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jamesp

Member
Joined
Sep 20, 2024
Messages
6
Location
Seattle, WA
Hi all -

Just joined the forum and spending time reading through old posts. I'm recently retired (I think) and newly empty nester in the Seattle area. From 2015-2019 we owned a Nordhavn 55 but gave it up to focus on the horse riding interests of our daughter. With that now behind us, I'm back in the market for a boat and eager to get back on the water. We're considering another Nordhavn but also want to look at alternatives. We're unlikely to cross an ocean on our boat's bottom. More likely at the limit to do Alaska -> Panama -> Caribbean -> East Coast.

Eager to learn from all of you.

James.
 
Welcome. Can't go wrong with a Nordhavn. Good friends are full time liveaboards on a N55 that has has a recent refit and is in stunning condition. They're in Costa Rica right now. Another couple who are more acquaintances are part time cruisers of a fairly new N63 and are in Panama. I have to say, I like the N63 layout a lot. Very comfortable boat. I attended a super bowl party with about 12-people on that boat and it was plenty spacious, but definitely manageable by a couple.

A lot depends on your budget. Nordhavn is expensive going in but resale is pretty strong so total cost of ownership isn't bad. But still. Having >$2m tied up in a single asset is a bit steep for many folks.

And of course a lot depends on your space needs.

There are a lot of boats that can make the Alaska to Maine run. I also met a couple on a Horizon 65-ish motor yacht in Costa Rica who are now also in Panama. Very nice boat - sort of the Italian style look.

Welcome to TF. And welcome back to boat ownership. Will be interested to get your thinking on which hobby can do more damage to your bank account - boats or horses.

Peter
 
We’ve toured the recently launched North Pacific 590 Skylounge a couple of times now and it is definitely at the head of our list of efficient part time liveaboard boats for when we retire some day. The skylounge helm frees up a huge, sunny dine-in kitchen where the down pilot station would be. It’s just to die for. They just showed it at the boats afloat show. Contact Trevor at North Pacific Yachts for a showing if it’s still in the area. (I think the owner lets them show it when he is not cruising in exchange for having gotten a deal on the purchase price). I’m told time on construction is about eighteen months to two years right now. Significantly less expensive than a Nordhavn but with top quality craftsmanship throughout. It really has everything you need and then some for long range cruising this side of crossing an ocean.

NPY - North Pacific Yachts

North Pacific Yachts description. TODO
northpacificyachts.com
 
Sababa said:
We’ve toured the recently launched North Pacific 590 Skylounge a couple of times now and it is definitely at the head of our list of efficient part time liveaboard boats for when we retire some day.
Click to expand...

Wow - what an incredibly beautiful boat. Love all the space and how light and bright it is. Far more "open" feeling than the Nordhavn 55. That's one of the things I didn't care for with the N55 -- felt a bit dark and confining. Not horrible, but I imagine "built like a tank to survive anything the Southern Ocean can throw at you" and "airy, open and bright feeling inside" are oppositional at that size.
 
mvweebles said:
Welcome. Can't go wrong with a Nordhavn. Good friends are full time liveaboards on a N55 that has has a recent refit and is in stunning condition. They're in Costa Rica right now. Another couple who are more acquaintances are part time cruisers of a fairly new N63 and are in Panama. I have to say, I like the N63 layout a lot. Very comfortable boat. I attended a super bowl party with about 12-people on that boat and it was plenty spacious, but definitely manageable by a couple.

A lot depends on your budget. Nordhavn is expensive going in but resale is pretty strong so total cost of ownership isn't bad. But still. Having >$2m tied up in a single asset is a bit steep for many folks.

And of course a lot depends on your space needs.

There are a lot of boats that can make the Alaska to Maine run. I also met a couple on a Horizon 65-ish motor yacht in Costa Rica who are now also in Panama. Very nice boat - sort of the Italian style look.

Welcome to TF. And welcome back to boat ownership. Will be interested to get your thinking on which hobby can do more damage to your bank account - boats or horses.

Peter
Click to expand...
Thanks so much, Peter.

We're going to try to get on as many different boats as we can. We ended up reselling our 55 for more than we bought it for - so the "holding value" thing is one of the very strong selling points for me with Nordhavn. The incredible owner community and resources is another.

Potential downside with the Nordhavn (at least my experience with the 55) is a bit of a feeling that you're in a darkened tank versus a boat that feels more open/connected to the environment in which we'll be cruising and anchoring out (which will be our primary mode of use - a couple to a few weeks at a time and mostly on the hook). That is perhaps at least in part due to the need to ensure safe open ocean operations? Not sure we need to make that tradeoff.

We don't need more space than the 55 provided - it was about perfect for our needs.

Unfortunately (or fortunately I suppose) there is about a 0% chance that boats will do more damage to the bank account than horses did. : / We lost our minds on that one though.

