Click for JetForums Click for Westport Click for Cross Click for Ocean Alexander Click for Ocean Alexander

May be in the market, again....

Discussion in 'General Yachting Discussion' started by LuvBigBoats, Sep 16, 2025.

  1. LuvBigBoats

    LuvBigBoats Member

    Joined:
    Feb 9, 2016
    Messages:
    182
    Location:
    Los Angeles
    So I love my boat (62' Offshore PH), but my wife wants something faster and preferably with zero speed stabilization. I also wouldn't mind going a bit smaller.

    Wants are: cruise 20mph or more, 3 staterooms with the third room being either side by side bunks or criss-cross (ala the 60 Hatteras MY), helm in pilothouse preferable with two seats for captain and watch, nice area for 6 people to watch a movie at night, room for Seakeeper, flybridge hard top or express (hard to find express in this size with proper bunk configuration), preferably Cat or Cummins engines, 2015 or newer, no pods, no more than $1.5mm including shipping to Ensenada and sales tax if applicable. Been looking primarily at:
    1. Sunseeker Manhattan 52-55, love the layout but really wanted to stay away from Volvos due to parts cost and availability, very few with engines that are not Volvos
    2. Princess 56-F60, pretty nice and they seem to like to use Cats
    3. Hatteras 60--has pretty much everything except the lower helm
    4. Horizon PC60 or PC52
    5. Some Maritimo/Riviera but tough to find with lower helm
    6. Absolute and maybe Ferretti
    Don't want (please don't ask why) Cruisers, Prestige, Sea Ray, Azimut and similar.

    Also looked at Hatteras 64 but damn it's big.

    Just want to make sure I'm not missing anything glaring, especially something else with Cats or Cummins. Threw the Horizons in there even though they don't have separate stabilization I feel like they'll be stable in a mooring.

    Anything you think missing from the list?
  2. Vaquero

    Vaquero New Member

    Joined:
    Aug 24, 2025
    Messages:
    6
    Location:
    Newport Beach, CA
    I have an Offshore 62 as well and love it, like you I'm looking at possibly making a change as well. I'm looking at express style boats in the 50 - 60 foot range. My issue is Air Draft and the PCH Bridge, there are way too many days I can't get the Offshore under the bridge or I have to move it to our Yacht Club the day before etc. If we are going to the island.
  3. SplashFl

    SplashFl Senior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 2, 2021
    Messages:
    670
    Location:
    S. Florida _ Bertram 46
    The OP's post reminded me of the across my canal neighbors. Wife wanted, Wife wanted, Wife wanted. Hubby gave in and bought the one she wanted and of course paid too much. For the past several years its become a dock "extension," as she lost ALL interest in boats.
  4. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 11, 2005
    Messages:
    14,727
    Location:
    Fort Lauderdale
    I have run ALL of those boats mentioned long distances with the exception of #4 and #6. The Hatteras 60' is by far a much better riding yacht than the others mentioned, by a long shot due to it's beam and size. The 52-55' Sunseeker and the 55' Princess are both too heavy for their hull design and the ride suffers because of it, they tend to roll in a stern quartering sea and they ride like a much smaller yacht than the Hatteras and storage is at a premium. Although I think I'd take the The 60' Princess is fast, but pounds so doesn't ride great either. I'd take Riviera over Maritimo by a long shot, but totally differing design. Horizon I cannot comment other than dockage can be a big problem, but tons of space on the FB and aft deck and salon, staterooms are very funky though due to cat attributes. If you're willing to go there, a 66' Sunseeker manhattan with the sidepower curved stabilizers is an amazing running yacht and terrific at anchor and slow speeds and much better staterooms than the others mentioned.
  5. LuvBigBoats

    LuvBigBoats Member

    Joined:
    Feb 9, 2016
    Messages:
    182
    Location:
    Los Angeles
    I can see why that would be annoying. I like flybridge boats, but if I could find one in the 60' range with a third stateroom that had the bunk configuration I wanted I'd seriously consider it.
    Since you're in Newport, what do you think of the issues with parts/cost of Volvo and MAN?
    Not a concern for me.
    Thanks--love the 60 Hatt but the absence of a lower helm would be a huge compromise for me. I need to look into whether I could get a remote system that would enable me to control the boat from the saloon. If I could do that and arrange some forward looking seating downstairs it would make the choice much easier.
    I don't want to go 66'--would rather downsize a bit.
    I thought Maritimo were made by by the same folks who used to make Riviera? Or are you just talking about design?
  6. gr8trn

    gr8trn Senior Member

    Joined:
    Dec 3, 2012
    Messages:
    813
    Location:
    OR/WA/CA/BC
    With your list here is what I see working, I have not traveled or helmed any of these, Capt J has that covered.

    I can't think of anything you are not thinking of as far as bulid/yards.

