Nordhavn

[cfr]

It is like buying a Range Rover and never using it in the dust and dirt, just to have the dreaming i could o it if i want......same with many NH. Second f you can spent 2 mio for a boat you are not as free as a young sailor buying a 35 ft boat and spending 100.00 for the boat and 100.000 for 6 years sailing the world. Having 2 mio free for a boat normally means you hav a big house / garden, a family, a good job, social posiotion etc. and these guy do not spent 7 month a year potting arround with 7 knots.... so it will be a niche market. The bigger superyachts are like a hotel business and numbers increasing year by year, but a 60 ft powerboat for travelling arround the world will be still and very very small portion. We are sailing the Med sind 7 years for 8 month a year and we met less than 10 powerboats who are travelling for months. just the one week summer holiday, every night marina and restaurant, or the big yachts with crew and changeing guest every week, but hundred of couples on sailboat ( mostly running the engine )......so we call ourself powerboat with a long antenna.....
A safe sailing boat arround 40 ft you can get for 150.000 and you can go everywhere in safety...there is no powerboat even close. But you have to do it. it is not the boat but the captain who is going ......


But to be honest i am also looking for a powerboat , but not Nordhavn because it is to much marketing for my taste. good season

 

[Simi 60]

Show me the sailboat with a REAL walk around king size bed, large amounts of refrigeration and the solar to run it and I'll show some interest.

 

[rslifkin]

Show me the sailboat with a REAL walk around king size bed, large amounts of refrigeration and the solar to run it and I'll show some interest.

Anything that has that is likely either very large, a cat, or both.

 

[Medic]

Being aboard a Nordhavn in rough Atlantic, Pacific, Caribbean, or Gulf of St. Lawrence seas I can tell you that the feeling is one of security, knowing that you will survive the experience.

That said, you pay dearly for the redundancy of systems, including propulsion. During the 98% of the time you are not at "sea" in the sense of knowing you cannot touch land for 48 hours, or a couple of hundred hours, you still must maintain those redundant systems. It is both expensive, and a huge commitment of time.

If I was going to the South Pacific I would DEFINITELY do so in a Nordhavn. If I was going to cross the Atlantic -- ditto. Otherwise, probably not.

 

[sunchaser]

The list of ocean crossing power boats is surprisingly long. I could cite a dozen that are not mentioned on this thread. My favorite recent one is the Great Harbor 37 that went from east coast US to Hawaii. Crew experience, desire, free time and play money cash become the limiting factors.

Whether St Maarten, St Thomas or St Kitts the anchored boats I've seen there show a variety of brands that have come from mainland US. Other than on deck fuel bladders it would seem many of these could do longer trips. The question of course is why.

 

[Medic]

Crossings

Don't assume that boats at the islands you mentioned could make ocean crossings simply by adding fuel capacity.

 

[Medic]

Sunchaser...As I read your full post I realized you were not saying what I first thought you were saying. My bad. Apologies.

 

[skyhawk]

Like the posters above are saying, the Nordhavn is a true ocean going boat. There is a U-Tube channel called MV Freedom with a couple that live aboard a 43' Nordhavn in Seattle. They have only gone out in the ocean one time from Seattle to Portland, OR. Below is a video tour of their boat.

From what I've learned the Nordhavn's have tried to cover all contingencies and have great redundancy with many duplicate systems. Another boat I'm impressed with, but clear out of my price range, is the Fleming, a true ocean going vessel. The founder bought hull # 1, a 65' vessel and has traveled over 50,000 miles of open water. You can find his channel here.
https://www.youtube.com/user/FlemingYachts/videos

I've been itching to see more vids of them getting offshore for real. I'm really wondering about the ride of that boat in seas..... I understand they have stabilizer vanes to counteract roll, but nothing for pitch.....and I've seen no mention of flopper stoppers or paravanes and no outriggers to use them. No fly bridge is probably good because that would make it even more top heavy....

Regardless, I've enjoyed watching their local cruising and hope to do something similar some day. Their boat looks like a nice size for living..but I fear it's too short for it's bulk...just my amateur eye looking and wondering about the ride....

 

[Simi 60]

Anything that has that is likely either very large, a cat, or both.

