RetSurfer wrote:
*
In 4 years we plan on liquidating home and business and circumnavigate, slowly, taking 5 to 10 years. Ive had my eye on a 55 Nordhavn for several years now.
*In the mean time we want to purchase something next May/June to get us out in the water.
*If your decision is to buy the N55 in the not-too-distant future and if you have the funds to do so now, then I would recommend buying it now.* The difference between the typical 36' boat and the N55 is 19 feet.* Why bother with screwing around with a boat that isn't what you actually want?* I don't know how much boating experience you have now, but if you have enough to buy a 36-42 foot cruiser now, you have enough to get a 55 foot boat.
I remember way back in the late 1960s talking to a United Airlines captain about the new 747 he flew.* Not being a pilot yet myself, I knew nothing about flying planes.* I asked him* if the 747, being so huge, was a handful to fly.* He said, no, and that in fact the bigger a plane is the easier it is to fly.
I have heard the same sentiment about boats, or at least aobut sailboats.* A popular saying was, "If you can sail an El Toro you can sail anything."* (If you don't know, an El Toro is a tiny, pram-type sailing dinghy.
So why waste your time, effort, and money on a boat that isn't what you really want?* If it was me and I really wanted a Nordhavn (which fortunately I don't) I'd get the Nordhavn.* You can "learn" as effectively with it as with a "learner" boat.
Now if one has virtually no boating experience but wants to get a cruising boat in the 36 to whatever size, the notion of getting a smaller boat to learn the basics in can have some value.* Say a 16-25 footer, IF-- a big if--- the smaller boat will still be enjoyable to them and allow them to do to a degree the kind of boating they want to do.
But a person who's decided to jump in with a 36-42 or whatever-foot cruiser right off and then a few years later get the 55 foot boat they really want, I say get the boat you really want right off and don't bother with the slighly smaller "learner" boat.
As to some of the other comments that were made, single engine and twin engine both have their advantages and disadvantages.* Many Nordhavns have a get-home engine with its own shaft and prop (see photo).* So this gives you the "what do I do when I have to shut down the main engine" solution.
Until we bought our GB all the boats we'd run had been singles, including the GB we chartered before buying our own.* Having now had thirteen years experience running a twin we would never go back to a single.*
I have no objection to having one engine other than when you have to shut it down and come home on the end of a very expensive rope.* It's rare but it happens.* From our own experience I believe anything one can do with a twin in terms of maneuvering one can do with a single--- the techniques are sometimes different but the end results are the same.* The engine room space with a single is a nice advantage.* The reduced service, maintenance, and repair costs with one engine are a bonus but not enough in my mind to offset the advantages (to us) of having two engines.*
But the decision will be different for every boater and will depend on their priorities, the type of boat they want (some aren't available as twins and some aren't available as singles), and, to some extent, the kind of boating they want to do.* There is no overall right or wrong answer when it comes to how many engines a boat should have.* There will be a right answer for each individual boater, but what one boater feels is right for him is irrelevant to what another boater wants (or needs).*
Actually, what you will find is that the people with single-engine boats will tell you that's the only way to go and you're a fool if you get a twin while the people with twins will tell you that's the only way to go and you're a fool to get a single.* That alone should tell you that both configuration work and work well for the people who have decided it's the configuration they want.* So get the number of engines that you feel will best meet all your requirements and ignore all the "get this, get that" opinions.
Pilothouses.* The statement that they are useless under 50 feet is ridiculous.* The original Nordic Tug, the little 26-footer, is a pilothouse boat as are all the Nordic Tug models that came after.* A pilthouse is, in our opinion, the absolute best configuration for a cruising boat regardless of the size.* Even the little, trailerable (sort of) Ranger Tug is a pilothouse boat.* Pilothouses work no matter what the size of the boat.
By elevating the helm station it gives you the visual advantage of a flying bridge (which I happen to feel is a bad place to run a boat from) but by being inside the boat you are aware of the sounds and smells coming from the engine room or other boat systems.* We avoided a boat fire by being at the lower helm station and smelling the hot electrical smell coming from the instrument console, something we would never have detected from the flying bridge until we saw the flames.* A pilothouse also give you instant deck access should you be needed outside in a hurry during a docking or whatever.
A pilothouse separates the helm station from the aft main cabin which in a number of situations can be very advantageous.* And, while this is a totally subjective opinion, it is the best looking configuration for a cruising boat.* All our favorite production boat designs are pilothouse boats--- Fleming 55, deFever 46, the Krogens, Nordic Tug (the ones without a flying bridge stuck on top), and a few others.
But regardless whether or not you like a pilothouse design, to say it is a bad configuration for a smaller boat is nonsense.
All of the above is strictly my opinion based on my experience and observations.* As such it is worth exactly what you paid for it.* In the end, you should do what your mind and your gut tell you is the right thing to do.* The chances are excellent it will be the right decision.
-- Edited by Marin on Monday 1st of August 2011 12:50:41 PM
