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mbobeck718

Newbie
Joined
Sep 27, 2024
Messages
4
Location
Oak Harbor
Hi folks,

New member of the forum here. Located in the PNW in Oak Harbor,WA. I’ve been a Ranger Tug owner for a few years and a member of The Tugnuts forum. I’m retired Army and my wife is about to retire from the Navy and we hope to spend more time on the water and exploring all the way up to Alaska in the near future. We are looking for a larger boat, we’ve been very happy with our RT 23 and just sold it and now on the hunt. We've looked at the RT31 and now spotted a Nordic Tug 32 that we may purchase and was wondering if you could provide some advice on things to look for on a 20 year old boat. Of course we’ll have a survey done before we make any final decisions. Thanks for any advice and look forward to learning from you all and being part of the community.

Best
Mike
 
Welcome aboard. As with any older boat the usual things like soft decks and stringers. Leaking fuel tanks. Have a good survey done and leave outs in the sales contact if you don’t like the survey, sea trial or just decide you want out.
 
Things to look for.....a bigger boat. Your talking about more time on the water and a trip to Alaska. Sounds like months to me along with no timeline with both of you retiring. Not saying you can't do it in a 32 Nordic Tug, but it would be safer and more enjoyable and potentially help prolong a trip in a bigger boat. What I am referring to as more enjoyable is having the space for a diesel heater, water maker, refrigerator, freezers, water capacity, fuel capacity, etc. for extended cruising.
 
Thanks and bigger is potentially better but the price point is in line with our budget. We have a RV as well and plan to divide the time. We like the 37 NT and perhaps in the future we’ll settle into one primary activity. Thanks and great point.
 
mbobeck718 said:
Thanks and bigger is potentially better but the price point is in line with our budget. We have a RV as well and plan to divide the time. We like the 37 NT and perhaps in the future we’ll settle into one primary activity. Thanks and great point.
Click to expand...
Great plan with the land and sea options. Other then price point, are there other concerns about a bigger boat? If you have mechanical, electrical skills, you can get the bigger boat at the same price point if you can fix things yourself. Keep in mind any boat you get will require you learn the systems, and know how to fix them for the remote areas of the inside passage. This doesn't mean you have to be a master mechanic, just have a spare part, and more importantly, have the tools to do the job. This is an amazing site for you to ask for help for anything, including finding a boat. Just tell us your budget and the type of boat your looking for. We all know people with great boats that are thinking of selling but have not listed yet.
 
Thanks for the reply. I’ve learned a lot just going thru the site the last couple of days. We are thinking $250k range. I’m looking at a 03 NT32 now. I was an Army helo pilot, maintenance officer and test pilot so i can fix a turbine engine, rotor head and have chased some sparks before but that’s a bit different and had help. Owning a RVs and campers for 20+ years isnt worry free and have done some repairs on them as well. Boat systems like these will a bit new to me, most of my boating has been on smaller boats, runabouts, had a 27 cabin cruiser that i worked on a bit. I understand spare parts, knowing what’s likely to fail helps (read the post here; pumps, pumps, pumps). Have tools but will need to buy some more I’m sure.

We want some space, have two dogs so a dingy, been debating the single or dual engine advantage/disadvantages, diesel boat engines will be new. Hoping the previous owners were diligent with record keeping and repairs so i can gauge the needed maintenance. Helos break just sitting on the ramp so i get it with boats. Appreciate the ideas and comments.
 
Worked on F4s. Worked on Friday, but broke sitting over the weekend on the tarmac-totally get it. Your background is great. Along with YouTube tutorials and a manual you’ll be able to handle most things. Preventative maintenance is the key. Ive had both single and twins and have pros and cons for each-have fun reading those threads (heavy sarcasm).
 
I owned a 2001 NT32. Great boat! Not a lot of potential problems and very serviceable. If it has been reasonably cared for the 20 years would not concern me. $250k sounds quite high even post Covid.

I have had twins and singles and on boats under 40ft the singles usually have much more room for service and storage. Unless you are really going remote just sign up for on water towing, do preventative maintenance and you are unlikely to get into trouble. Your wallet and back will be happier.

The NT32 fwd stateroom is tight. No room for 2 to dress. I had the rare V berth. The single berth would be a show stopper for us. Fine for a day or two but crawling over would wear thin quickly. We are happy with a spacious v berth but the twins on our Greenline 33 are even better.

The NT32 is easy to handle and the pilot house doors on both sides were great. I love a raised pilot house but some prefer a single level combined saloon and helm. I never missed a flybridge.
 
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