Used Boat Review American Resolve

WHEN EUROPEAN MOTORYACHT DESIGNS CROSSED THE ATLANTIC, HATTERAS WAS ONE OF THE AMERICAN BUILDERS TO ANSWER THE CHALLENGE HEAD-ON WITH ITS HATTERAS 6300 RPH. BY CAPT. JOHN WOOLDRIDGE. PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHARLIE CLARK

Aggressive. That was my first reaction when I saw the Hatteras 6300 Raised Pilot House. Aggressive, and yet it flowed in a way that was beautiful and enticing. I knew that this design came from the boards of Bruce Angel, and from the sloping sheer atop a hull with a well-flared bow to the reverse transom, it seemed to be the next evolution in a large motoryacht hull shaped for offshore comfort and speed.

Above the sheerline, the profile was unexpectedly aerodynamic for a Hatteras, particularly the forward windows. And along the sides, something very new: asymmetric windows and a sculptural deckhouse with an overhanging boat deck that reflected the trend away from straight lines.

At the beginning of this, our 21st century, Europeandesigned and -built luxury yachts were beginning to proliferate in the American market, driving down sales of iconic domestic designs. The decision makers at Hatteras refused to let the European challenge go unanswered. The response was the 6300 RPH, a fetching blend of European and American styling, with the kind of performance and spaciousness that American customers expected from the North Carolina builder.

“There were 26 built from 2000 to 2003,” said Jeff Stanley, a broker for Gilman Yachts of Ft. Lauderdale, who was just completing the sale of Fanci Nanci, a 2002 Hatteras 6300 RPH. “They were built heavier than many of the European designs of the same size, but with twin 1,400-horsepower Caterpillar 3412 12-cylinder diesels, which were the chosen engines for all of the yachts made, they are not slow. ”

The big CATs turn seven-blade Michigan 73.5-inch by 39inch props through an exceptionally deep 3.45:1 reduction, cruising comfortably between 21 to 26 knots, and topping LOA: 63'0" BEAM: 18'3" DRAFT: 5'0" DISPL.: 110,000 lb. FUEL: 1,290 gal. WATER: 280 gal. POWER: 2/1,400-hp CAT 3412E YEARS BUILT: 2000 to 2003 PRICE RANGE: $800,000 to $900,000