Pascoe rated Hatteras balsa cores so highly that he challenged readers to find one with a core problem. His reviews still point to the things that come up on used ones: water in the bottom, water in the core, and engine rooms that are hard to work in.
Blisters
Pascoe calls Hatteras one of the worst offenders for blistering. He puts it down to painted hulls, gelcoats prone to blistering, and lower quality resins, since gelcoat alone doesn't explain it.
Where to look. The whole bottom out of the water: blister size and density, and whether it's been peeled or barrier coated before. Moisture readings on a grid. See osmotic blistering.
Balsa and foam cores
Pascoe says Hatteras built mostly balsa cored boats, with cored hull sides, and decks and house tops always balsa cored. He rates the balsa highly, and quiet interiors come from it too. The 39 Sport Express is different: its decks are foam cored, the bottom solid glass and, as far as he could tell, the sides solid too. The stringers are top hat sections with no wood other than the bulkheads.
Where to look. Around every fitting added to the bridge and decks, and the underside of overhangs for drips and stains. See wet deck core.
Engine room access on the 39 Sport Express
On boats with the optional cockpit seat, the seat lifts on gas struts to reveal a Z-shaped hatch with no hinges that has to be lifted out, on hands and knees under the raised seat. Pascoe calls it intolerable. The engine room was designed for inline 6-71 diesels; the boat he saw had V92s, which sit close together, and he was burned getting between them hot. Hatches have deep gutters and good drainage, and are hard to lift.
Where to look. Whether the boat has the optional seat. Allow time for access, inspect the outboard sides of the engines, the hoses and the exhaust, and list what you couldn't reach. See exhaust hose.
Breakers in the engine room
Pascoe says Hatteras is known for putting electrical panels in odd places. On the 39 Sport Express, the cabin panel holds only the main AC and DC breakers; nearly all the others are in the engine room.
Where to look. Find every panel before the sea trial, and note that resetting a breaker means going into the engine room.
What to check on a Hatteras
| Area | What to look for | Source of the concern |
|---|---|---|
| Bottom | Blisters, previous treatment | Pascoe, Hatteras introduction |
| Cored decks and hull sides | Wet core around added equipment | Pascoe, Hatteras introduction |
| Foam cored decks on the 39 Sport Express | Wet core around fittings | Pascoe, 39 Sport Express |
| Engine room entry with the optional seat | Access, what can be reached | Pascoe, 39 Sport Express |
| Space between the engines | Hot surfaces, hoses and exhaust you can't reach | Pascoe, 39 Sport Express |
| Breakers | Most of them in the engine room | Pascoe, 39 Sport Express |
Writing it up
"Bottom, both sides below the waterline: blisters 5 to 15 mm across over about 30% of the area, densest aft, no previous barrier coat seen. Moisture readings high across the bottom against the topsides reference. Recommend the bottom is assessed by a specialist for peeling, drying and barrier coating, with the cost reflected in the offer." Note the blister sizes and where they are densest.