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Viking 56 vs Hatteras 54

Discussion in 'General Sportfish Discussion' started by lb3, Jul 19, 2011.

  1. lb3

    lb3 New Member

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    I am looking to move up to a convertable Sportfish from a 40 Cabo express.

    There are 2 yachts I am interested in. One is a 2005 Hatteras 54 with 1550 HP Cats that has aprox 1500 hours. the other is a 2006 56 viking with 1360 CR MANS that have approx 1250 hours. The eqipment on the boats are basically the same. There is a price difference of about 200K. with the viking being more expensive. First does anyone have any experience with either boat and second is the Viking worth the price difference. Are the C30 CATS a better deal than the MANS. I currently have MANS in my Cabo and have been very reliable.
  2. dockboy93

    dockboy93 New Member

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    We had a Hatteras 54 for a season and what an impressive boat. Everything in the boat is overbuilt and of a really high quality. When we cut a hole in the bow for a thruster the hull was several inches think a pure glass. The quality is what makes the boat heavier than the viking. And while you probably burn more fuel with the Hatteras, you will never have to worry about coring like on the Viking. The Weight of the Hat also makes it really good in rough seas, much better than the viking. Actually have a friend with a 56 viking and he is not impressed with the ride when it gets rough. He does however always brag about the speed. CATs are great because you can get them serviced pretty much everywhere. Hatteras is also really good when you need to get a part or just want some phone support.

    While Viking does make a nice boat, the hat is a tank and is my recommendation.
  3. lb3

    lb3 New Member

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    What engines did you run in your 54 Hatteras. what was the cruise speed and fuel burn
  4. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    I ran a 2004 or 2005 54' Hatteras, It has C30's and burned 120's gph at 32 or 33 knots with a full tuna tower. This boat has a great ride and will run 33 knots into a 6 foot head sea and will run smooth......it just eats up a head sea.......with the tuna tower it leaned a little with a strong beam wind but was corrected with trim tabs. This is probably one of Hatteras' best riding hulls IMO. It also is over engineered and well built. The only downside I could find with the boat is storage space is a little on the small side but to be expected on a 3 stateroom SF in this size, also the cockpit didn't have a built in livewell and a smallish fishbox compared to what you're used to on the Cabo. Maintanence on the CATS is 1/2 that of the MANS.

    I've heard good things about the Viking as well, but they've never been on a 56'/ However they are fast. A little more stable at trolling speeds.

    Have you considered a 52' Cabo SF as well?
  5. lb3

    lb3 New Member

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    I have looked at 2 cabo expresses. There aren't many 52 convertibles out there in the used market. This is my second cabo and would like to find one in the same price range as the hatteras but I have not found one to this point
  6. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    Both the Hatteras and Viking are good choices........A lot of it depends on styling too, they are both very different looking sportfishes......However, I think you'd be well served by either one.
  7. SHAZAM

    SHAZAM Senior Member

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    There's been a few good deals on 54 hatts lately. The cats are nice but they're not as light as the Mans but not nearly as complicated. The last 56 Viking I was on with mans if I'm not mistaken had four turbos per motor, no thanks!
  8. lb3

    lb3 New Member

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    Is there an issue with the 54 hatteras and a station wagon effect relating to exaust
  9. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    The 50' Yes, the 54' no
  10. dockboy93

    dockboy93 New Member

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    We had C32 Acerts- 1650 HP. if I recall correctly at 1800-1900 it burned 110GPH and usually went 33-34 knts. The boat did 40 WOT. :)
  11. NewSouthSailor

    NewSouthSailor New Member

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    After looking for a SF in the 42 to 45 feet range to own myself I'm currently looking at purchasing a 50 to 54 feet SF to co-own with a friend / partner.

    Viking 52 and Hatteras 54 are on my short list.

    I observe that most 54 Hatts have commonly more powerful engines (e.g. C-30 CATs with 1550 HP). Some C-18 CATs with 1000 HP. I think all of them come with a 1250 tank.

    The Viking 52 on the other hand comes with 1050/1100 or 1300 HP MANs and there are quite a few with 1400 tanks.

    >>> At first sight the Viking 52 seems to have a better range. Somwhere close to 400 nm. Correct?

    >>> If you have a heavily powered 54 Hatt, would you get a similar range if you run it at slower speeds / lower fuel burn? Would that be problematic for the engines?

    >>> Do you agree that a 54 Hatt with C-18 engines at 1000 HP looks 'underpowered'? If yes, would that mean the engines are put under higher pressure and might have more issues in less time? Or are they an interesting alternative if you look at increased range?

    Thanks in advance for your feedback! I spend hours here reading and I am amazed with the quality and quantity of knowledge that is being shared ... though the real experiences and learning lay still ahead of me ... :D
  12. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    A 54' Hatteras SF with C18's would not be underpowered or hard on the engines by any means. The C 18's are bulletproof, easy on fuel (75 gph at 1950rpms for both, 80gph at worst) and I imagine they'd probably cruise the boat around 27 knots. The C 18 boats are priced much less because everyone wants a 30+ knot sportfish. The C30s are bulletproof also and a very good choice too, they burned 120gph though and pushed it 32-33knots at cruise.

    The 54' Hatteras is an amazing hull, and one of the best I've run at that size. I've run it head into 6' head seas at cruise (32 knots) and it was comfortable! The Viking is faster, yet more of a flatter bottom a little more stable at trolling speeds, but you're going to be pulling back the throttles in a 3-5' head sea. The only thing I felt the Hatteras lacked was a little interior storage. But probably the best riding hull in Hatteras lineup back then.

    The CATS are cheaper to maintain than the MANs and parts and mechanics are found worldwide. I also like the cat controls over the man controls and displays in that era by far. The MAN displays were not very weatherproof at all, and the screen looked funky very quickly on them back then.
  13. NewSouthSailor

    NewSouthSailor New Member

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    Fantastic feedbak Capt J. Thanks!

    Looks like I'd get decent range with the C-18s and the 1250 tank. A cruise in the 27 kts neighborhood is fine with me.

    How about range if you have the bigger cats (C-30) but run them let's say at a similar 27 kts cruise. Would you get similar economy / range? Any problem for the engines if you run them e.g. at 60% or 70% instead of 80% over a longer time?

    Thanks again!
  14. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    You're not going to get as good economy pulling the larger c30's back.......as having the C 18's......but this is vague in my memory.....but I think around 27 knots with C30's in that boat was around 1700 rpms and 90gph.......it shouldn't hurt them to run them like that by any means.......The computers can compensate for the load change, and 60-70% load is fine to run them all day long. The C 30 boats held more fuel than 1250 gallons, I think......the one I ran was a 2004 I think and it held 550gal cockpit and 850 keel......1400 gallons......

    You're not going to find a used 52' Cabo SF at a good price because they only built a handful of them.....I think 3 at this point so far.....but many expresses. You could find a 48' SF (Cabo) at a good price, but it's smaller than you're looking for......