Hatteras 72 Motor Yacht: Ideal for Owner/Operators

The first time we saw the Hatteras 72 was when she was introduced at the Ft. Lauderdale Boat Show in October of 2007. Since that time this model has proven to be popular, and little wonder since she hits the “sweet spot” of room, utility, versatility and price. The buyer pool for a boat like the Hatteras 72 is a diverse one, and that is why Hatteras as a number of different layout configurations and engine options. This week we are going to take a close look at this fine motoryacht and make a few recommendations of our own for people considering a serious motoryacht.

This 1981 Hatteras was queen of the fleet and the Hatteras flagship.

For years in the 1970s and even into the early 1980s the Hatteras 70 was the queen of motoryachts. Then in 1984 the builder introduced a 77-footer and lengthened the 70 to 72’. The 1980s were to be the real beginning of large motoryacht consumption by American boaters in the United States and by the late-80s builders all over the world were making them and for the first time Hatteras had some serious competition in the large boats.

Different Drummers

Companies such as Cheoy Lee, Azimut, Princess, Ferretti, Riva and Lazzara were each getting a share of the rarefied air of 70’+ market. Most of these boats had a European flare and many went very fast for the era. To Americans whose aesthetic eye had been trained for over a couple of decades to appreciate both the lines and the ergonomic dimensions of Hargrave’s designs the foreign efforts looked a bit odd and not very seaworthy -- at first. Their flying bridges’ had no serious bulwarks and the seats there were often more like toad stools. They seemed to Americans as if they were better suited for al fresco dining and as babe magnets, rather than being genuine cruising yachts. After all, who would want to Alaska or Maine in one?

The Hatteras 72 has 12” side decks. Imagine how cool this boat would look with a navy blue hull and an accent stripe above her side windows?

A Different Lifestyle

European boat builders also marketed differently. It appealed not to veteran yachtsmen and the rather conservative, if not stuffy, Palm Beach to Nantucket set, but to a new breed of European boat buyer who wanted to be seen at chic resorts and marinas along the south of France and on the Italian Riviera.

The European boat builders were experts at selling a different lifestyle, not one of cruising at semi-displacement speeds in heavy, seaworthy boats, but rather one of glamour, speed, and sophistication with heavy doses of languid, sultry sex thrown into the mix. Romance was in the air and Europe’s young motoryacht designers were letting their imaginations run free, unconstrained by traditional concept of how a boat should look either inside or out.

Then a strange thing happened in the U.S. Americans started buying the Italian look. And at the same time Hatteras was beginning to see its traditional customers “age out.” For example, one of their most famous and loyal customers, Carleton Mitchell, hit his mid ‘80s and had to give up his Hatteras because he was in a wheel chair, and he moved into a pontoon boat.

Those are two hot babes on the bow, but you’d never know it from this Hatteras-PR picture. The builder continues to focus on the sea-keeping abilities of its boats, not the babes.

Getting With It

In 2003 Hatteras introduced the 6300 raised pilothouse motoryacht which was the first Euro-styled Hatteras. Today its descendent is the 64 motoryacht. Since the 6300 the New Bern builder has introduced two other new motoryachts, the 72 and newer 60. Both have elements of Euro influence, such as the large portlights in the full beam master, but we would call these boats moderately styled as the company tries to modernize and update the distinctive Hatteras look of yesteryear without an Azimut and Ferretti look alike.

This is the main deck plan we prefer. That is a day head on the starboard side abaft the steps to the flying bridge.

The Hatteras 72

To our mind the Hatteras 72 is the direct descendent of that great old gal of the past, the Hatteras 70. Yes, these days the queen of the Hatteras fleet is the 100-footer, and we’re sure captains of industry would feel comfortable there. Nevertheless, we like the Hatteras 72 as an owner/operator motoryacht, with the possible addition of a mate to handle wash down and lend a hand docking.

Having a helm on the main deck wastes valuable space and eliminates the country kitchen. The bar also wastes space as far as we are concerned. Why drink on a hard stool when you can drink in an easy chair?

Main Deck

We very much like the saloon layout of the 72 because it is almost as roomy as a far larger motoryacht and gives you a formal dinning area as well as a huge country-kitchen style galley, plus a day head. There are two doors in the galley, one port, one starboard, which to us is a waste of space. The starboard door is enough. We’d move that whole port side of the galley forward to the settee and pick up 2’ more in the saloon. Never mind that the bulkheads don’t line up.

Note formal dining in the background. Imagine how much nicer this saloon would look without the bar.

We’d also make the settee “U”-shaped so we could get another person there, using smaller plates if necessary. Remember this is a relaxed venue for coffee in the morning and a sandwich at lunch.

