The new Hatteras 70 MY boasts the same tough lineage of its bigger sisters and calls for leisure and pleasure at every corner.
An Italian-designed, contemporary motoryacht filled with natural light and lots of social areas and open spaces, the new Hatteras 70 MY is made for entertaining. With its iconic Hatteras construction and battleship-strong hull, it’s also made to take you, and a good number of your friends, just about anywhere you want to go in safety and comfort.
The combination of modern-but-classic good looks, panoramic windows, creative use of space, and ocean-straddling performance could set this Hatteras apart in the world of luxury motoryachts. But actually, the 70 is the trimmed-down little sister of the 100 Raised Pilothouse that Hatteras introduced in 2014, with the same lines and features on a slightly reduced scale. All this is not by accident. “Our motoryachts aren’t like anybody else’s motoryachts,” says John W. S. Ward, Hatteras president and CEO. “Our goal is to create a definitive family of motoryachts to differentiate ourselves from all the other players in this category.”
Much of the sense of being on a much larger yacht comes from the 70’s 21-foot beam, which opens up the interior while making the boat more stable both underway and at the dock. And its low draft of just 4′ 6″ opens up cruising to The Bahamas, the Keys or other choice spots where the water is thin.
Living aboard is easy. The yacht has four staterooms, including a full-beam midships master worthy of a five-star hotel, two staterooms forward and a private VIP in the bow. Then there’s the crew’s cabin below, with its own head and work area. (The 70 is designed to be run by the owner or by crew.) A dayhead is on the main deck opposite the galley.
Step aboard the 70 from a wide and deep swim platform and go up five molded fiberglass steps to the aft deck protected by the extended boat deck above. (Or board the yacht from gates on each side if the 70 is tied up at a high dock.) The aft deck can be enclosed, but the evening I was there it was open with a warm breeze simply begging guests to sit down at the high-gloss teak table and enjoy a glass of wine or appetizer. The table is mounted on two stainless steel pedestals, while a molded bench seat along the transom and three chairs forward can sit six or more guests comfortably. A bar with sink and fridge completes the entertaining motif here.
Two sliding doors open wide to the salon and the main deck, all on the same level as the aft deck. The open, fresh look extends all the way through the salon and country kitchen to a casual dining area forward with a large window overlooking the bow and whatever’s ahead. Simply put, the main deck of the Hatteras 70 is elegant, sophisticated and filled with light coming from frameless windows lining both sides and from a creative one-piece wraparound windshield.
Entering the salon, a low, light-colored, L-shaped lounge with throw pillows is on the starboard side, with a cocktail table and club chair completing one of the many social areas on the yacht. Across on the port side, a 40″ dropdown TV dominates a first-class entertainment center with a home theater surround sound system and DVD player.
Moving forward, the L-shaped country kitchen is on the starboard side, with an island countertop bar large enough for six or eight people. All the open space allows the chef to stay in touch with everyone on this deck, and guests also enjoy uninterrupted views in every direction. All the way forward, a U-shaped dinette surrounded by windows on three sides offers a casual dining area—a perfect spot for lingering over coffee in the morning or something stronger at night. There are two small tables here, with two extra chairs.
A pantograph door on the starboard side by the galley opens to the wide, protected side decks and to the bow, where another social area with three large sunpads is nestled up in front of the window above the dinette. Additional bench seating, port and starboard, can hold even more guests.
Reach the accommodation deck below from curved stairs on the port side opposite the galley, where there’s enough extra space for half a dozen of your best friends to sleep over—if you so desired—then enter the luxurious master stateroom turning aft. Cedar-lined storage is under the king-sized bed as well as in the walk-in closet. With an all-white countertop and two sinks, the master head is light, contemporary and upscale. An all-glass door opens to the shower, which features a marble bench seat.
Two guest cabins are forward across the hall from each other. The one to port features two single berths, while the one to starboard offers a full-sized berth. Both cabins share a head with shower on the starboard side. All the way forward, a large VIP stateroom takes advantage of the wide beam in the bow for walkways around the queen-sized berth. The vanity in the ensuite head has a stone countertop; the shower has a frameless glass door and includes a seat.
While the accommodations deck lives up to the legendary Hatteras standards of first-class fit and finish, I think my favorite spot on the new 70 is all the way up top on the flybridge, which is protected by a standard fiberglass hardtop. The helm is offset to starboard a bit, with two 15″ Garmin touchscreen displays, a systems monitor and other electronics. Two matching, adjustable helm chairs promise comfort and great views. Just aft of the helm is a wet bar with three stools, a fridge and icemaker. On the port side, a U-shaped lounge with a high-gloss teak table awaits guests for cocktails or casual dining. There’s a large cabinet with a single electric grill behind it. All the way aft two lounges beckon guests for sunning or relaxing. If this area is used as a boat deck, you can mount an optional 1,500-pound davit here.
Ever since Willis Slane, a dedicated marlin fisherman, built the first Hatteras in 1959 to tackle the turbulent waters off Cape Hatteras, the company has earned a worldwide reputation for producing tough sea boats. The 70 is laid up with a solid fiberglass hull, resin-infused hull bottom, and synthetic foam core in the stringers, bulkheads, hull sides, and decks. The hull itself is convex to reduce pounding.
Hatteras president Ward intends to take advantage of that seagoing heritage by getting people on board the 70 and other new boats in rough conditions, so he has opened a new sales center with slips at Pier Sixty-Six in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. “If they go out on a rough day,” he says, “we think they’ll buy the boat.”
Next up for Hatteras: A new 90 motoryacht, with the same lines as the 70 and the 100. No doubt she’ll be just as tough and chic, but decide for yourself—she’ll be ready for the 2017 Miami International Boat Show.
— By Peter A. Janssen, Southern Boating Magazine April 2016
SPECIFICATIONS
LOA: 74′ 6″
Beam: 21′
Draft: 4′ 6″
Weight: 155,000 lbs.
Fuel/Water: 2,000/300 U.S. gals.
Power: 2x 1,600-hp Caterpillar C32A diesels
Optional Power:
2x 1,800-hp Cat C-32A diesels
2x 1,900-hp Cat C-32A diesels
2x 1,800-hp MTU 12V-2000 diesels
Cruise/Top speed: 22/26 knots
Range: 293 nm @ 24 knots
MSRP: $5,140,000
CONTACT
Hatteras Yachts
110 N. Glenburnie Rd.
New Bern, NC 28560
(252) 633-3101
hatterasyachts.com