    Princess S60 or F60, I like the S60 still has a fly sport bridge and lower helm but not the massive way up high overweight flybridge hardtop that would contribute to rolling.

    Fairline fits the bill except VP power.

    Are not a lot of boats with zero speed stabilizers IPS drives as well?
  7. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 11, 2005
    Messages:
    14,727
    Location:
    Fort Lauderdale
    The 60' Hatteras upper helm is fully enclosed with strataglass and air conditioned, a compromise yes. However on the 64' Hatteras some had the lower helm and rarely ran them from there. I would run the Sunseekers and Princesses from the lower helm very often. The Riviera has a better ride than the Maritimo's I've run. The S60 Princess is fast, I've run one about 400NM in different sea states, but pounds in very moderate seas. The F55 and 52' and 55' Sunseeker all are too heavy for their hull design and tend to feel like it at sea but I think the Sunseeker is a little better running and much prefer it's engine room and crew quarters, I've run all of these and 60' Hatt a few thousand nm's. You could fit any of these boats mentioned INSIDE of the 60' Hatteras, it's a much bigger boat, much more range, and a real yacht compared to the latter ones. I would go with that regardless of not having a lower helm.
  8. wiredup

    wiredup Member

    Joined:
    Jul 20, 2016
    Messages:
    113
    Location:
    va beach
    I have a 2025 64' Riviera SMY. I wanted a hybrid sportfishing boat and motor yacht, and this model is very unique in that it does both VERY well. The fit and finish is as good as my last boat, a 2017 Viking 62' sportfish. I looked at Maritimo, and all you have to do is look at the hull design, especially the aft end, and you can see why the ride difference exists. The Maritimo is completely flat for the final 6+' at the stern. The components used in Maritimo are a step below Riviera as well, from fixtures to doors, etc.

    The thing that has surprised my the most about the Riviera, other than the quality of construction, is the support, and service from the company. They have a service center in FLA that will send someone anywhere in the country to fix issues. They have been up 4 times to address any issues that have come up in the last 5 months. Never had that from anyone else. The one thing with Riviera is the smaller models have pods, have to get over 64' to have straight shafts, which is what I have. If you don't want a flybridge, their 64' SUV might fit your bill. I have had (all sportfish) Viking, 2 Hatteras', 4 Custom carolina boats, so have seen all different types of construction.
  9. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 11, 2005
    Messages:
    14,727
    Location:
    Fort Lauderdale
    One of my customers deals with the service center on a new Riviera I manage and they are great. The owner of the company's (Riviera Australia) son, runs it. They really do go above and beyond. Everything is laid out well and accessible in the engine room and elsewhere. They're one of the last builders left (also Viking) in this size range that are owned by someone passionate about boats and a boater, not owned by a Private Equity company or large corporation.
    wiredup likes this.
  10. wiredup

    wiredup Member

    Joined:
    Jul 20, 2016
    Messages:
    113
    Location:
    va beach
    Yeah, I have been pleasantly surprised as I didn't figure I would get that level of service. Similar to Viking, they do all their production in house, and really feel the quality of woodwork, metal work, etc is top notch. Nick is fantastic down there for One Water, and Jake is also great (runs Riviera US), both aussies.
  11. LuvBigBoats

    LuvBigBoats Member

    Joined:
    Feb 9, 2016
    Messages:
    182
    Location:
    Los Angeles
    Those Rivieras are very nice. Have looked for a long time at the SUVs, but wanted to stay away from pods and hard to find them in my price/size range with straight shafts, non-MAN/VP power and the third stateroom bunk configuration I want.
    wiredup likes this.
  12. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 11, 2005
    Messages:
    14,727
    Location:
    Fort Lauderdale
    I would go with MAN over anything else, then CAT/Cummins.........Pods are good IF you take care of them properly, as in service them annually. MAN makes the best engine in the size you're looking at. Maintenance doesn't cost anything more than CAT on an average basis to maintain and they're quieter, more fuel efficient, smoother and more reliable IMO.
  13. LuvBigBoats

    LuvBigBoats Member

    Joined:
    Feb 9, 2016
    Messages:
    182
    Location:
    Los Angeles
    Pretty sure I've had this conversation with you before. I don't doubt what you're saying, but MAN parts are very hard to come by here, as are Volvo (SoCal). My mechanic who I like a lot is a CAT specialist, and there is a large Cummins outfit just north of here that can support Cummins needs, so my strong preference is to stick with CAT and Cummins (the Horizon PCs have Cummins or CATs from what I've seen). If I had to I could sway from that, but I'd do it with some dread just because I'd be very nervous about the parts situation.

    On a related note, did Volvo heavily discount their engines to boat manufacturers in the past 10 years or so? Vast majority of everything I'm seeing in that time frame in my size is Volvo, whether it's pods or shafts.
  14. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 11, 2005
    Messages:
    14,727
    Location:
    Fort Lauderdale
    Isn't Northern Lights power and energy a MAN dealer right outside LA?

