Hatteras GT-54 Sportfish or Viking?

I would have gone with the Hatteras too. Love the lines of the GT54.

A friend of myn also swtiched from an Azimut 55m to a Hatteras 60 Convertible a few years back, and he so impressed with it. His friend has a Viking 64 and according to my friend the Hatteras eats her in rough weather.

The gen should get serviced every 200 hours. I'd recommend getting a second one if the boat can be ordered with 2. I'd skip the twin disc joystick, it's very touchy and the boat jumps around too much to make it useful and it doesn't work that well, IMO.

It is completely normal to run the genset all of the time on a 54' SF. You'd need a big inverter and big battery banks to run all of the necessary basic 110 volt stuff (fridges/freezers, F water pump) that you're much better off spending the money on having the factory install a 2nd gen (even if it's a smaller one to run the core stuff) but I'd rather have the same size and alternate them.

How long is it gonna take to build? And how long will it be until you receive it in AUS? Just out of curiosity.

I have run both the Volvo IPS and Mercruiser/Zeus pods and I have to agree both can be a little jumpy when in manuvering mode but the Twin Dics EJS is based on their QuickShift gear and it's engagement is silky smooth compared to a conventional reduction gear. All of them elevate engine rpms in sportfish mode to make turning and pivoting on fish faster but in normal docking mode forward/neutral/reverse shifts are noticeably less dramatic.

How smooth is it on a 54' SF that does 10.5 knots with both engines in gear and at idle? I used it on a larger hatteras MY and wasn't very impressed with it, it had a noticable delay and was jumpy/touchy.

Dear Liberty,

For the Hatteras usually built for European waters, all systems that are installed work on 220V/50Hz electrical. If you talk to their construction manager Dan Bornarth, he will sure be of help.

As for keeping the generator off during the day, when A/C is not required or engines are rouging, i suggest you install a nice Mastervolt 24/4500 inverter system. This will take energy for using fridges, TVs and 220V lights form extra 24V battery banks installed onboard. The system will cost you almost like installing a second genset, but at least you will have the pleasure of using the boat without the need of running a generator full-time!

That's what we usually do here in Europe, as we hate the idea of have in a generator being running all the time when away from the dock. Plus when the boat is underway, the extra batteries installed will get charged by the engines, giving you lots of power required. And when at anchor, you can enjoy up to 8 hours of silent use of your 54!

As you say, just my 54 cents...

That sure doesn't sound like the characteristics of the QuickShift gears I've installed and ran. Last one was a sportfish that was 11.5 knots both engines at idle and full clutch engagement but most captains I know use what they call "Express mode" where the first 2/3 travel of the shifter lever is clutch engagement and the rest is throttle once you get to full lock. I know the response delay can be altered by programming and I can't say I ever noticed any at all. Nothing like the gen 1 DDEC's 3-4 seconds for sure!

Liberty,
Let me be the first to offer to give her a shake-down cruise in the States before she's wrapped and shipped over to you.

Best of luck with your new, soon-to-be baby.

See if the Hatt guys will take some photos during the build that you can share with us.

The problem you're failing to realize, is there is only 1 or so deck hatches on the foward deck for airflow and chances are if you're in the ocean it won't be open, there are NO opening windows in a 54' Hatteras SF (or Viking for that matter). It's not like a Fleming where you can open up 15 windows, doors, and hatches throughout the boat. Run the boat for cruise for 30 minutes without the a/c on inside the boat, and heat will be radiating from the engine room into the boat for a day or so until the motors cool off, the inside of the boat will be 10 degrees higher (or more) than ambient temperature and absolutely intolerable in Australia unless it's winter. There is NO way you are going to run a SF without a/c on, unless it's 65 degrees F outside. So the whole inverter deal doesn't make any sense, a second generator does and so you burn a gallon per hour running it.

Also, putting a dinghy and crane on the bow will most likely make 2 of the hatches un-usable. Also if you have 3 deck hatches, but nowhere for the air to exit at the rear of the vessel, the staterooms will create a vaccuum and very little air will come in through the deck hatches.

The Gens on the hatteras are very quiet both inside of the vessel and outside of the vessel, and run very clean. I'd have 2, just because you never know when 1 is going to break, and it makes the boat have a much better re-sale. Plus you only have to service both of them half as often.