James.
 
jamesp said:
Wow - what an incredibly beautiful boat. Love all the space and how light and bright it is. Far more "open" feeling than the Nordhavn 55. That's one of the things I didn't care for with the N55 -- felt a bit dark and confining. Not horrible, but I imagine "built like a tank to survive anything the Southern Ocean can throw at you" and "airy, open and bright feeling inside" are oppositional at that size.
Click to expand...
My wife had the same reaction to the Nordhavns we toured—like being in a wood paneled daylight basement she said, or something to that effect. Since she has also declared that we are never crossing an ocean we moved on to seaworthy long range coastal cruisers with brighter interior spaces. She picked out our current Maritimo 52 and I am now totally sold on the sky lounge layout with a yacht controller and remote helms for docking. Fits so much more daylight living space into a given LOA.
 
The BoatTest video for the NP590 is worth watching:
 
Sababa said:
The BoatTest video for the NP590 is worth watching:
Click to expand...
Thank you for sending this. I’m going to try to go see it. Just incredible. In general I’d prefer to buy used (both from a value and a timing perspective) but I’m open minded on that one.
 
jamesp said:
Hi all -

Just joined the forum and spending time reading through old posts. I'm recently retired (I think) and newly empty nester in the Seattle area. From 2015-2019 we owned a Nordhavn 55 but gave it up to focus on the horse riding interests of our daughter. With that now behind us, I'm back in the market for a boat and eager to get back on the water. We're considering another Nordhavn but also want to look at alternatives. We're unlikely to cross an ocean on our boat's bottom. More likely at the limit to do Alaska -> Panama -> Caribbean -> East Coast.

Eager to learn from all of you.

James.
Click to expand...
Welcome aboard!
 
Sababa said:
We’ve toured the recently launched North Pacific 590 Skylounge a couple of times now and it is definitely at the head of our list of efficient part time liveaboard boats for when we retire some day. The skylounge helm frees up a huge, sunny dine-in kitchen where the down pilot station would be. It’s just to die for.
Click to expand...

Wow, nice boat!

Sightlines over that horizontal electronics box at the Skylounge helm needs attention, though. IMO. Maybe some easier angles, with screens less upright? Maybe use some overhead real estate for additional screens? Whatever, but in one pic, looks like the bow is slightly visible, as is... and around here we might have 20-30 crab pots in those blind spots...

-Chris
 
Last edited:
Lots of good boats that will get you to Alaska: Nordhavns, KK, Selenes, Flemings, Ocean Alexander, and Outer Reef to name a few. Always a good idea to remember that going out of sight of land in something built by the low bidder is not likely to end well.
 
You might want to look at the Krogen Express 52, To my eye, at least, it is a beautiful boat, and can go slow as well as a Nordhavn, but can also go faster when you need to, plus it feels bigger than other 52's. And it has a stand-up engine room, which is a great feature. Pricewise it is likely similar to Nordhavns.
Sounds like this will be a fun search!
Peter
 
Captain_Michael said:
Lots of good boats that will get you to Alaska: Nordhavns, KK, Selenes, Flemings, Ocean Alexander, and Outer Reef to name a few. Always a good idea to remember that going out of sight of land in something built by the low bidder is not likely to end well.
Click to expand...
Thank you - working through your list of makes. When you say “built by the low bidder” are you referring to a particular builder?
 
No, I am not. I am just saying "beware or examine very carefully the low price" item. One generally gets what one pays for. Add North Pacific Yachts to the list above as worthy of consideration for your plans.
 
Also think about whether you want covered storage, which will cross out the Nordhavn but then again there is no bright work and teak decks to worry about.

I agree with the list above. I’d probably add the Nordhavn 59 coastal cruiser they have as well? It seems though the nicer they are at anchor and the airy feeling you like the less they are suitable for blue water. What’s your tradeoff in usage? If you really want to do the great U you former N55 seems like a great boat. Other issues to me are usability issues like the number/steepness of stairs needed, deck access, outdoor space and tender access.

So many great choices!
 
Greetings,
Welcome aboard. Sigh....I wish I had THAT problem...

1728520470349.jpeg
 
Not crossing the ocean? Look at American Tugs.
 
A couple of other options on our radar that are significantly less expensive than the NP590 are the Linssen Variotop 550 and Elling E6 out of the Netherlands. The latter is CE A rating and capable of crossing an ocean, though that’s not its target use case. You can take delivery in Holland and cruise the EU for up to 18 months without paying the 20% VAT, then ship it back and pay the 1.5% import duty plus any state use tax on the depreciated value as a used boat.

We’ve toured the next size down of both of these boats and they are very well put together. Both have a single enclosed upper helm with space for company out of the weather, one with sunroof, the other with a fully retractable convertible top. The tradeoff is neither has a proper engine room.

Elling - E6 - Motor Yacht | Elling yachting

The Elling E6 is build for long range.
www.ellingyachting.com www.ellingyachting.com

Linssen Yachts - Grand Sturdy 550 AC Variotop®

Linssen Yachts builds high quality steel displacement motoryachts from 30 - 55 feet / 9.70 - 16,5 meter
www.linssenyachts.com www.linssenyachts.com
 
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