Suitability of a 58 hatteras long range cruiser in the med

Zkaliman

Active Member
Joined
30 Aug 2021
Messages
58
Location
Empuriabrava
Visit site
I’ve been considering buying a trawler like this and cruising in the med for a few years.

I boat in the usa and I’ve been told this type of boat would not be suitable for the med.

I would be interested to hear from skippers in the med in regards to the seakeeping abilities of this boat in the med.

in usa and carribean waters I’ve heard these are fine boats so I wonder why this boat would not “work” in the med ?

cheers
Thanx for your opinion. Here’s the boat 1980 Hatteras 58 Long Range Cruiser Motor Yacht for sale - YachtWorld
 
The electrics are not compatible with our 220v shore power or appliances like say your phone charger .
You can get them converted but it’s expensive .
I mean everything inc the generators .
There is also an issue with CE approval if importing the thing permanently .This may be a grey area with get around s but still a phaff or worry.

Personally a boat that top heavy and slow will need. Stabilisers of sorts .It’s not clear from the ad it’s got them .If not figure another €100 K on top of the near €100 K to re do the electrics and CE spec it properly for permanent EU waters use.
 
The boat looks a beauty. It resembles a Grand Banks of that era and there are plenty of them in the Med. You have to rig up a passerelle for boarding when you come in stern to, which is the default docking method in the Med. As Porto says the electrical connections are a problem but I’ve seen US boaters using a step down transformer without any problem (that I know of).
 
On top of the issues already stated, I'd like to add that you'd have to remove all the panels closing the aft deck and use it as designed from May to Sept. It's hot down here as probably know. Maybe I'd put it back on during the winter if you plan to travel around the Med then.
Access to stern cleats with all that panels and clear plastic sheeting is restricted...

TBH, not sure it's worth getting it over, maybe buy a similar thing locally?
 
The boat looks a beauty. It resembles a Grand Banks of that era and there are plenty of them in the Med. You have to rig up a passerelle for boarding when you come in stern to, which is the default docking method in the Med. As Porto says the electrical connections are a problem but I’ve seen US boaters using a step down transformer without any problem (that I know of).
Problem with the step down / transformer route , it kinda gets them by temporarily in the Med before they head off out .
For permanent use as I said try a phone charger , the sockets are different .Also the fridge packs up .Where is he gonna buy a US spec fridge to replace it ? That boats stuffed with US appliances .

Forgot to mention VAT if “ permanent “
 
Hi guys appreciate the responses - awesome - I’ve found the boat below that’s been in Europe already for a long time and built originally with European outlets - it does have stabilizers and already has a passarelle - and the vat and ce are valid concerns - I would like to clarify - my question is more along the line of the seakeeping abilities of this full displacement Hull in the med seas. I was told that med sea waves are short and choppy with frequent weather changes - therefore u see many semi displacement boat instead in the med. do u think I would do fine cruising in this boat in the med given it’s a displacement Hull and slow ?
I like this boat because it doesn’t consume a lot of feul and it’s big and heavy and hatteras is known for strong seakeeping hulls. Will I be encouraging problems traveling with a slow full displacement Hull in the Med or will I be all right given the reputation of these hulls ? I have a boat in the usa and it’s great to talk to boaters on the other side. Portofino did mention that this boat is top heavy and would need stabilizers - it does have stabilizers. Would that be the major problem of moving around with this boat in the med. would I be opening myself a can of worms for the med in this boat ?
I have been looking at a older sanlorenzo in the med 75 feet. Buy they are diesel guzzlers with 12v92ta 1050 hp. But they are “designed for the med” if that is a term or a reality in med shipbuilding versus American ship building.
1982 Hatteras Long Range Cruiser Cruiser for sale - YachtWorld
 
Last edited:
Agree that looks good .
It will work out in the Med .D speed is fine with stabs and it’s got it .
In the season the sea is mostly flat like this .

It will work because 50 % of the leisure boats are sail boats and 1/2 of them never seem to bother with the sails they motor at slower than 9 knots .

Those SL s ( 58-72 s ) are essentially planing boats designed to go 20 knots + and as you say guzzle fuel .
The bigger V12 s in particular.You could pootle at D speed but prolonged use circa 800 rpm of those engines is not good for them .This is because they are by today’s standards old tech and lacking fancy ECUs electrotwackery the basic mechanical injector pumps ar low RPM s tend to over fuel .

Over fuelling at lower cylinder temps and pressures for prolonged periods and you enter into this -
The effect of operating conditions on heavy duty engine valve seat wear.

And excessive soot here ( go to the bottom )
Press & Articles | Diesel TEK™.


So what ever you end up buying use it ( run the engines ) as the manufacturer intended most of the time .

Ask yourself “ how you intend to boat, it’s use age pattern “ find a boat that fits .

You could today with any 2021 diesels run them safely at under 1000 rpm for ever , because the electrotwackery limits the injector squirts and this mitigates the soot issues .But as said if you are never gonna run new Sunsseker Yacht 80 at planning speed or a new SL 72 then don’t buy one in the first place .Buy a displacement boat to begin with like that Hatt .
 