The inverter might have it's place, but another issue is the 54' Hatteras SF and most SF have a very small battery bank for starting batteries and the house. Unless you're leaving everything completely dead-ship (even then after 5 days you won't have enough juice to start the engines), the batteries will go too low to turn over 12 cylinder diesels in a short period of time......The 54' I ran only had 4 8D's for the entire boat (If I remember correctly)......starting batteries and house, very little if any reserve power if you're running things. I think by the time you add enough batteries and an inverter, that you're adding a lot of weight to the boat and have little space to put all of that in, and keep in mind the cost of batteries every 2-3 years, that a 2nd generator is the best bet. One thing the mid 50's Sportfishes really lack is an abundance of storage space and the 54' Hatt is included in that. About the only place you could put the batteries to supply the power you'd need to do what you want to do, would be under the bunks and they'd have to be sealed gel batteries, and then you'd have to run the cables pretty far.

Valid points Capt J.
With the help of a friend I added an automobile alternator and a separate bank of batteries for the electronics alone after realising that there was not enough charge being created for everything else. It’s a comforting feeling when you are on a 300 plus naut mile voyage knowing that the auto-pilot and plotter have enough charge. Talking from experience! Traveling 4 days in the ocean without autopilot makes you really appreciate the AP.
As for the batteries going flat FAST, yes they will! Worst case, you can’t start the generator and then you are in a mess!
What happened to the evolution of the Sport Fisherman?
It stopped at the waterline in many respects. Where are the solar panels for the hard top or the tuna tower? Where are the hatches that are totally waterproofed when you need them to be at 40 plus knots, but are powerful air ventilation when at anchor or light cruising.
It’s not a matter of “if you need to worry about fuel consumption, you can’t afford it!”
Liberty, good idea to ADD hatches. The Merritt installed hatches on my boat are heavy, overlap the opening by at least an inch of timber and a grown man (at least of normal girth) can fit through them if ever required. They also lock and seal 100%.
We rarely run the generator for the airconditioning while at anchor, just for fridges and freezers. Being on the water will usually turn the boat to catch the breeze via the hatches and I suppose if we had to, a small 12v fan would go a long way if there was no breeze.
IMHO, there was a time (pre GFC!) when boats like these were built for getting there FAST, FIRST and same on the return and nevermind the cost of fuel or spending much on R&D on anything else, save that for the naval architects to design a slippery hull.
Well times have changed! We pay close to $1.60 p gall for fuel in Aus and besides, why waste all that fresh air?
There is a lot to be learnt and improved on from the sailing fraternity on this subject and also the housing industry.
Just my 2c.

Liberty,

This is a photo of a 54C I delivered to Italy several years ago, featuring 3 hatches, side port lights and a bow tender with davit (Nautica RIB).

It should give you a clear idea of the look of your future 54C!

(The photo was taken in New Bern at the Hatteras yard just before delivery)

Since you are only putting a hard top on the boat. If you decide to go the inverter route, have you considered asking if Pipewelders (hardtop manufacturer) could build solar panels into the hardtop? It would help with charging the inverter bank (or others). I managed a 55' Neptunus that had 2 of them that were approximately 2' x 6' and on a good sunny day, both of them would put out 10-13amps per hour, you might be able to get enough solar power to net 20-25 amps an hour on a sunny day. I don't know how they price out, and you'd still have to have a large inverter bank for night time.

Honestly in the longterm price/cost/weight/space/vs. benefits, I think a 2nd generator is the way to go when you consider inverter cost, battery and battery replacement cost, and the fact you'll probably have to run the generator part time to charge the battery banks. You could also go with a small generator as a 2nd that would run everything but the a/cs or stove and probably get away with a 5-7kw which wouldn't use much fuel, take up much space, and would be quiet. But you're best with a like size that can run anything as a 2nd gen, because staying on the hook for days means running a watermaker at 20-30amps an hour for 5 hours at a time, hot water heater, and definately cooking......

Congrats on the boat. You picked one of the best available. One thing, make sure they put the air conditioning compressors in a serviceable place. There was a 54 on the east coast that had them in such a bad place that no one wanted to fix them when they broke. I think they ended up having to cut them up to get them out. They then moved them to behind the ladder into the engine room on a really nice rack.

Capt J,
Which boat with the TWIN DISC EXPRESS JOYSTICK SYSTEM did you operate that was jumpy?

And, are you saying you ran a HATTERAS with the EJS as well?

I have some involvement with this system and am currious as to which boat you ran.

thanks,
Steve