And likely 20 x or more the cost of what we have

 

[Alaskaflyer]

The documentary of the first Nordhavn Atlantic Rally (2004?) gives an idea of their ride in sizable swells, though the newest models are missing of course. Most interesting is when one of the smaller models has their active stabilization go down for a while. Available on YouTube.

 

[Fletcher500]

I've been itching to see more vids of them getting offshore for real. I'm really wondering about the ride of that boat in seas..... I understand they have stabilizer vanes to counteract roll, but nothing for pitch.....and I've seen no mention of flopper stoppers or paravanes and no outriggers to use them. No fly bridge is probably good because that would make it even more top heavy....

Not sure what you mean regarding your pitch comment?

 

[Hippocampus]

No first hand knowledge of what’s the small ones are like in a seaway but owners, brokers and professional delivery capts have all told me they are set up to run on AP not hand steer. So dancing to miss the bigger breaking ones is somewhat limited. You do need to play the throttle going up and down. You can handsteer of course.and may choose to do so in the bad spots. My experience is you want to swap out every 15-30 minutes as staying in the game is harder than you at first think.
Size matters. Stuff that won’t bother TT or many others here with make folks on a 40,43 or 46 truly miserable. Even if roll is decreased it’s just one axis of motion. Just don’t have the LWL to prevent pitching and heave. Big advantage is weight. Know from sailboats it does slow down motion.
Think where the helm is has a big effect on how you feel. Facing a wave train personally want to be as low as possible and as far aft as possible. But in general like to be as close to the gyradius as possible. Do like the helm position.
So most people won’t want to go into harms way. These boats are overkill for how the vast majority are used and even then not the best choice for extensive passage making in the smaller sizes.
TT’s boat is RTW boat. Sure a 40 went RTW at the fastest time. But with different professional mariners swapping out at each leg and professional support throughout. I’d want to be in something over 50’ for a circumnavigation. Ideally well over.

 

[guy with a boat]

All these debates about open water crossings apply much less on the west coast of the US, just due to geography. I’ve been to Hawaii and won’t hurry back, but I’ll go by air when I’m ready to go again. I don’t plan to run our boat to the South Pacific until I’ve become tired of destinations in the Americas, which may not happen in this lifetime. Essentially every other destination is “coastal” for us. So I have no plans or desire to cross an ocean in the foreseeable future. Does that mean our Nordhavn is overkill? I don’t think so.

We can go anywhere we choose in a wider range of conditions than most boats our size would handle. Just in the past 9 months, we have been from northern Vancouver Island to Mexico and back to California. We will soon head north again to the PNW and to SE Alaska, where the boat will be for summer. We can make the run from Washington to AK on the outside (instead of through BC) if we choose, knowing we will be safe and comfortable if we do our part. We fueled the boat in Anacortes, WA before we headed down the coast. When we got to Southern California, we could have turned around and gone back to Canada without getting fuel. Silly to carry that much fuel for coastal cruising? We paid $1.70 w/ tax and know we have clean fuel and can go where we want, when we want.

The systems are simple for their capability and use top quality components. We have redundancy in every critical system. Multiple watermakers, gens, chargers, inverters, pumps, etc. Is that stuff unnecessary because we aren’t doing a 3,000mi open-water passage? There are lots of places we go where parts and service are completely unavailable. With good equipment and redundancy, you shouldn’t ever have a trip interrupted. We don’t have to change our travel plans and wait around for parts or service if we have an issue; just switch to the spare and keep on cruising.

I like working on the boat so I do 90% of the maintenance. If you do all the preventative maintenance, you won’t have to do many repairs. Everything on a NH is accessible, routed intelligently, and labeled, all of which make care and maintenance easier and more efficient.

As mentioned before, Nordhavns are lower priced than boats that are equivalent in capability and build quality. Its popular to say they are overpriced but that is not accurate as long as you are comparing apples to apples. That is true for the purchase price, and the strong resale value further helps the cost equation. Buy a good quality product with a good track record and, while its not the cheapest up front, your total cost of ownership will likely be less than if you go with lower quality and take a bigger hit when you sell.

There are lots of good and fun boats at all different price points, but NH has earned the reputation they have. They aren’t by any means the cheapest or the most expensive, but they are the best value proposition that I know of for the capability they provide.