As regular readers know, we prefer having the helm on the flying bridge only so as not to waste the space below. The drawing of this option shows you how much space it requires and with this layout you should have the port and starboard doors so the skipper can easily access each side of the boat.

Hatteras has wisely not built in any furniture into this layout (except the optional bar). That is good. By having a sofa, love seat, and a couple of other chairs custom-made you will get far more versatility in the saloon and be able to move it around. To our eye it looks more up-scale than built-ins and will be more comfortable as well.

Note the ample size of the master head and walk-in closet to starboard. We’d put a desk and cabinet or bookcase where the lounge is.

The Accommodations

We are publishing all three accommodations plans. We like the choice, but we have our preferences. In the early 2000s his and her heads in the master were all the rage. To us it is a complete waste of space, unless you are going to use the boat solely for dockside entertaining, in which case give the queen all the room she needs. But if you are actually going the cruise and stay on the boat for a few weeks at a time, the layout with the starboard head turned into a walk-in closet for her is the way to go. Note the man’s closet is behind the cabin’s forward bulkhead.

Note the ample size of the master head and walk-in closet to starboard. We’d put a desk and cabinet or bookcase where the lounge is.

Note that the master has an “L”-shaped sitting area which looks nice at boat shows, but a desk with laptop would probably be more functional. Or, take that area out altogether and put in the forth cabin if you have a lot of kids or grandkids, because they will love it. It also serves as a nanny’s cabin. Otherwise it could he a huge closet. Again, the space in this boat is versatile, and all you have to do is tell Hatteras what you want.

King size bed fits nicely into the master. A 20’ beam is perfect for a 72’ boat.

The crew quarters are in the stern where they belong. They are quite spacious, which is the way they should be if you want to keep good crew. We would probably install two singles or a double and a single rather than the arrangements that Hatteras shows. Again, ask and you shall receive. Have the boat built for your needs, family and crew situation.

Bird's eye view of the flying bridge and boat deck.

Flying Bridge/Boat Deck

We like the layout of the helm on the flying bridge and as you can see in the picture there are two companion seats next to the helm seat, which is good. Unless you are going to spend all of your time south of Palm Beach, you should install cruising isinglass so that you can button up the living area on the flying bridge.

Looks like a fun place to us. Note that you can hardly see the isinglass.

The boat deck is a bit tight, so you will have to take careful measurements for your tender and your life raft. The standard davit is 1500 lbs.

General Observations

The Hatteras 72 Motor Yacht has a 20’2” beam, draws 5’4” and displaces 140,000 lbs. These are all good, robust numbers. She carries 2,200 gallons of fuel, and 300 gallons of water which means you’ll need a watermaker.

Hatteras gives you six engine options: three from Cat and three from MTU. Our advice if you are going to use the boat in the Western Hemisphere is to go with the Cats. Further, we’d opt for the twin C-32s (the lowest horsepower offered) pumping out 1550-hp which should be able to easily move you along at a 20 knot cruising speed. The other two Cat options just trick up the same block and why ask for trouble?

Hatteras has been installing engine rooms as long as any production powerboat builder in the U.S. and it knows what it is doing.

We like the way Hatteras builds its boats. The company has always done a good job, overbuilding them in the early days and maybe even still today. In 40 years we have never heard of a hull failure with a Hatteras. We like that they do not put balsa core in the hull below the waterline. A number of other builders do and swear that with vinylester resin that there is no way water can get into the core; yet there are plenty of ways it can happen, and not just saltwater, but also rainwater from the deck. Hatteras plays it safe and its boats are heavier and slower as a result.

Their hulls are also resin infused these days and the company says their ratio is 60% glass and 40% resin, which is good. Hatteras generally installs top quality equipment and fittings.

The MSRP base price of the boat is about $4.2 million.

As we keep saying, now is the year to buy a boat, and this one is a honey. While it can be used like all motoryachts as a gin palace, she also can be a long range, expedition-type cruiser. Remember, if you run this boat at 8 knots, you’ll get tremendous range -- and if you need a burst of speed, you’ve got it. Best of all this boat will not go out of style, and Hatteras yachts do as well as any on the resale market.

One last word of advice: The boat business changed this year. If you want a new boat like this Hatteras 72, you will have to order it early to give the builder time to construct it. They are not stacked up in inventory. Generally speaking it takes a month or so to spec the fabrics, granite, wall coverings and all of the optional mechanical equipment, then another eight months or so to build the boat, and you might not be first in line. So if you think you might want a new boat for next spring, now is not too soon to start the process.