Hatteras 48' LRC with only single 8kw generator

Shipmates, I am currently considering the above vessel on Yachtworld asking 180k located in Ga. It only has 1 generator (8kw). My understanding is that the 48' came from the factory new with a 15kw and a 8kw was optional. SO, is this enough electrical power to truly operate the all the systems on the boat. Notice that most all 48' have 2 generators or at least 1-15kw. APPRECIATE any good/bad/ugly comments. Boat name is AFTER MATH. THANKS ! Michael 4109132330

Like everything it depends. Remember that 8 Kw is essentially 2 - 30 amp shore power cables maxed out. That’s a lot of power. Does the boat have 2 or 3 air conditioning units? Does it have an electric stove top? Would it be acceptable to shut one of the a/c’s down while using the electric stove if needed? I think I would be ok if it were ours but we rarely use the air unless it’s the heat of the summer.

I think it depends on how you use the boat. Some run the gen anytime not on shore power. We typically only run it in the morning to top off batteries if we've been at anchor or if we need to use the stove which is 50 amp. Our Chris Craft has a 15kw which I feel is too big for our needs. When we start the gen I'm turning on several A/C's and whatever else needed to properly load it. I would be happy with about 8kw for our needs.

An 8 kW generator should be able to run at least two 16,000 btu/hr A/Cs, probably three and still have some left over for a microwave or ???

Most boaters install too much generator capacity.

David

IMHO, I think you're going about this the wrong way. I wouldn't worry about woulda, coulda, shoulda been in a boat. Simply do an electrical inventory. I have 8K. I run it twice a day (Basically breakfast and dinner) for 2-3 hrs. I heat the water in the water heater, top off the batteries, charge devices. Usually the last 1-2 hrs the entire boat is drawing maybe 2-3 amps AC. The generator is hardly working.

Those older systems were designed to have all the AC's running and the oven and water heaters and home stereos and ice makers and on and on. Most people balance their loads manually. YMMV

As others have said, how do you plan to use the boat. Up here in the PNW, we would only have 3 days were we would be running all the systems requiring 15kw. Here we would simply turn off an AC for dinner or convert the stove to propane.

However, in southern Texas it wouldn’t surprise me if 15kw was a necessity. If I was running AC all the time why not have everything else electric and just use the bigger Generator.

So, only the OP can answer the question as to if the missing 15kw generator is an issue.

My 1971 Uniflite came with two generators. I removed the bigger one, switched the stove to propane, installed an inverter and only rarely used the remaining generator to charge batteries. I never did have AC on that boat.

I have a Hatt 48LRC. Has one 15kw genset. The small one was removed and I use that space for 1060 AH of LiPo batts. Works fine for me so far and apparently was fine for prior owner for 10 years including 50% down in PV, Mexico (rjwilliams on this forum).I would be a bit concerned with only 8KW for a boat in southeast needing lots of Air Cond. My model is 3 stateroom and has 4 units. But you could get by with 8KW if willing to manage the power.

It is not a major task to swap out the generator if you find out down the road you really need to. Putting in a second generator will cramp the engine room but give you valuable redundancy and the ability to run just 1 genet as required.

We crawled all over Aftermath last year and had our buyer broker do so as well. We all liked what we saw. She's a gorgeous boat that's well equipped and may need a bit of TLC as she hasn't been used much in the past year +. Solar, great dinghy, decent canvas. Nice! We opted to not buy as the price last year was much higher and we were really trying to stay under 50' LOA. Decent engine room w/ spare props/shafts. 8KW generator- where will you keep her? Will you need all the a/c's running? I have a 12kw w/ three units, electric stove, and electric only water heater. In my short ownership, have not had to run all of it at the same time and don't anticipate I will need to. Salon a/c keeps my aft stateroom cool so I don't routinely run it. I've got a spec sheet on Aftermath, PM if you want it. And if you're bringing her to Baltimore, look me up at Harborview!

All you guys are GREAT, taking the time to write back and READY even called to talk with me. And PROUDSAILOR'S advice is REALLLY helpful. If I buy it, he might be watching me dock it. Think I might need a drink l.o.l.

hatteras53 said:

All you guys are GREAT, taking the time to write back and READY even called to talk with me. And PROUDSAILOR'S advice is REALLLY helpful. If I buy it, he might be watching me dock it. Think I might need a drink l.o.l.

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Can't be any worse than me docking mine. I'll buy the first round at Little Havana

It all depends on where and how you plan to use it. My wife and I live on our Hatteras 48 LRC down in Mexico.

In the winter time the 8kw would be plenty without A/C running. That would charge batteries, heat water, give you stove, oven and probably watermaker.

