54 GT Hatteras 2011

Source: Power & Motoryacht Magazine

When a conservative builder like Hatteras comes out with a new boat, it’s big news – but if it’s a whole line of new boats, it’s three times as interesting. The North Carolina company is in the process of introducing its GT Series of sportfishermen, comprising the GT60, GT63 and the model featured in this report, the GT54. With designs inspired by fast, comfortable and seaworthy Outer Banks custom fishboats, the new Hatterases (Hatteri?) share hull forms and profiles among themselves, but are much different from similar-sized boats previously built by the company.

Stylish and Fishable

The Outer Banks of North Carolina are challenging waters for any boat. Its narrow inlets, carved by sea and storm in the sandy bottom, shift constantly, making local knowledge a necessity for skippers making the passage between the sheltered waters behind the Banks and the Atlantic. But that’s only half of it: Even the most expert captain needs a boat that can handle the often dangerous conditions. Over the decades, Carolina builders have developed a hull combining sharp forward sections to slice through the rollers with a flattish bottom aft for speed and fuel efficiency.

Hatteras has drawn on classic Carolina styling for the GT Series, combining it with the company’s well-known soft-riding bottom, battleship-strong construction and gentlemanly interior appointments. Each GT sportfisherman, we are told, will run at least 41 knots and do it with an aggressively flared convex bow that morphs into a sweet tumblehome transom evoking the graceful wooden sportfishermen of days past. But unlike cold-molded juniper frequently used by custom Carolina builders, Hatteras is building the GT boats with resin-infused laminates – the hulls, stringers and bulkheads are built this way, light and strong. Anybody who knows boats knows they don’t come any better than Hatteras, but the GT Series seems to kick even this company’s already high standards up a notch or two.

The Hull Isn’t All

A hull that can take a licking is important, but when it comes to serious fishing other things matter, too. Hatteras has been in the game for a long time – the first fiberglass convertible was a 41 Hatt, launched more than 50 years ago. Using all the knowledge acquired over half a century, the company’s designers created a tournament-ready cockpit, with lots of room even with a full-sized chair mounted (a mounting plate is laminated into the sole). In-deck fishboxes handle the catch, a recirculating live well holds the bait. There are compartments for gaffs and boathooks – no more keeping them in the rod racks.

Kibitzers will find an improved mezzanine, with ergonomic seats, back- and armrests. It’s convenient to the entertainment system, too. Folks who want to get fancy, and don’t mind the extra maintenance, can opt for teak cockpit sole, coaming boards and toerail. We’d stick with fiberglass, though.

Accommodations

The galley is “up,” in the deckhouse, which is arranged for maximum lounging comfort and an easy flow of traffic. When fishing offshore, which can involve long periods of monotony, many anglers prefer to hang out in the air-conditioned saloon, jump to action when there’s a strike. It’s important that they can get into the cockpit quickly without falling over each other, and Hatteras designers have fine-tuned the saloon to make that possible.

Belowdecks, there’s a VIP stateroom forward and a master amidships to port, opposite a third stateroom with two single berths. Buyers who want something different have a wide latitude in custom layouts – anything that won’t compromise the hull integrity, according to a Hatteras spokesperson. Buying a boat like the GT54 is more a process than an event, so if you want one, expect to be involved right from the start to get just the boat you want.

Power and Performance

According to the builder, the GT54 will run 41 knots at top end and 37 knots at cruise with the optional 1600-hp Caterpillar C32A diesels. Twin 1,150-hp Cat C18 diesels are also available, and most likely those are the engines that cruising-oriented buyers will specify. The diesels will be covered by Cat’s Concierge Program to provide exceptional customer service wherever the boat is located.

The lighter weight made possible by the resin-infused hull reduces fuel burn and provides a range of 400 nautical miles at cruise, says the company. We haven’t tested this boat, but when it’s ready, we’ll be there with test gear in hand and will let you know what happens in the real world.

With the tooling for these three new battlewagons, the company’s commitment to tournament-level billfishermen is obvious. By drawing on its boat-building roots in the Carolina Outer Banks, Hatteras convertibles should appeal to veteran big game anglers.

But Hatteras will also be reaching out to the cruising yachtsman who doesn’t want to own a gin palace or a Euro-styled express motoryacht. It is easy to forget that Hatteras motoryachts at one time ruled the world, so to speak, and was the leading brand of motoryachts around the world for a couple of decades, and even today is the largest builder of motoryachts in the U.S. The company knows the cruising yachtsman’s mentality, and it is baking cruising amenities into the new GT54 Convertible as well as sportfishing.

Prices and Recommendation

Hatteras doesn’t publish prices, but we can usually pry something out of them. Not this time: The MSRP of the GT54 is top-secret. However, our source at the company said the price will be “extremely competitive” to the old 54, which is being discontinued. What’s more, there’s a price incentive on the first five of each GT model sold, which might make the new boat less costly than the present one, at least for the moment.

The GT54 will be at the Miami boat show in February, and the GT63 sometime after that. We think any one of these new Hatts will be worth waiting for. Hatteras is hungry and wants your business.

If we have learned anything in our 42 years observing boat building at close range it is simply this — the pendulum swings. Styles come and they go. Boat types evolve. Brands that are on top are the most vulnerable and in a matter of just a few years can be near the bottom. We have seen it again and again. The drivers of that pendulum in the boating business, just like that in any business, are individuals with vision, a plan, and a work ethic.

The folks in New Bern seem to have a vision, they certainly have a plan, and they are working hard.
We’ll keep you posted.

Boat Specifications: 54 GT Hatteras 2011

Length Overall                        53′ 10”16.41 m

Dry Weight                             75,000 lbs.34,019 kg

Beam                                       17′ 3”5.27 m

Fuel Cap                                  1,200 gal.4,542 L

Draft                                       4′ 2”1.27 m

Water Cap                               200 gal.757 L

Deadrise/Transom                   N/A

Bridge Clearance                    14′ 9”4.5 m

Max Headroom                       6’6”1.98 m