It's hard to buy a boat

We had a single DD 8.2T -- 220 hp, IIRC -- in a previous boat, worked fine. Wasn't meant to be a fast boat, and the builder's common alternative had been Perkins starting at 165 hp and increasing to about 220 over the life of that boat model.

There was a significant recall mod, increasing the headbolt size (to IIRC 15mm), otherwise no other issues I was ever aware of. But then again, we didn't flog it...

They're not held in high regard, these days. And it's probably not like parts are growing on every tree you can see...

In the boat we had, as they age, a common repower is a Cummins 6BT... of various hp/ratings.

-Chris

If I remember correctly the 8.2 had two different HP outputs of either 175 or 300 HP in 1986 or so. I had a couple of the 175 HP units that GM put Stamford alternators on for 75 K.W. A.C. generators on a vessel that the gens survived two years before being removed as one threw a con rod out the side of the block @ 2,ooo hours or so and started a fire and the second one kept having constant cooler failures with either the fuel cooler washing the cylinders with lube oil dilution or the oil cooler polluting the system, either way they were an abject failure as marine generator sets and weren't long on the market in that configuration.

The Meridians sort of have a following too which makes resale a little easier

If everything was showroom perfect, maybe.
Call your insurance agent and ask him.
Full coverage insurance will be hard to find.

It is a good boat.
It is not a fast boat.
I'm not a WesterBroke fan.
Possibly an old 32Vdc boat, I would check out any 24/12V conversions very well.

I'm not sure how that house a/c system would work on a boat in salt air.
Inland only may be fine. Maybe others here can update my thoughts on this.

Cruise at 18 kts?? Wide open throttle, down-hill and with the wind,,, maybe.

https://downeyyachts.com/used-yachts-for-sale/1972-hatteras-44-44-tri-cabin-paramour_411941/

https://boats-from-usa.com/hatteras/hatteras-44-12049

I would give it a price between these two ads if you can get insurance for it.
I feel that covid induced boat sale madness is over, there should be some room in this price.
Your going to spend some bux on surveys up front also.

Liability insurance on a boat is way different than anything else.
Marinas are requiring more and more liability level$. Some full coverage.
Fire and pollution are the main concerns that require a safe boat.

Call some docks in the hoods you want to stay at and get their insurance requirements, Oh, More for a live-aboard...
Call your agent and ask for quotes to meet these number$.

Have a defibrillator nearby when you get these number$.

We have a 1978, 58' Bertram.
My wife has to pay the tab behind my back. We don't have a defibrillator,,, yet..
Some insurance companies require training by another captain.

I don't mean to keep dumping on you.
But you do need to ponder these things when shopping for a power boat.
It is not like purchasing an old Buick station wagon.

But for some reason folk think it is cheap living on a power boat.
We did for over 20 years. It was cheaper in a house or two.

It's a mixed bag, problems of old boats. Many of the problems are predictable and can be forecast into the schedule and budget, such as wiring replacements and plumbing upgrades. Joy of the "older boats" is that quite often they are quite simple to navigate and update. Newer vessels get into complex electronic systems along with plenty of bells and whistles.

Older boats were often built to a very high standard, perhaps higher than some of the newer options. If it's built well, often times it can be a good path to your desired outcome. But you have to be willing to invest in the work needed by the old that was cut out of the purchase price of the newer.

Last time I priced a survey it was $22/foot, then you add the haul-out cost and the cost to hire a Captain if the owner is not available to operate the boat.

As for liability insurance, I got $800k on my little center console, perhaps over kill but pretty cheap at $700 a year for full coverage @ $85k including the liability.
For a bigger and older boat probably 4-5 times that.

Insurance is an absolute PITA these days. The older the boat, the worse it gets. I'm relocating my boat and so I have to redo my insurance. Must companies are wanting an updated, full out of water survey before they will even consider insuring, let alone provide a quote. I have zero concern about any survey findings given the condition of my boat. It's just another thing to have to coordinate and work through to satisfy underwriter's. Ugh!