With owner Ted Lange at the wheel, we headed out the inlet for our sea trial.
“One important thing for me was to drive the boat head on into a sea of some size, just like those four-footers out there, and avoid the pounding we experienced on many of our other boats,” Lange said.
To his delight the boat proved very responsive and there was no pounding. With the stabilizers activated, she was comfortable even when we placed the boat beam to the swells. In following and quartering seas, the 680 also responded very well. “The rudders are large enough to steer the boat without any difficulty,” he said. “I was pleased with the first sea trial and at no time experienced any negative attributes.”
Lange and his wife are veteran boaters. “We’ve had everything from 51-footers up to a 151,” said Lange, beaming a new-owner smile as we toured the engine room.
“At this stage in our lives, being in our mid-70s, we wanted a boat we could handle by ourselves. We liked all we had heard and read about Hampton and decided to have a closer look. The size, interior arrangement and equipment were just what we were looking for. We were very impressed.” In fact, the Langes are spending this winter aboard in the Bahamas.
Lange also mentioned the input Roberts had with the factory. “Forest has had input on some suggested improvements with the factory in China, and I think it has taken most of those, as they certainly show up in the operation of the boat.”
Her performance numbers reveal another positive attribute: range. At 8.4 knots the 680 sipped fuel at a miserly eight gallons per hour. With a 2,000-gallon fuel capacity, this equates to a range of approximately 2,100 miles. “On the performance side, the 680 is all there,” Roberts said. “You can get the kind of economy and range you want from her as well as being able to get up and go should the weather or conditions warrant it.” Indeed, we reached a top speed of 19.2 knots, and the twin Cats gave her a high cruise of 14 knots.
If you put together all the little things aboard Hampton’s Endurance 680 LRC, the result is one well-built, well-designed yacht with the right layout, appropriate balance between power and efficiency, luxurious accommodations and cruising abilities to get the job done in style.
View a complete photo gallery here.
Test Conditions: Speeds were measured by GPS off Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in three- to four-foot seas with 10 to 15 knots of wind, full fuel and water and six people on board. Fuel consumption was calculated by the electronic engine-monitoring system.
RPM Knots GPH
800 4.0 4
1000 8.4 8
1200 10.6 14
1400 11.7 22
1600 12.3 38
1800 14.0 52
2000 16.0 64
2100 17.1 82
2200 19.2 90
LOA: 68’0”
LWL: 64’8”
BEAM: 18’8”
DRAFT: 5’2”
DISPL.: 110,000 lb.
WATER: 400 gal.
FUEL: 2,000 gal.
DEADRISE: 9 degrees
ENGINES TESTED: 2 x 873 hp Caterpillar C18 diesels
BASE PRICE: $2,989,800
PRICE AS TESTED: $3,010,889
Hampton Yachts, 949-673-6300; www.hamptonyacht.com
