Hatteras 48 vs 58 LRC deck level

Newbie Question:

I've been looking at Hatteras 48 and 58 LRC's as a bluewater family cruiser/dive base. One thing that has struck me is how high the 58s deck is above water and dock level. I could see entry and egress posing problems let alone loading provisions/dive equipment.

Am I over thinking this? How do people access similar boats? Would a permanent gangway be required?

Thanks

Google MarQuipt stairs, that’s what most Hatteras use.

We looked at a 58 last week. The height of the deck would not be a concern to me at all. You have the cockpit to load into from the dock if it is a floating dock. Then there are Marquip steps. Almost all of them have Marquip steps already.

My boat isn't as tall (4ft freeboard aft), but with no cockpit and a ladder up from the swim platform, boarding that way is impractical. We carry a folding step ladder aboard that can be easily placed on the dock when traveling to somewhere with low docks, as some places do leave a 2.5 - 3 foot step up.

The ladder we carry is an older version of this: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Cosco-2-Step-Folding-Steel-Step-Stool-200lbs-Cool-Gray/21591849

Folds flat, isn't all that heavy, and the handle sticks up enough that it's easy to place down onto a dock. If you don't have a built-in solution, a 3 or 4 step version of something similar might do the trick. For a home dock, I'd build or buy a permanent set of steps to stay on the dock.

Are those two models really considered “blue water” or just extended coastal cruisers?

I would consider the 58 one. The 48 I am not so sure because I haven’t looked at one or even checked one out.

Yes, they are indeed full displacement trawlers. One thing nice about the Marguipt stair system, is that you can also have a lightweight detachable ladder that uses the same fittings or a second pair up on the gunwale with the stairs' pair below rub rail exactly parallel to the dock. . We are not particularly agile and lived with this arrangement for almost seven years on our Hatteras 56MY. The downside to the stairs is they are excellent finger pinchers if you are not careful. If no dockhands were around, I'd deploy the ladder, then stage the stairs and put them on from the dock. If we were only going to be at a marina for a night or so, we just used the ladder.

Comodave said:

I would consider the 58 one. The 48 I am not so sure because I haven’t looked at one or even checked one out.

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Thanks Dave. 5000nm @ 6kn is the off the cuff number that I'm chasing

I dont suppose you would have the same for the 48? ?

GoneDiving said:

5000nm @ 6kn is the off the cuff number that I'm chasing

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GD I would disagree with the premise of operating your engine at that loading. 1000rpm is barely idling.

I operated my 6-71Ns at 1325rpm continuous for thousands of miles, and honestly I regret it. It’s not healthy.

I know this subject is contentious, but I would suggest 1400rpm minimal for good engine warmth without cooling that block down with that big blower. That will still gain you 3000nm at 8 knots, which is fantastic.

Or if you plan to run at 6 or 7 knots the majority of time, then consider smaller injectors so you can load the engine higher.

This is the point where guys say just run your engines one hour a day at full steam and blow out the carbon buildup. But my question is why would you want to purposely build up carbon I the first place?

Anyway, just one humble guy’s opinion.

makobuilders said:

GD I would disagree with the premise of operating your engine at that loading. 1000rpm is barely idling.
.....

Or if you plan to run at 6 or 7 knots the majority of time, then consider smaller injectors so you can load the engine higher.
.....

Anyway, just one humble guy’s opinion.

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Thanks.

So how does that work? Wouldn't simply changing the injectors produce the same block and combustion temps for given rev ranges and prop speeds? Would it be necessary to also swap out props so that boat speeds are reached higher in the rev range?

I'd agree that operating any diesel (especially a 2 stroke) at very low loads is to be avoided.

Cheers

Good looking boats but one is easier to access

You can run them for a long time at very low loads; the once a day or occasional blowout mitigates the carbon from semi-permanently building up. There are a lot of urban legends about these engines. Great resources for first hand knowledge are available at the Hatteras Owner's Forum https://www.samsmarine.com/forums/index.php and the LRC Club https://www.hatteraslrc.com/

Back to the stairs and ladders, here's a pic of a Hatteras with the ladder in place, a transient that came in next to us, and our boat with the stairs on the right

GoneDiving said:

Thanks Dave. 5000nm @ 6kn is the off the cuff number that I'm chasing

I dont suppose you would have the same for the 48? ?

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Sorry, no. Only reason I had that is because we just looked at one.

I would not be too concerned about running them slow. We had Detroits in a previous boat and had no issues running them slow, just run them up periodically. Besides if you run them slow for a couple of thousand hours and do carbon up the engine, they are cheap and easy to rebuild.

The 48 In Nashville on YW is pretty nice. We went on it 4 or 5 years ago .

So why not just enter through the cockpit. Thats an easy peasy access route.

On any pilothouse boat you have a pilothouse door, that doesn’t mean you have to use it for dock access.