 

[twistedtree]

All these debates about open water crossings apply much less on the west coast of the US, just due to geography. I’ve been to Hawaii and won’t hurry back, but I’ll go by air when I’m ready to go again. I don’t plan to run our boat to the South Pacific until I’ve become tired of destinations in the Americas, which may not happen in this lifetime. Essentially every other destination is “coastal” for us. So I have no plans or desire to cross an ocean in the foreseeable future. Does that mean our Nordhavn is overkill? I don’t think so.

We can go anywhere we choose in a wider range of conditions than most boats our size would handle. Just in the past 9 months, we have been from northern Vancouver Island to Mexico and back to California. We will soon head north again to the PNW and to SE Alaska, where the boat will be for summer. We can make the run from Washington to AK on the outside (instead of through BC) if we choose, knowing we will be safe and comfortable if we do our part. We fueled the boat in Anacortes, WA before we headed down the coast. When we got to Southern California, we could have turned around and gone back to Canada without getting fuel. Silly to carry that much fuel for coastal cruising? We paid $1.70 w/ tax and know we have clean fuel and can go where we want, when we want.

The systems are simple for their capability and use top quality components. We have redundancy in every critical system. Multiple watermakers, gens, chargers, inverters, pumps, etc. Is that stuff unnecessary because we aren’t doing a 3,000mi open-water passage? There are lots of places we go where parts and service are completely unavailable. With good equipment and redundancy, you shouldn’t ever have a trip interrupted. We don’t have to change our travel plans and wait around for parts or service if we have an issue; just switch to the spare and keep on cruising.

I like working on the boat so I do 90% of the maintenance. If you do all the preventative maintenance, you won’t have to do many repairs. Everything on a NH is accessible, routed intelligently, and labeled, all of which make care and maintenance easier and more efficient.

As mentioned before, Nordhavns are lower priced than boats that are equivalent in capability and build quality. Its popular to say they are overpriced but that is not accurate as long as you are comparing apples to apples. That is true for the purchase price, and the strong resale value further helps the cost equation. Buy a good quality product with a good track record and, while its not the cheapest up front, your total cost of ownership will likely be less than if you go with lower quality and take a bigger hit when you sell.

There are lots of good and fun boats at all different price points, but NH has earned the reputation they have. They aren’t by any means the cheapest or the most expensive, but they are the best value proposition that I know of for the capability they provide.

Excellent summary. Couldn't agree more. And it's not all because of good marketing. People choose the boat. They aren't tricked into it.

 

[CaptainSEA]

Hi, it is linked to the dreaming but trust me when I faced 12 ft + waves during my last Xmas cruise I was very happy to have my family onboard our Selene...

 

[bligh]

All these debates about open water crossings apply much less on the west coast of the US, just due to geography. I’ve been to Hawaii and won’t hurry back, but I’ll go by air when I’m ready to go again. I don’t plan to run our boat to the South Pacific until I’ve become tired of destinations in the Americas, which may not happen in this lifetime. Essentially every other destination is “coastal” for us. So I have no plans or desire to cross an ocean in the foreseeable future. Does that mean our Nordhavn is overkill? I don’t think so.

We can go anywhere we choose in a wider range of conditions than most boats our size would handle. Just in the past 9 months, we have been from northern Vancouver Island to Mexico and back to California. We will soon head north again to the PNW and to SE Alaska, where the boat will be for summer. We can make the run from Washington to AK on the outside (instead of through BC) if we choose, knowing we will be safe and comfortable if we do our part. We fueled the boat in Anacortes, WA before we headed down the coast. When we got to Southern California, we could have turned around and gone back to Canada without getting fuel. Silly to carry that much fuel for coastal cruising? We paid $1.70 w/ tax and know we have clean fuel and can go where we want, when we want.

The systems are simple for their capability and use top quality components. We have redundancy in every critical system. Multiple watermakers, gens, chargers, inverters, pumps, etc. Is that stuff unnecessary because we aren’t doing a 3,000mi open-water passage? There are lots of places we go where parts and service are completely unavailable. With good equipment and redundancy, you shouldn’t ever have a trip interrupted. We don’t have to change our travel plans and wait around for parts or service if we have an issue; just switch to the spare and keep on cruising.

I like working on the boat so I do 90% of the maintenance. If you do all the preventative maintenance, you won’t have to do many repairs. Everything on a NH is accessible, routed intelligently, and labeled, all of which make care and maintenance easier and more efficient.

