knight Member

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    I've seen them with mostly Detroits and a few Cummings. options are open, some with towers and some without, I would prefer one without. Just looking for a general consensus or open opinions. How relivent are the options or what should I look for?
  4. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    I ran one with 12v71's TI's just a hard top. It rode good and was stable. I forget but think it cruised around 22 knots.
  5. Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

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    The more stuff up stairs, he more she will roll.
    Old heaver engines will help reduce this some but sucks fuel and your check book.
    Newer engines saves fuel, may make more speed but may not help keep the roll down.
    Larger fuel tanks, few hundred pounds of ice, Mother-in-law down below can make all kinds of trim adjustments.

    The 55 Hat hull is solid. It's all the junk, after factory mods and people in it (ballast, operators and family) that can make it a great hull or a slow ditch cruiser.

    What is it you want to do with this 55 (or 45, 46)?

    Oh, 71s rule.

    Old (Old), Old Bert owner (no in-laws (left)).
  6. PacBlue

    PacBlue Senior Member

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    They seem to offer a lot of bang for the buck, especially those available with fresh rebuilds on 12V-71TIs. I think you are looking at an 18 - 22 knot cruise, depending on weight/tower/toys.

    Seems like a Seakeeper system could resolve any of roll concerns, most of the active older SF guys on the West Coast are retrofitting those.
  7. Knight

    Knight Member

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    I plan on cruising and fishing. What is sea keeper system? Is 22 knots fast for a boat that size? Anyone know what the gph is or should be?
  8. PacBlue

    PacBlue Senior Member

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    The SeaKeeper System is a gyro-stabilizer, will significantly reduce roll on any mono-hull. Refits are quite popular. Google it.

    22 knots for a classic, pre mega-horsepower SF, is pretty good for most conditions. I have not been on a 55 Hatt in rough stuff, but I would tend to believe she can handle more than the captain can. I have personally felt that 20 - 22 knots is a very comfortable sweet spot for cruise on most older boats, as this meshes well with the wave/swell periods. The frequency of encounter seems to be just about right when compared to the comfort zone, what an old test boat captain called the "footometer test", that is, how does she feel right below the feet of the captain at the main helm.Climbing the bridge ladder, having the wife and kids move around the boat, with or without drinks, its is pretty safe without having to grab at hand holds with 30+knots of speed tossing you about.

    I think 22 knots cruise will be at the high end for this classic SF, and the better fuel economy will come around 1750 - 1950 rpms,, more like 18 - 20 knots. Others can chime in on the 12V-71TI Fuel burn at those rpms.
  9. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    1900 rpms is about 80 gph.

    I'd take a real hard look at an early 2000's, late 90's 50' Post with Mans if you can swing it, much faster, much more economical, better sea boat.
  10. PacBlue

    PacBlue Senior Member

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    I googled "Detroit Diesel 12V-71TI Specifications" and found the following information for Fuel Consumption, all taken off the Propeller Fuel Curve for the 870bhp rating, with 9125 Injectors:

    1600 rpm - 17 gph each (about 35 gph total)
    1800 rpm - 22 gph each (about 45 gph total)
    2000 rpm - 30 gph each (about 60 gph total)
    2200 rpm - 40 gph each (about 80 gph total)
    2300 rpm - 48 gph each (about 96 gph total)

    These are engine factory fuel consumption numbers.

    No offense to the 50 Post owners, but I have I hard time imagining the 50 Post being a better sea boat than the 55 Hatt. Faster yes, but the 55 is a much larger, heavier, and more stable platform. If speed is not a priority, the 55 is a great value for the money, and would be a more comfortable cruising boat in my opinion.
  11. Knight

    Knight Member

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    I would sacrifice speed to get better fuel economy and ride. 30 knots would be great but not high on the list.
  12. PacBlue

    PacBlue Senior Member

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    There will always be a lighter, less beamier boat that is faster and more fuel efficient than an older or even new Hatteras SF. That has never been their game. The DD powered 55 is not going to set any marks for fuel economy, you just have to know what you are getting into. There may be a few repowered with Cummins QSM-11s rated at 715bhp, and these will certainly offer better fuel economy. One thing for sure, you can not recreate the sound of a DD starting up, always puts a smile on my face. Love the 2-stroke 'bark". Better have block heaters and a good tune-up if you do not want to white smoke your slip neighbors though.

