


1981 HATTERAS 48 COCKPIT MOTOR YACHT — “HATTAGIRL”
Picture this: dawn breaking over the California coastline, the twin Detroits settling into their steady rhythm as you point HATTAGIRL’s bow toward Catalina. By the time the coffee’s gone, the island’s silhouette is rising out of the haze. Drop the hook in a quiet cove, launch the tender off the davit, and spend the day however you want — paddleboarding off the swim step, fishing off the aft transom, or just doing nothing at all in the shade of the flybridge.
That’s the kind of boat this is. HATTAGIRL is a 1981 Hatteras 48 Cockpit Motor Yacht — a rare cockpit-configuration example of this classic model, and one of only a handful built this way. You still get the full-beam master suite Hatteras is known for, but you also get a real cockpit: easy access to the water, simple boarding, and a proper launch point for the tender when it’s time to go explore.
Whether it’s a long weekend hopping between the Channel Islands, an easy overnight anchored off Two Harbors, or just a quick escape from the dock after work to watch the sun go down somewhere quieter — this is a boat built for that rhythm of coastal California life. No pretense required. Bring the family, bring the cooler, bring whoever you want aboard — she’s roomy, she’s comfortable, and she’s ready to go.
Mechanically sound and ready to cruise this season.
QUICK SPECS
Year / Make / Model: 1981 Hatteras 48 Cockpit Motor Yacht
Length (LOA): 48’8″
Beam: 15′
Max Draft: 3’11”
Displacement: 47,000 lb
Construction: Fiberglass
Hull ID: HATBW3050981
Engines: Twin Detroit 6V92TA, diesel, direct drive — approx. 870 hours [rebuild history TBD]
Cruising Speed: 13 kn
Maximum Speed: 16 kn
Fuel Capacity: 590 gal (2 tanks)
Water Capacity: 190 gal (2 tanks)
Holding Capacity: 60 gal (2 tanks)
Sleeps: 6
ACCOMMODATIONS
HATTAGIRL is finished in the most popular two-stateroom layout, sleeping six between guest accommodations forward and a queen berth in the master. The dinette also converts to a double bed — handy when the crew grows for an island run.
Aft to port is the down galley, with a comfortable dining settee to starboard and separate access to the forward head. Engine room access is beneath the salon stairway. Up a few steps is the salon with a lower helm station to starboard, and down aft is the full-beam master stateroom — the kind of space that makes waking up at anchor feel like waking up somewhere special.
SALON
Lower helm station to starboard, Carpeting throughout. Cruisair air conditioning/heat across three zones — a welcome comfort whether you’re tucked into a fog bank off Point Conception or soaking up the sun at Catalina.
GALLEY
– Down galley, portside
– Full-size GE refrigerator/freezer with ice maker
– Princess 3-burner electric range and oven
– Large stainless steel sink
– Top-loading dry locker
– Drawer and cabinet storage
– Starboard dinette with upholstered settee
Enough galley to actually cook a real dinner at anchor, not just heat something up.
STATEROOMS
The forward stateroom features upper and lower single berths to starboard with a lighted hanging locker, ample drawer and counter storage, and overhead rod holder storage. It has its own Cruisair controls and a portside guest head with mirrored vanity, VacuFlush toilet, and shower plumbing in place.
The full-beam master stateroom centers a queen berth with walk-around access on both sides and built-in bedside tables. Storage is generous — plenty of built-in drawers, two full-size hanging lockers, and a dedicated shelved locker for folded items. A companionway locker conceals a stackable washer/dryer. Cruisair air conditioning/heat controls. Wired for stereo, though the in-room speakers and controls are not currently functional. En-suite head with VacuFlush toilet, mirrored vanity and sink, and a fully enclosed shower with seat.
ELECTRICAL
12V DC / 110V-220V AC systems. Onan 15kW generator with very low hours since major overhaul, automatic battery charger, dockside shore power cables, and a separate inverter for the flybridge. A 3,000-watt Trace inverter serves boat systems, backed by six golf cart batteries plus four 8D starting batteries — all replaced within the last few months of 2026. Equipped with both 30A and 50A dockside power.
ELECTRONICS & NAVIGATION
– Robertson AP300X autopilot, interfaced into GPS
– Furuno 48-mile radar
– Pyrometers
– Engine synchronizer
– Bennett trim tabs
– Sea temp gauge
– 3-station intercom
– Impulse depth gauge (lower helm)
– Garmin 198C GPS Map Plotter/Sounder
– GP-31 GPS Navigator
– Electroguard corrosion control system
– Standard VHF radio
– West Marine VHF radio (lower helm)
ENGINES
Twin Detroit 6V92TA diesels, direct drive, four-blade bronze props. Approx. 870 hours. [Rebuild year/engine TBD — confirming with owner]
Additional mechanical highlights:
– Reverse-cycle air conditioning
– Automatic CO2 fire extinguishing system (may need recertification)
– 400 GPD Village Marine watermaker (pickled)
– Trim tabs, engine synchronizers, engine alarm & emergency stop
– Fresh water cooling system
– Five automatic bilge pumps
– VacuFlush heads throughout
– New raw water pumps on both mains (2016)
– New fresh water pump (2016)
– Oil cooler hoses replaced 2020 (oil changed at that time). No further service records available.
FUEL BURN
1,000 RPM: 5 GPH
1,250 RPM @ 9 kn (most economical cruise): 8 GPH
2,000 RPM @ 13 kn: 30 GPH
2,350 RPM @ 16 kn: 44 GPH
At the economical cruise setting, that’s easy range for a Catalina run and back with plenty in reserve.
DECK & HULL
New LED interior lighting throughout. Fortress 55 lb anchor with stern anchor as well. Fiberglass deck, freshwater washdown, and Galley Maid electric windlass. Underwater light system — perfect for watching the fish gather under the swim step on a calm night at anchor. Fully equipped with flares, life jackets, dock stairs, fenders and lines. Teak swim step with ladder, transom door, and a Brower Systems low-profile aluminum davit (800 lb capacity). Pompanette outriggers, five rod holders, and a 55-gallon bait tank with circulating pump. C-FAB half tower, radar arch, white hull. Includes a 10′ Novurania tender (2001) with a 9.9 Tohatsu outboard — nearly new, roughly 2 years old and lightly used. Bottom paint and new thru-hull fittings applied 2022, with stuffing boxes and blisters addressed at that time. Fresh bottom paint is due.
FLYBRIDGE & COCKPIT
Up three steps from the aft deck to a fully enclosed flybridge with Strataglass enclosure panels. Two swivel helm chairs with arm and foot rests, plus an L-shaped settee to starboard and a straight settee aft to port. Stereo speakers. This is command central for the trip out — coffee in hand, radar on, Catalina somewhere out past the bow.
The cockpit offers a large lazarette with two hatches, a transom door to the swim platform, a ladder to the aft deck, a deluxe dock step, outriggers, and the bait tank. Whether it’s fishing on the way out or hosing off sandy feet on the way back in, this is where the real living happens.
AFT DECK
Hard-top covering over the aft deck with indoor/outdoor carpet flooring underfoot, fully enclosed with removable Strataglass panels. Wing door entry from the side decks as well as a ladder entry from the cockpit. Built-in bar area with wet bar, storage compartment, and refrigerator — everything you need for sundowners after a day on the water.
Ready to cruise this season — bottom paint is due,HATTAGIRL is a boat built for real time on the water, whether that’s a long summer run to the islands or a quick overnight just to change the scenery. Come see her for yourself.