    The D11 Volvo actually performs very well, Very good power to fuel burn. It was the fastest engine in the Cabo 41' that was re-introduced and burned the least amount of fuel at cruise in a pretty compact package. I don't know if they offered incentives to manufacturers but there are a lot of them out there in recent years. I'm not a Volvo fan, but manage a set and have only had a sensor issue with it, but have had some DPS problems lately (sky-hook).
  15. ranger58sb

    ranger58sb Senior member

    Joined:
    Aug 20, 2013
    Messages:
    948
    Location:
    Chesapeake Bay, USA
    Surprised to hear that. We just had to have some out-of-the-ordinary work done, our MAN guy got parts easily enough. I've ordered routine parts from Performance Diesel in Texas, fast delivery...


    I've read Volvo offers a deal to boat manufacturers where they don't receive payment until a boat is sold. No clue if true or not... or if it would matter...

    -Chris
  16. rtrafford

    rtrafford Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 13, 2019
    Messages:
    1,880
    Location:
    Vero Beach
    Grand Banks 60?
  17. LuvBigBoats

    LuvBigBoats Member

    Joined:
    Feb 9, 2016
    Messages:
    182
    Location:
    Los Angeles
    Apparently there is a local dealer. I'll look into it more. Have heard Volvo parts are ridiculously expensive. Just seems so many newer boats have Volvos.
    Glad to hear re MAN. Looking into it more. Perhaps all the stories relate to maintenance of the older MAN engines. It would make sense for that to be the explanation re Volvo, they're everywhere now.
    I've looked at the Aleutian which comes close.
    The GB 60 would fit the bill if I could find one used in my price range. Love GB and Eastbays. Haven't researched it since there haven't been any for sale.
  18. PacBlue

    PacBlue Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jan 9, 2009
    Messages:
    2,000
    Location:
    Dana Point, Ca
    Your wife's requirements are spot on for an owner operated Pilothouse MotorYacht on the Westcoast. The Euro designs emphasize styling and their length to beam ratios make it tough to get to all your items. Not too mention there approach on engine maintenance/access is geared for hired hands and they don't expect an owner to turn their own wrenches even for general maintenance.

    "Wants are: cruise 20mph or more, 3 staterooms with the third room being either side by side bunks or criss-cross (ala the 60 Hatteras MY), helm in pilothouse preferable with two seats for captain and watch, nice area for 6 people to watch a movie at night, room for Seakeeper, flybridge hard top or express (hard to find express in this size with proper bunk configuration), preferably Cat or Cummins engines, 2015 or newer, no pods, no more than $1.5mm"

    The Two Helm Chair Lower Helm (Stidd or equivalent) is a tough find, as there are plenty with a single helm but aft or outboard settee relegating her role to spectator in the bleachers.

    The 2015 or newer also narrows it down quite a bit.

    Prior to 2015, the Ed Monk Jr, designs at Ocean Alexander would fit the bill, an OA 58 Pilothouse MY does have two helm seats in the lower helm area.

    His designs were more economical to run, and if you go the Hatteras route for newer 60 - 64 Pilothouse Motoryachts, you will see fuel bills like you have never seen them before, especially coming from an Offshore.

    20 mph (17.4 knot) cruise is also nice because it will get you to Catalina in less than two hours from NB/LA.

    The Mikelson 61 nearly fits the bill, especially if you can retrofit a Seakeeper system or it is already stabilized.

    Finally, there are a few really nice Tollycraft 61 Pilothouse MY's for sale that fit the bill and can be had for under $500K. With that kind of budget, you could repower and also redo the electronics.

    The benefit of this type of refit, if you select a good yard (Basin Marine, Newport Harbor Shipyard, Shelter Island Boat Works) they can become your defacto service "dealer" as they will know all systems and be the warranty provider.
    YachtForums likes this.
  19. LuvBigBoats

    LuvBigBoats Member

    Joined:
    Feb 9, 2016
    Messages:
    182
    Location:
    Los Angeles
    Thanks for that.
    I like the idea of the Mikelson, and have been scoping out Nomads. Not sure about the third stateroom or the speeds. Should probably check that out more since I have a Mikelson 43 once and liked the boat and the customer service.

    Will also check out the Tollys, but my impression is it would be tough to get it to go 20+ mph any more economically than a Hatteras 60. Have you seen anything like that?
  20. PacBlue

    PacBlue Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jan 9, 2009
    Messages:
    2,000
    Location:
    Dana Point, Ca
    The Mikelson 61 Pilothouse Sportfisher has the three staterooms and a 20 knot cruise, they are different than the Nomad model.

    The Tolly is getting a top end of about 19 knots (21.9mph) with older, heavier 600hp DD 8V-92s. If you repower with 850 MAN's, should have no problem with a 20mph cruise. It would be interesting to at least walk through one and see how it feels.

    What year/model Hatt are you considering?