Now if you are planning on using your boat for extended cruising in tropical or warm places you would need to do some serious load management. Our Hatteras has a 13.5 kw and a 5.5kw. The 5.5kw will run 3 of 5 A/C’s and handle some galley appliances. Once we are getting into heating water, running the stove and oven, and doing a load of laundry the 13.5 kw is the one.

As others have said it all depends on what restrictions and mental math you want to do to cruise.

The Hatteras 48 LRC is an awesome boat. In the short time we have owned it we have taken her from California down into Mexico. We have had both amazing weather and lousy weather and the 48 LRC has been great through all of it. With an experienced cruising boat it does tend to help if you can twist a wrench a bit.

Feel free to DM me if you would like more information.

I would much rather have the 8KW unit instead of a 15KW unit. You can properly load the 8KW unit much more easily than the larger one.

You might want to focus your concern more on it being a 50 year old boat. It was built like a tank, and has great "bones".... 50 years ago.

Every component on a boat has only a certain lifetime. Engines may be rebuildable, but gensets are disposable. Wiring generally lasts near-indefinitely actually, but flex and moisture and abrasion will influence that. Pumps, sewage pipework, hydraulic stabilizers needing rebuilding, etc etc. Dark green oxidizes/fades and how many pennies does a paint job cost?

Hatteras' have the usual issues with moisture intrusion into cores especially on the foredeck, anchor pulpit and flybridge deck. Down below on the bottom, did Hatteras really invent the blistering process???

Seller has attractively lowered the price, but I would think that you're in for a long and expensive upgrade process. If you're planning on keeping the boat for another decade+ then it may be worth it, especially if you're motivated/capable of executing all the work yourself.

If you only intend to own for a short time (say 5 years) then you'll only perform the mandatory repairs and just keep it as-is, like most people. But if it isn't selling for $180k then how much will you be able to recover in 5 years when it is 55 years old?

Beautiful boat at first glance, and don't mean to dissuade you unduly, but it's called tough-love for a reason.

Great thread. I think generator sizing strategy has changed a lot since the LRCs were first introduced due to the availability of cheap and reliable battery storage and inverter capacity. With storage, you don't need to size your generator to the sum of all electrical loads, but closer to the average. To take advantage of this you need a properly designed system however, which is not trivial. Solar is also a game changer.

@socalrider good point. Hatteras' were designed to be run off generators, back in the day. I viewed a 58LRC that did not even have an inverter.

Nowadays, an owner could install a propane range, big lithium bank, solar on a hard bimini, large inverter, large frame alternator, 12VDC super efficient air conditioners (especially to replace those 50 year old units), diesel heat instead of reverse cycle, etc. and greatly reduce genset time.

Absolutely no need for 2 gensets on a boat this size, and a small one will be fully loaded while charging.

Hi Mako,

I truly APPRECIATE your words of tough love Shipmate. They ring true AND are now actually hurting my financial/common sense ears. When I start to add up this morning how much I have spent on my current boat (44'nauticat motorsailor) there is a realization for me. I have spent a ton of money repairing/replacing almost EVERYTHING on the vessel. Please don't ask how much ! There is almost nothing else to do to the boat and it is ready to go around the world at this point; which was my original plan anyway. Guess I have the Hatteras Disease; it never goes away. A paint job is out of the question. Your Bucket of Cold Water is probably just what I need right now. Why would I want to 'rebuild' another boat. As you said, it is 180k and no 1 is interested, so what will it be worth in 5 years 100k. Thank you Kapitan ! Michael 4109132330

Disclaimer...I own a 48LRC so of course am biased

Mako you make some good points Having owned 2 Hatteras boats (currently a 48 LRC) I will offer a different perspective. They can deliver a lot of value. The OP owned a 53 Hatteras so is very familiar with the brand and the systems.
For sure don't buy any boat with a full survey and a healthy budget for repairs and upgrades. Mako points out some areas to focus on.

The good news about a 50 year old boat is that if it has been active and even reasonably cared for many of the original systems have been replaced and/or rebuilt. On a Hatteras as on most boats, and assuming no structural issues the big ticket items are mains and genset, paint, stabilizers and Air conditioning. Not to say you wouldn't find more things to spend money on but they are generally not as expensive. Also the old boats don't have $5k ECMs that while delivering performance and efficiency are black boxes requiring a tech specialist. I have made my career in tech so not afraid of it but now there are so many sensors and electronics in engines a simple item can hold you up. I am sure we have all seen this on many of the YouTube channels. I have watched (with some pain) the issues with a brand new build on this channel.


