Hatteras 58 Motor Yacht, a Used Buyer's Guide to the Classic 58 Hatteras

Hatteras for sale at 58 feet, which 58 is this?

Type Hatteras for sale into any search and 58 ft boats appear in surprising numbers, because Hatteras used the 58 ft length for several different yachts. YachtBuyer's model list includes a 58 Motoryacht, 58 Cockpit Motor Yacht, 58 Triple Cabin, 58 Convertible, 58 Yacht Fisherman and the 58 LRC long-range cruiser. They share a length and a builder but not a hull, layout or performance.

This page covers the 58 Motor Yacht, the flybridge aft-cabin cruiser that most brokers mean by a 58 Hatteras motor yacht. YachtBuyer splits it into two generations: the first built from 1977 to 1980 at 58 ft 2 in with a 15 ft 10 in beam and 4 ft 9 in draft, and a second from 1985 to 1987 at 58 ft 9 in with a much wider 18 ft 2 in beam and 4 ft 11 in draft. Nearly all boats on the current U.S. market are 1978 to 1980 first-generation yachts.

Built in Hatteras' heavy-glass era

Hatteras was founded in 1959 by North Carolina knitting mill owner Willis Slane, and by the late 1970s it was the reference American builder of large production motor yachts and sportfishermen. Surveyor David Pascoe notes that up to about 1980 Hatteras hulls were solid fiberglass, and brokers still lean on that reputation: one current listing calls the 58 a legendary yacht renowned for its solid fiberglass construction and seakeeping.

That construction is the main reason a 45-year-old 58 is still a reasonable purchase. A heavy solid bottom is far more forgiving of age than a cored one. The trade-off is weight, which shows up in fuel burn and the horsepower needed to make the speeds owners expect.

Three staterooms, three heads and a walk between two engine rooms

The typical first-generation layout is three staterooms and three heads. One 1980 listing describes a cavernous three-stateroom, galley-down interior with three full heads and a laundry center, an expansive saloon and a master suite lavish in size. Separate engine rooms were a Hatteras trademark of the period, and on the 58 you reach the aft master through a passage between the port and starboard machinery spaces.

Two galley arrangements appear. Galley-down boats put the galley below, across from a dinette, which frees the saloon for seating. Galley-up boats keep the galley on the main level with a breakfast bar and open into the pilothouse area; the refit Vita Nostra is a galley-up boat. Some yachts added a forward crew or captain's cabin with its own head, useful if you run with crew or want a workshop.

Outside, the flybridge is large and seats a crowd, the bridge overhang shelters the side decks, and many owners have enclosed the aft deck to create an all-weather room. Davits for a tender on the aft deck or flybridge are common upgrades.

Detroit Diesel power and realistic speeds

The boats we reviewed run twin Detroit Diesel 8V92s, including turbocharged 8V92TAs, the classic two-stroke V8s of the period. YachtBuyer notes the 58 Motoryacht was offered with only one inboard engine option. Brokers describe a 1978 example as equally happy at 8 knots as at its 16-knot fast cruise, and another listing gives 17 knots cruise and 21 knots top; YachtBuyer lists 18 knots for the first generation. We have not found a published sea trial with fuel burn, so treat these as owner and broker figures.

Two-stroke Detroits are robust and well understood, but they are thirsty at speed, smoky if neglected and expensive to rebuild. The key questions are hours since major overhaul, coolant and oil analysis, how the boat starts cold, and whether smoke clears quickly. A 2,600-hour pair with recent major maintenance, as on one 1980 listing, is a very different proposition from untouched originals.

The refit math on a 1978 Hatteras 58

Current listings show exactly how refit work moves value. A 1978 estate boat in Florida asks $69,500 and is honest about needing time and energy, though its engines start without smoke and the hull showed no blisters. A 1978 boat in Maryland at $249,900 has updated heads, a modern galley with induction cooktop, Raymarine and Garmin electronics and a 1,000 lb tender davit. At the top, Vita Nostra in North Carolina asks $375,000 after a 2026 refit that included painting the hull, new air conditioning throughout, new fresh water system and water heater, two new VacuFlush heads, Simrad electronics, rebuilt helm stations, hydraulic stabilizers and a Wesmar bow thruster.

The lesson is that a cheap 58 is only cheap if you can do the work yourself. Systems, not hulls, consume the money: wiring, air conditioning, plumbing, exhaust, canvas and electronics can easily exceed the price gap between a project boat and a finished one.

• 1978, Merritt Island FL, needs work: $69,500
• 1980, Annapolis MD, 8V92s with 2,600 hours, stabilizers: $180,000
• 1978, Grasonville MD, updated interior and electronics: $249,900
• 1978, Southport NC, full 2026 refit: $375,000

32-volt electrics, stabilizers and other period systems

Older Hatteras yachts may still run 32-volt DC systems. A 1979 58 Yacht Fisherman currently for sale documents a full conversion from 32 V to 12 V, along with lithium batteries and solar; the Vita Nostra refit added a 12 V lithium systems battery and revised as-built wiring diagrams. On any 58 Motor Yacht, find out which DC voltage the boat runs and how much of the original wiring remains.

Stabilizers, a bow thruster and a 20 kW class generator are the equipment that make a 58 pleasant to live aboard, and boats with them sell better. Also budget for CO2 or clean-agent fire suppression service, tank inspections and replacement of original hoses and seacocks if not already done.

The 1985 to 1987 second generation

Buyers searching for a 1985 Hatteras 58 for sale are looking at the second generation, which YachtBuyer lists at 58 ft 9 in with an 18 ft 2 in beam. That extra width transforms the interior compared with the 15 ft 10 in first-generation boat. These later boats are scarce on the market; Denison's sold records show a 1985 58 ft Hatteras changing hands for $225,000 in April 2023, though the records do not name the model. Expect a premium over 1977 to 1980 boats of similar condition, and verify every specification against the actual boat and builder's documents.

What a 58 Hatteras costs to keep

Annual costs of $45,000 to $100,000 are realistic before major projects: a 60 ft slip, insurance (some carriers want recent surveys on boats of this age), haul-out and bottom paint, twin Detroit service, generator and stabilizer service, canvas and a steady stream of system repairs. Fuel is the other variable, and two-stroke Detroits at a 16-knot cruise are thirsty; many owners slow to 8 to 10 knots for passages, which this hull does comfortably.