My opinion is that the Hatteras LRC’s were plying the oceans long before Nordhavn was even a dream.

ksanders said:

So why not just enter through the cockpit. Thats an easy peasy access route.

On any pilothouse boat you have a pilothouse door, that doesn’t mean you have to use it for dock access.

My opinion is that the Hatteras LRC’s were plying the oceans long before Nordhavn was even a dream.

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From a floating dock that is absolutely the way to enter. It is a tall step up from the swim platform so if we were to buy one I would have to modify the one step on the transom to two steps. But if we were to buy one we would have to store it about 3 hours from home for the winter since no yard around here can haul it. That would kill me working on the boat during the winter. Our yard stores our current boat 1 mile from home so it is simple to work on the boat during the winter.

GoneDiving said:

Thanks Dave. 5000nm @ 6kn is the off the cuff number that I'm chasing

I dont suppose you would have the same for the 48? ?

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The 48 only has 1300 gallons of fuel...

So why not just enter through the cockpit. Thats an easy peasy access route.

On any pilothouse boat you have a pilothouse door, that doesn’t mean you have to use it for dock access.

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When you are schlepping a bunch of stuff onto or off of the boat, it often is much easier and quicker to use the stairs. Not to mention if you have to make an emergency exit.

Then of course, you have the issues of being at a fixed dock.

GoneDiving said:

Newbie Question:

I've been looking at Hatteras 48 and 58 LRC's as a bluewater family cruiser/dive base. One thing that has struck me is how high the 58s deck is above water and dock level. I could see entry and egress posing problems let alone loading provisions/dive equipment.

Am I over thinking this? How do people access similar boats? Would a permanent gangway be required?

Thanks

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Our DeFever 44 also has a fairly high sundeck access point. We use a Little Giant 4step folding aluminum step ladder at our home marina. The ladder is secured to the dock with SS cable, and with the raised handrail and larger top step, we have no problem loading heavy objects or boarding young/older guests.
The detachable aluminum boarding ladder also pictured, is used when traveling to other marinas.
I like the articulating Marquipt boarding ladders, but one long enough for our sundeck height would intrude on our neighbor's side of the dock.

That’s why MarQuipt makes a platform to direct the ladder down the dock instead of across the pier. It gives you a choice of a 45* angle or a 22* angle to the hull. The platform mounts to the hull and the stairs mount to the platform.

Woodland Hills said:

That’s why MarQuipt makes a platform to direct the ladder down the dock instead of across the pier. It gives you a choice of a 45* angle or a 22* angle to the hull. The platform mounts to the hull and the stairs mount to the platform.

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Yep they do and it's nice....I also didn't want to mess with detaching/storing that monster every time we wanted to leave the dock for a short ride.

When we are using the platform and want to take a day trip we just detach the stairs from the platform and leave them on the dock. The platform stays attached to the hull and just tips and tilts onboard. The lower lifeline holds it in place. No muss, no fuss.

When we travel it stows on our covered afterdeck behind a bench seat.

makobuilders said:

Are those two models really considered “blue water” or just extended coastal cruisers?

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LRC 58' is as bluewater as they come. Definitely worth a look.

Hatteras 48 vs 58 LRC Deck Level

We've owned our Hat 58LRC for about a year and a half now (and LOVE it BTW), and we haven't found the decks too high for the reasons others have stated - I use the swim platform/cockpit entry when toting large items (like the recent new freezer after the old one died) or for less agile guests. The steps I have resemble the type in the OP's picture, but those steps are huge. Mine simply has 4 steps, and there's a 1-step ladder kinda thing that hangs off the side. I can use the box-steps alone but the last step is a big one, or throw the 1-step out there and it's like climbing 5 steps..

And our 58LRC is a blue-water cruiser. I began life in NC, then spent time in Europe, the Caribbean, and went thru the canal to Seattle, then Canada, now I own it. It did all that on its own bottom.

We're super happy with it. If you decide to make an offer gimme a call. I looked at almost every 58LRC on the market between 2017 and 2019. I talked to a lot of people before buying mine. I can give you some thoughts on what to look for, and their pros/cons.

Neil

Juliet 15 said:

We're super happy with it. If you decide to make an offer gimme a call. I looked at almost every 58LRC on the market between 2017 and 2019. I talked to a lot of people before buying mine. I can give you some thoughts on what to look for, and their pros/cons.

Neil

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Many thanks, Neil.

That's very reassuring

For me, the bigger issue than occasional use of stairs is having that awesome aft master stateroom in the 58 plus a “stand up engine room” in the 58. I’ve never been on a 48, but a cockpit in the back usually means small engine room and no aft master. Lastly, the 58 will be significantly faster due to the longer waterline. The 58 is the way I’d go but of course slip costs come into play as well as many other factors.

Absolutely if you can afford the 58, go with it over the 48. But if costs would be a burden then go with the 48, it isn’t too awful...