I had a trawler for many years in the med - and not a fancy one with stabilizers and such just a old steel 15tons trawler.

Cruising in the med was for me basically hops of maybe 40-60 miles if you travel during the day or 120 if we would pull an overnight (I would do until 4am steering then wife would take over and ride with the dolphins). Followed by days in a sheltered bay, as going in a marina for the night would often be a 200Euro affair (300 for you as you are even bigger). So a good tender - that is a tender with a proper seat, a good engine able to plane it easily, not that thing which you can see in the pics - literally the biggest one you can fit on the boat is a must, I have seen some trawler people resorting to tow 6m tenders, way larger that the boat itself, as the ability to move to shore without getting wet or shaken to the bones is the key to the nomadic trawler life (also in summer very often there is no place at all in the marinas, you can dock 2-3 hours for fuel and water and off you are again).

If you are willing to take your time and travel when the conditions are right (eg 2-3 days after the end of a mistral cycle, when the wind start slowly to blow from the East again is perfect time to cross from Italy to Corsica for example) you are basically fine with every kind of boat.
Now in your shoes i would just make sure you have a proper genset (that is not a loud banger) + backup, desal, a washing machine, big freezer. And you are all set and just seeing all that space outside in a nice shade makes my drool. Icemaker is nice for that Aperol Spritz sunset.

Old engines are not necessarily bad, 450HP means you will run them loaded enough that they will not run in the problem Porto mentioned, maybe worth to have a very careful inspection. Or if you feel fancy and see that you really use the boat - maybe repower with ftp engines, the kind used on fishing boats etc - very sturdy and more comfortable (GMs are engines you can "hear and smell" ...).

If you look at most boats "made for the med" they invariably have enormous engines, like 2x1200 HPs MANs or so. The reason I believe is not in the med as a sea but in the users of this boats, the owners where (and are) most company owners, managers etc, the kind of people that have 1-2 days only at a stretch and drive down to the sea (most cities are 1-2 hours from the sea in Italy), quick 30 miles trip to Elba Island, or weekend to Sardinia, and back the next day - or just one afternoon with friends, maybe 20 miles away to a beautiful bay. And if you do this kind of cruising you need the "getaway" card - if the weather turns sour just floor them, burn 14 liters a mile and quick back home.

So I would absolutely have a look at this boat, get some due diligence done and off you are.

BTW there is a similar one here DEFEVER 50 Motor Yacht – Due Porti bit more pricey but is basically a 10 y/o boat.
 
I’ve been considering buying a trawler like this and cruising in the med for a few years.

I boat in the usa and I’ve been told this type of boat would not be suitable for the med.

I would be interested to hear from skippers in the med in regards to the seakeeping abilities of this boat in the med.

in usa and carribean waters I’ve heard these are fine boats so I wonder why this boat would not “work” in the med ?

cheers
Thanx for your opinion. Here’s the boat 1980 Hatteras 58 Long Range Cruiser Motor Yacht for sale - YachtWorld
The problem will be that if you want to import it to enable you to use it in your home country it will need to be certified to conform to the European RCD II (probably still the same for the UK).

Engines from 1980 won't conform and will almost certainly need to be replaced.
 
I’ve been told this type of boat would not be suitable for the med.
Who by? Someone who never cruised in the Med, more than likely?

Aside from some minor technicalities that were already mentioned, like the 50Hz grid and the convenience of a stern passerelle, there's absolutely nothing that make a boat suitable (or not) for the Med.
Pretty much like in the US, it's all down to personal preferences, nothing else.
Sure, you will see less pure displacement trawlers in the Med compared to the PNW for instance, or less sportfisherman boats than in FL.
But that's strictly because most Med boaters are more familiar with different boat styles, like planing FB boats or open/hard top express cruisers.
Choices which BTW are driven by fashion/design, to a pretty large extent.
Certainly not because a Hatt MY (or SF for that matter) aren't "suitable" for cruising these waters!
Bottom line, just go with whatever you prefer, and all the best for your plans. (y)
 
Was that from the range anxiety with the Tesla, or was it the stress coming from what your dog was doing to those white seats?
I have been stressed by everything, the range anxiety, my boat leaking some diesel into the bilge and yes, I have had words with the dog (and his mother) about the rear seat. Tomorrow I will check the boat in the morning to see if I’ve fixed the leak and then we will go for a drive. Hopefully my blood pressure will go down a little
 
Fairline " Match"
In post 6 there are videos of the Hatteras one of them shows Match moored alongside.
Has it gone to a new home.

Wasn‘t Match jfm’s first version, and Match 2 his second? I thought the first one went to the Baltic, or a Baltic based family, which of course could have moved it to the Med.
 
^^^ June Day .
Itama 40 used to be based in Cavilaire in the corner by the ice cream stall .
890C3171-5036-437A-BB66-E64B44EE9B0F.jpeg
A rose in a bed of thorns :)7B2952A4-F042-4025-8056-F41909ECFCB2.jpeg
Its in the Var not CdA imho .
The difference is the owner of June Day , owns a smart villa nearby .
 
Last edited:
Top