    Comfort, Construction, Quality, Seakeeping has been their focus. Speed, which is really dictated by the sea conditions, is quite subjective. Your value judgment just needs to include all these areas plus the cost of operating/maintaining the boat, then you will find the right mix for your right price. But it is pretty easy to imagine being comfortably anchored on the 55 Hatt with a nice cockpit shade, and launching that cool RIB from the foredeck to find some new dive spots.

    For any purchase of an existing boat - take everything that is loose, not bolted in place, or completely unnecessary and then run it to Full Speed WOT. I mean everything! record speeds and RPM. Then slowly, and with much restraint, put your own necessary gear onboard, spares, tools, whatever. Run it again and see how much your speed/performance is affected. Keep that in mind as you own the boat and redo it every 3 - 5 years to keep the weight creep off her waterline.
  13. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    Here's the mis-conception. Heavier DOES NOT equate to a better ride, many times it's even detrimental. A hull design really peaks at a certain weight limit and below depending on how much lift/wetted surface and beam/deadrise and other factors. Most custom SF weigh about 2/3s of their production built cousins, Most custom SF also ride much better than their production built cousins. I can tell a noticeable change in ride (for the better) on the same boat on the same day in the same sea state between it being full of fuel and 1/2 or 1/3 tank of fuel on most boats.

    The 50' Post is a good sea boat, very beamy and stable at both. It's a very stable boat both on the troll and running. It's also very fuel efficient, 26 knot cruise at 55 gph compared to the 55' Hatteras. Hull design in the mid to late 90's was leaps and bounds ahead of early 80's hull designs, many thanks to computers and cad/cam. Molds also could be built a lot closer to the hull design, cad offered much more measuring points to build the mold from. It also has much newer systems, 24 volts instead of 32 volt electrical, a MUCH better designed cockpit for fishing and many other attributes that a 1980's Hatteras simply does not have. In real life I've seen 80 GPH with 12v71 TI's at 1900-1950 rpms.

    I've run both boats (quite a bit) at various speeds in the ocean. As well as many other sizes from Hatteras OLD to NEW and Post. I would NEVER recommend anyone to buy a 42' or 46' Post ever, you can look back at my previous posts, but will recommend the 50' Post all day long.
  14. PacBlue

    PacBlue Senior Member

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    No mis-conception on my end, and really no need to mention customs in this thread, the OP has not stated an interest in them.

    I am talking about the performance in the nastier stuff, the 10' + conditions that bring all SF down to reality and then you just have to slug it out. I would still give the nod to the 55 Hatt, but certainly the 50' Post has a great sea keeping reputation in its 50' class. Having had a 46 Post, one of the few on the West Coast, I do agree with your assessment on the 42/46 Post, even though they have a loyal following here. Great interior, easy on the eye, affordable, but underway they have not done as well as our Pacifica 44, or Topaz 44 or 46 Bertram.

    I would venture to say that the 50 Post or 55 Hatt were not computer tooled, which is more a production and manufacturing cost benefit, as the old-school boatbuilders at these plants were pretty sharp and could fair a Hull Mold very accurate to their lines plan. It is not really a factor in this discussion.

    While the 50 Post has an edge in speed and fuel economy, the 55 Hatt has a noticeable edge in physical space and comfort, more so for a family crusier / light fisher.
  15. Knight

    Knight Member

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  16. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    I wouldn't worry too much about the cost of maintaining MANs, a little more than detroits but not all that much. 10 cylinders versus 12. My customer has almost 6000 hours without an overhaul on his 820's. They pulled the cylinder heads off to re-do them and the cylinders all looked good.....
  17. Trinimax

    Trinimax Senior Member

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    Regarding the post 50. I remember reading in the powerboat guide that in 1995 the fuel tank was moved from the engineroom to under the cockpit, which greatly improved the engineroom access. The engineroom in the yachtworld ad you posted looks tight.
  18. Knight

    Knight Member

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    Yea I noticed that to. I like doing my own maintenance so it doesn't look appealing. I'm on the way to look at it now. I'll report back.
  19. Knight

    Knight Member

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    Very nice yacht, well taking care of. Main issue was man 1000 service was not done by at man dealer. Any opinions on the service? Should get a man dealer for a survey if I make an offer ?
  20. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    I just had a set of man 1100's done by a company that's not a Man dealer but has a Man trained mechanic. I have no issues with that.