A few positives about Hatteras is no teak decks and they have fiberglass tanks. Old tanks made of anything else are ticking. The replacement can be very expensive as many boats seem to be built around the tanks. For the particular boat in question I would see the mains and the air conditioners as potential near term needs. If the ACs are 10 years or newer that would be a big plus.


At the offered price and assuming the big ticket items are in good condition it seems to be a fair price.

The 48LRC is essentially the same as a comparable Nordhavn in terms of capability. That would run you $400k-800k.
Almost all boats of that generation have some blisters but at least in my experience it was nothing structural and just an item to keep up on at haulouts.

Wet core can be present and identified at survey. But a pretty easy fix if found and not crazy money.

In conclusion if a buyer wants a really well built "small ship" and cannot afford (or just choses not to spend on) some alternatives that are well north of $500k then an older boat such as this can be a reasonable alternative. I don't know if any of us knew (at time of purchase) or perhaps even now know what a boat will sell for in 5 years. If my funds were unlimited then I would buy a new Flemming. Sadly that's not the case but I can do a lot of the same experiences on my 50 year old Hatteras 48LRC.

As another alternative, Michael, the OP could find a newer boat in that $180k range. But not many I know of will have the ruggedness, space and features of the one he is considering.

Ken

hatteras53 said:

Your Bucket of Cold Water is probably just what I need right now. Why would I want to 'rebuild' another boat. As you said, it is 180k and no 1 is interested, so what will it be worth in 5 years 100k. Thank you Kapitan ! Michael 4109132330

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Here's what I recommend: buy the 48LRC, spend another $180k getting it up to the same condition as your Nauticat, then sell it to me in five years when my kids are moved out for $100k! Everybody wins!

Mako said:

@socalrider good point. Hatteras' were designed to be run off generators, back in the day. I viewed a 58LRC that did not even have an inverter.

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I've been looking at a Defever 51 that's set up the same way - she has 20kW and ~10kW generators, no inverter, no solar, ancient electronics. Too much work to get it set up the way I like by this cruising season, so we're going to keep our old CHB 41 through this summer at least. If she's still for sale in August I might reconsider but I'm sort of facing the same dilemma as the OP, staring down the barrel of a big refit on a "good bones" boat. Mainly depends how you'd use it and how long you'd keep it I think.

GENTLEMEN, our Nauticat is a lovely boat and almost completely redone. Of course it was my mistake to take the Admiral on a 48' LRC last year and also show her an old 53' MY too. I realize that none of you are a Catholic Priest, but I must CONFESS that she was impressed. Since I am truly not a rich man, the Hatteras for 180K is only the beginning as you have 'tough love' pointed out. The 48' LRC'S that are 250/300k asking price, are not in need of that much work. So it seems best to take a magic pill to 'cure' my latest Hatteras Fever attack because those are beyond my wallet.

We all sucomb to the temptation from time to time. I think our favorite boat is rarely the one we own. It is usually our next boat or the last one we owned. The nautical version of "the grass is always greener".

hatteras53 said:

I have spent a ton of money repairing/replacing almost EVERYTHING on the vessel... There is almost nothing else to do to the boat and it is ready to go around the world at this point; which was my original plan anyway.

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@Mike, I had to look up that motorsailer model. Very cool boat. Powerful engine, full pilothouse nice and warm and dry, full set of sails. Dang you should be pushing off across the ocean. If the ship is ready then Go now, not 3-4 years from now when you get your next boat setup and are alot poorer with less financial padding in the bank.

BTW, have you completely recaulked/ screwed down the teak deck? Those things scare me nowadays for long term ownership. On my 65 footer, which was a very old boat, I actually coated the entire deck with a waterproof elastomeric coating, actually forming a membrane, which I then painted light tan (sanded). Yes you could see the teak imprinted through it, but I thought it was ideal and completely eliminated all headaches.

Anyway, curious about how you're handling your decks. Thx

Shipmate Mako, no teak decks ! They were removed before we bought the boat. It was not a perfect job, but such is life. We only have to deal with the cabin top; which you guessed it, is leaking l.o.l. after replacing all the hatches and portholes..of course ! AGAIN, I want to thank you for giving me a kick in the ass to stop dreaming about Hatteras. GREAT boats, but out of my budget honestly. A 48' in great shape is probably 275K. As READY said, and he and I talked on the phone too, any of us can get of THE BEAM. My Filipina wife helps keep in line KINDLY. I got rid of the 53' Hatteras because it was killing me financially. As they say 'if I had your money, I would throw mine away'. Such is not the case with me. I am blessed to have ANY boat. We WILL get to the cabin top someday !