2005 hatteras 50 convertible

A good SF should be able to take far more than the person running it can. Most SF owners can tell you about being in really nasty seas and the boat is no worse for wear. I've seen a few with broken exhaust mounts, motor mounts, you name it, after a really rough encounter but the hull is no worse for the wear.

It’s all mechanically relative and everything manufactured has its limits, and these limits differ amongst brands.

I can take a new Ford Mustang GT to Willow Springs, thrash it and break something in one track day. Thrash a Porsche GT3 the same way and it’s ready to go for another round. Both have had millions of dollars of R&D and the result is two different experiences, two different quality levels reflected by their sale price.

Sportfisherman don’t have millions of dollars of R&D spent on them, results will vary.
Comparing an older Ocean to a newer Hatteras or Viking is not fair or representative. They have different targets, different buyer metrics and It is up to the operator (Captain.) to know the limits of their machinery and use it accordingly. Good, better, best, they all apply.

And there is always that guy who can thrash and break a GT3 in a single day !

Great thread....I looking at some 50-ish 2000 vintage sport fish...came across an Egg Harbor 53....where does Egg Harbor come out quality-wise with Post, Viking, etc.

Viking+Hatteras+Cabo
Post
Egg harbor
Ocean
In that order quality wise

Best ride too. Not many boats could keep up with a Bert in rough conditions.

IF you could hold onto something on the flybridge. Those old Bertram SF loved to rock and roll. IDK where I'd put the old Bertrams on that list. Everyone acts like the 54' was some awesome boat. The problem with the old Bertrams was soft decks everywhere, foredeck, flybridge, cockpit. They never solved that after decades of building them (prior to Feretti). The engine room layout of the 54' Bertram downright sucks......have to climb on huge wiring looms just to check oil in gens. A/C units are inaccessible unless you're a midget, everything and various systems are just mounted hap hazard all over the engine room, like there was no plan. The a/c guy just put his stuff wherever he wanted, generator installers too, etc. etc.

They haven't made a 50' in over 10 years. You probably ran a 54' GT which is an excellent running boat.

Yeah, they never made the 50' with the GT designation, that would've been a 54' . They made a 54' mid 2000's prior to the GT designation and those rode great also......did the deck have a pretty good swoop downwards to the cockpit from the front of the house? Or mostly flat with a step...….They are fun to run, but you don't make a whole lot of money as you have fuel to run ALL day and they're so fast, it makes the East coast a short delivery and you don't make a whole lot of money. LOL.

Pretty sure you ran a 54'. Great ride, yes they do about 10 knots at normal idle both in gear. Low idle is 8.5 knots both engines. LOL. I've run lots of them. I used to run an older 2003 54' with C30's and a tuna tower, back around 2007. I told the owner how great the boat rode, he never rode on it except a seatrial…...would use it as a condo I took it to Key West for a few months, Miami beach for a few months, ft. laud a few months....once in while he'd do a trip but hadn't as of yet on this boat as it was an in between boat.....he had a new 61' Viking, sold it and ordered a bigger bayliss and boat this for the wait.......I pulled out of Miami with a 4-6' head sea, turned the corner and lit it up to it's 32 knot cruise.....it rode great but parted the sea's like Moses and shot spray 50'+ off the sides of the boat.....Boat pics took photo's of me and they ended up on his desk......he called me up laughing.....and said you always told me how great the boat rode, now I have proof!

It would be hard to find fault with the a 2005 50 Hatteras like this if it passes survey:

https://www.**************/boats/20...42/Boston/MA/United-States?refSource=enhanced listing#.W5LBCnmWx9A

Has the smaller C-18's, which should make for a nicer engine room.

I wouldn't want the tower, but it looks like a nice clean boat. Low hours. I'd change the aftercoolers if they haven't been changed in the past 6 years. CAT is now requiring this. One with a hardtop cruises at 30.5 knots at 80% which I think is 76 gph for both with 1000 hp C18's. Tower would probably cruise 29.0 knots.

Nice boat... Ditto on the tower. I fish a good amount, and charter as well. Never needed the tower here in NE. With the OP in the Lakes, it would be a total waste. The standard 3/2 layout in the 50 is a tried and true one, no faults there. Real low hours.. If you use the boat a good amount, Im sure you will find some neglected stuff due to lack of use. Dated electronics, but thats just my pet peeve... Hate the location of the autopilot.

I hear you on the tower. It's funny how many SF's with towers you see in the Great Lakes, never know why you see so many, maybe they make it out to the Sea every now and the, but you can spot them in the marinas pretty easily.

Back in early 2000's, I knew a Captain that ran a brand new 60 or 65' Bertram SF with a tuna tower. They had Merritt's take the tower off and put it on the bow, ran the boat to MI, another place put the tower on, took it off at the end of the season, then put it back on when it got back here (Pompano Beach, FL). It was over $100k just for doing that, back then. It sat behind the owners house in MI for the summer, and he only used the boat 1 or 2 days the entire season and back it came!!!!!