Hatteras GT59 Convertible Review and Used Buying Guide

The Hatteras GT59 and the Gran Turismo lineage

Hatteras launched its GT series more than a decade before the GT59 arrived, starting with the GT60, and each new model refined the formula: Carolina flare, tumblehome, a pod helm on the flybridge and speed in the 40 knot range needed to compete with custom boats. The Hatteras GT59 replaced the GT60 and was billed as the culmination of those changes. Hull number one was shown at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show in the fall of 2018.

Hatteras sold the GT59 on its tournament credentials. For 2019 it became the Hatterascal, the factory demo and fishing team boat that runs the circuit from the Production vs. Custom Shootout in the Bahamas to the White Marlin Open, with Capt. Jeff Donahue at the helm. The program doubled as a feedback loop. After a few months on the GT59 the crew had already moved the electric steering pumps and the saltwater washdown and adjusted spread positions to match where the sailfish were biting in the prop wash.

Today the GT59 sits in Hatteras's legacy GT series alongside the GT65 Carolina and GT70, with the builder's current lineup focused on newer models. That makes every GT59 a brokerage purchase.

Infused hull, prop tunnels and air induction

The GT series was Hatteras's first fully resin-infused line. The GT59 hull is solid fiberglass below the waterline, with a stringer system laid in during hull production and Divinycell foam coring above the waterline. Hatteras quoted a build time of about eight months per boat.

Under the water, a sharp entry flows into a variable deadrise modified-V. Deep prop tunnels flatten shaft angles, which improves thrust, and they let the boat draw just 4 feet 9 inches despite a displacement of around 89,000 pounds. Hatteras's patented tunnel air-induction system blankets the propellers with air to reduce cavitation, noise and vibration, and the tunnels also help keep the cockpit drier when backing down hard on a fish.

A 156 square foot cockpit built for tournaments

The cockpit offers 156 square feet of fishing space, enough for an offset fighting chair or a leaning post and rocket launcher. There is an in-transom livewell, a transom fishbox, two insulated in-deck fishboxes with a macerator, a tackle center under the flybridge ladder and teak coaming boards. The mezzanine hides storage boxes, a bait freezer and a Garmin touchscreen, and the seatbacks have air conditioning vents, a detail tournament crews appreciate during long trolling days.

Hardcore owners can choose the Hatteras Integrated Tackle Storage option, which turns the lower deck utility room into a tackle center with custom lockers. One test boat held 27 rods in a single locker, plus in-counter storage for large reels.

• In-transom livewell and transom fishbox
• Two insulated in-deck fishboxes with macerator
• Mezzanine with bait freezer and air conditioned seatbacks
• Optional Hatteras Integrated Tackle Storage room

Salon, galley and three stateroom choices

Inside, the single-level salon has an L-shaped settee to port, an entertainment unit with a lift TV to starboard and an island galley forward with four fixed stools, a four-burner Miele electric cooktop and four fridge and freezer drawers. Finishes are high-gloss or satin teak with Silestone or Corian counters and a durable wood-grain vinyl or Amtico sole, practical choices for a boat that sees saltwater and fish blood.

Belowdecks Hatteras offered three layouts. The standard plan has an en suite master to port with 6 feet 5 inches of headroom, a forward VIP with queen berth whose head doubles as the day head, and a starboard cabin with over-under berths. Options include a 60-40 split berth in the VIP or an additional day head in place of the utility room. Every layout has a stand-up rod locker in the companionway.

Performance on Caterpillar C32 power

Standard power was twin 1,600 hp Caterpillar C32A diesels, with 1,800 and 1,900 hp versions available. With the 1,900 hp engines, Yachting recorded 40.1 knots at 2,300 rpm burning 204 gallons per hour, 29.8 knots at 1,800 rpm on 124 gph, and 21.8 knots at 1,500 rpm on 83 gph. Power and Motoryacht measured 33 knots at 2,000 rpm on 165 gph and a 40 knot top end in 3 to 4 foot seas with almost no spray reaching the windshield.

With 1,750 gallons in two standard tanks, range at a 30 knot cruise is roughly 380 nautical miles with reserve, enough for canyon runs from Cape May, Oregon Inlet or Palm Beach to the Bahamas. A third 250 gallon tank could be fitted in place of a Seakeeper 16, but most owners rightly chose the gyro. A 2021 boat with 1,600 hp engines runs about 38 knots and cruises at 30 knots with around 450 nautical miles of range according to its listing.

Engine room, systems and owner-operator details

The engine room is entered through a hatch in the mezzanine and you step over a lower bulwark, which keeps water from flooding in when backing down. Headroom is just over 5 feet, tight but workable for routine service. Options included a 1,200 gallon per day watermaker and a second 21.5 kW Onan generator. The flybridge has a teak helm pod with three flush Garmin displays, single-lever controls with built-in bow thruster buttons, and a drop-down overhead console for the Cat engine display, autopilot and VHF.

Many boats carry a tuna tower with a second helm, and a large freezer sits under the forward flybridge sun pad so crew do not have to climb down for drinks or bait.

Running costs and the used GT59 market

A GT59 is a serious machine to run. A full-time captain and mate cost $150,000 to $230,000 a year combined, and a full tournament season at 124 gph or more adds a very large fuel bill. Add insurance at about 1 to 1.5 percent of value, dockage, haul outs, tower and outrigger maintenance and Cat service, and annual costs land around $250,000 to $450,000 before tournament entry fees and travel.

Used GT59s typically ask $2.4 million to $4.2 million in 2026. Because the GT series is out of production, hull values are supported by the Hatteras name and the limited supply of late model 60-foot production convertibles. Hatteras itself changed hands in 2021 when White River Marine Group acquired the brand, which keeps factory parts and service support in place for GT owners.