In July of 2021, we purchased a 1987 63′ Hatteras Motor Yacht (M/Y) in Boston, MA. We renamed her to “Salty Lady” and brought her back to Florida, where she is now our home. She has 4 staterooms (bedrooms), 4 heads (bathrooms) and all the modern conveniences that you would find in most homes (full set of kitchen appliances, 110/220 volts outlets, washer/dryer, water heater, air conditioning/heating, etc.). She truly is a floating home, excpet that we can take her with us when we travel!
Our boat is equipped with two Detroit Diesel 12v71TI engines. They are each 12 cylinders, twin turbocharged and are rated at 650hp each. There are also two Onan 20kw diesel generators to supply plenty of electrical power when cruising or at anchor. We added 4 330 amp hour lithium iron phosphate (LifePo4) batteries and a 5kw inverter so that we can run most of the electrical systems for several hours without using the generator. She also has a diesel heater that the previous owners installed for the cold Boston winters.
On the back of Salty Lady is our dinghy, which we’ve nicknamed “Salty Girl.” She is an 11′ Zodiac rigid inflatable boat (RIB) with a 25hp Tohatsu gasoline outboard engine. This is our “car” when we are at anchor, allowing us to explore and get to shore. There is a 1 ton davit (crane) that we use to raise and lower the dinghy.
At anchor we have an 88lb plow anchor attached to 300′ of 3/8 galvanized chain (500lbs) and an electric Galleymaid windlass to raise/lower the anchor. When travelling, we try to alternate between staying at anchor for a couple nights and marinas once every few days. Her fuel tanks hold 1170 gallons of diesel and give us a range of about 585 nautical miles (673 statute miles). We hold 350 gallons of fresh water (we currently do not have a water maker) and our holding tank (waste water) capacity is 210 gallons. Our typical cruising speed is about 10 knots and we burn about 2 gallons of diesel per nautical mile.