Flip that Boat, Hatteras LRC

I am Cleanie Dini, and I am restoring the 1982 65' Hatteras LRC. I would like to open up the forum for any suggestions or questions about the restoration process. I am relitivly new to this game but bring to the table a lifetime (somewhat short lifetime being only 23) of experience on the water, from professional sailing on merchant ships to Antartica and Iraq to performace boating to yacht maintenance. It is sorta bringing all those little pieces together for a big project. This boat is the WORST of all the 11 65' LRC's afloat but they are all over 20 years old and I am sure I can make this one the nicest one.

Regards
Cleanie Dini

Cleanie Dini:

Congratulations on your new acquisition!

The videos you took onboard were clever and entertaining. I assume that prior to closing on your purchase, you employed the services of a qualified marine surveyor.

You did? Good, then you are no doubt aware of the potential problems that lurk beneath the lower deck soles, esp. in the master head which was underwater in the tape.
These soles are all made of plywood to which are screwed the wooden lands for various hatches. That will explain the trampoline effect as you step around in various places.

Mold and wet plywood tend to have a love affair dwarfing that of Bogey & Bacall. A 55-gallon drum of Lysol will come in handy.

Speaking of soft spots, notice any up on the boat deck, esp. aft? That deck is cored with balsa, and any water intrusion will require hacking out the punky stuff and recoring/reglassing the delaminated section(s). Typical older Hatteras.

As a small aside, while Green may be the current darling of most progressive types, green anything in your bilges, esp. the ends of electrical wiring connections, spell real problems lurking in the boat's future.

Oh, and you were joking, right, about the ATF for transmissions? Nope, that red stuff is used in the hydraulics e.g., the steering and the clutches/throttles. The engine trannies take SAE 30 or 40.

Other than that, you've got yourself a tank; a veritable Hummer Of The Seas.

You won't have any trouble selling her---once cleaned up--- especially if you employ the services of a knowledgeable, qualified yacht broker. Ahem.

I assume you reference the "11 afloat" knowing that there were 13 built. I had sold one that was at the Orleans Yacht Club during Katrina and I had heard of one that blew bubbles in Europe. Are you counting those as the missing two?

Judy

I inspected one of them in Antibes in the mid 90:s, very solid then, lots of nice (additional) woodwork and if I recall it right, with six Atlantic crossings already.

As AMG points out, they are solid, well built boats that are transatlantic capable. Obviously Loren offers words of wisdom and experience.

Hatt 65 lrc's offer more interior living accommodations than any comparable quality boat in its size. Additionally, they have exceptional headroom (although the Hatt 58 lrc has slightly more particularly in the master stateroom and head). And they hold resale value well too.

Good luck with the project.

Judy

So much activity on the forum! Thanks for the posts. The boat had a very through survey with all associated moisture tests. There are some moisture issues on the upper and forward decks. These are getting taken care of by the legendary Peter Legnos. The electrical system seems to be in good shape with the exception of some parts of the 32 volt system. I have been working blind without any manuals or reference material. All the manuals are on order so soon I will know exactly what fluids go where... HAHA.

From what I understand two of the 65's sank, on in the gulf (Katrina?) and one that was hit by a ship. I am still working out history of this particular boat.

The moisture coming into the master head appears to be very recent. We have located the source and we are awaiting a full fiberglass diagnosis from Legnos. We hope to give all the structure a clean bill of health soon.

What is the general feeling on a bow thruster and vacu-flush heads? Worth the upgrade? Or fancy waste of money.


Regards
Cleanie Dini

Toilet & thruster pros & cons:

A DC thruster is relatively inexpensive; just don't count on it when you really need it--a heavy finger on the button will pop the breaker.
A hydraulic thruster costs a lot more but you can lean on the button all day.

The standard Galley Maid poopers are easily rebuilt and are not prone to choking.
The VauFlush units utilize freshwater, not salt, so the heads won't tend to stink, all things being equal. Vacuum leaks, esp. over time, though, can crop up.

You might consider Microphor heads which utilize freshwater & compressed air and have the added benefit of appearing more upscale and less RV-like.

Loran,
Shoot me off an email some time, I would love to speak with you about the boat.

Dini@cleaniedini.com
8605148712

Regards
Dini

Bowthrusters, go hydraulic, with DC systems, you only get short little bursts of usage,

as far a vacu-flushers, when they are working properly, they are awesome, however, once 1 thing goes bad, (eventually something will) they are quite annoying to work on, especially since on most yachts, the vacuum pumps are normally tucked into hard to reach places, or you just have to be a contortionist to reach them. i am constantly working on mine, luckily, i don't have to worry about guests often at all, and the owner is there only on thursdays, and not even every thursday anymore, normally its just a few hours at the end of the day now.

summery
Bow thrusters, GO HYDRAULIC
Vacu flushers, there are good things and bad things, your choice.

Copper water pipes? For a boat built in 1982, are they usually an issue? Something to worry about or are they usually solid?

Regards
Dini

Those copper pipes will be an issue for your grandkids.

I have a surveyor coming tomorrow to take a look at the pipes. What does everyone think about upgrades. How do you feel about new air or vacuum heads? Fly by wire? Electronics? What would you want to see on a 65' LRC. Post and email your ideas and if we use your idea (same ideas will be selected at random) you will get a Cleanie Dini T-Shirt!
Check out the shirts

http://www.cleaniedini.com/CleanieClothing.htm


Email Ideas to dini@cleaniedini.com

Regards Dini

Where are the pictures of the Cleandidi Bikinis?

My thoughts exactly.
BTW, no XXL T-shirts?

Got some photos up:
www.cleaniedini.com/Hatt_photo.htm

Didn't have time to label them all but it is going along pretty nicely.
I will be posting my custom LED instructions so you can make any DC light into an array of LEDs!!!!!

as far as controls go, fly by wire systems are awesome, wireless control panels that you can carry around with you, makes it easy to always have a good view of what you're doing when working in close quarters, touch screen system monitors. the only downside of the touch screen systems, is that they normally don't do too hot in the Marine environment.

Any idea who makes something like that??

More Cleanie Dini Videos up (Episode 2) at
http://uncutvideo.aol.com/users/cleaniedini

Enjoy, and as always, let me know what you want to see.

Regards,
Dini

the fly by wire controls with the remote that handles everything ?? i'll have to ask Reverie when they get back from Ensenada, they should be back beginning of next week.