As mentioned before, Nordhavns are lower priced than boats that are equivalent in capability and build quality. Its popular to say they are overpriced but that is not accurate as long as you are comparing apples to apples. That is true for the purchase price, and the strong resale value further helps the cost equation. Buy a good quality product with a good track record and, while its not the cheapest up front, your total cost of ownership will likely be less than if you go with lower quality and take a bigger hit when you sell.

There are lots of good and fun boats at all different price points, but NH has earned the reputation they have. They aren’t by any means the cheapest or the most expensive, but they are the best value proposition that I know of for the capability they provide.

Respectfully, you have a 63 ft boat and you might need a reality check.


As most of us are in the 35-50ft range, all of the non-issues you list are actually issues whether you have a nordhavn or not.



The west coast is miserable for many boats , especially those under 50 ft that are limited in range or by speed. The Oregon and California coast alone is rather treacherous at times. Sure a 63 ft boat makes good speed and has lots of redundancy, but a 40 ft boat is a lot more vulnerable out there. 40 ft boats rarely are stabilized and often dont have room for lots of redundancy.



I watched a youtube video of a guy in a 40ft nordhavn changing out his water-maker membrane. It was a miserable job to say the least and the worst place I could imagine anyone would put RO filters and membranes. THere is no way he could have done that job in any sort of weather while under way. That does not bode well for your argument nordhavns have plenty of space and everything is easy to service, yada, yada.



I could also argue that any large sailing cat gives you more bang for your buck than a nordy of equal square footage. I'm not sure what I would pick if given the choice. I suppose it would depend on my intended cruising ground. If I were in BC most of the time, I'd definitely have a trawler. If I were in the south pacific, I'd have a cat.



For cruising up and down the west coast (outside the inside passage) , if i had to pick something in the under 50 ft range, I would get a sailboat over a motor boat. Once I hit the 50 ft. range , we could start talking nordhavn, KK, Seahorse, Selene, Fleming, etc.


I suppose that is why I kind of landed in between them all with my current boat.

 

[socalrider]

The west coast is miserable for many boats , especially those under 50 ft that are limited in range or by speed. The Oregon and California coast alone is rather treacherous at times. Sure a 63 ft boat makes good speed and has lots of redundancy, but a 40 ft boat is a lot more vulnerable out there. 40 ft boats rarely are stabilized and often dont have room for lots of redundancy.

I could also argue that any large sailing cat gives you more bang for your buck than a nordy of equal square footage. I'm not sure what I would pick if given the choice. I suppose it would depend on my intended cruising ground. If I were in BC most of the time, I'd definitely have a trawler. If I were in the south pacific, I'd have a cat.

For cruising up and down the west coast (outside the inside passage) , if i had to pick something in the under 50 ft range, I would get a sailboat over a motor boat. Once I hit the 50 ft. range , we could start talking nordhavn, KK, Seahorse, Selene, Fleming, etc.

The solution for us west coast folks is: we need to work harder and get a Nordie 63! There's one that was docked across from me and man... what a vessel, @guy with a boat and @twistedtree congrats to you both.

I looked at a ton of sailboats in the 50' range, and some cats in the 40' range before getting our CHB 41 for a lot less $$. Cats are at their absolute worst heading upwind into a swell... which is basically the entire northbound route up the coast. We looked at a Stevens 50 sailboat that I probably would have bought if I was convinced I could get my family to go offshore with me for weeks on end. But I think they would have collectively divorced me. Still, that's where I'd go if I wanted a passage maker for $150-200k.

I think we could voyage comfortably on something like the N63. In the meantime we'll cruise locally & I'll keep on hustling!

 

[bligh]

Cats are at their absolute worst heading upwind into a swell... which is basically the entire northbound route up the coast. !

Yes, I forgot about that.

 

[mvweebles]

I'm one of the people who often mention marketing prowess of PAE/Nordhavn. But I mean it in a good and respectful way. My experience with the boats and the company is now 17 years dated, but I delivered a lot of boats back then, and has a good professional relationship with the principals of PAE.

Nordhavn has become a lifestyle brand. Not just a boat. They have developed a trustful relationship within the trawler segment with a value proposition based on extreme capabilities and risk mitigation wrapped in a well designed and constructed package. They have nurtured a lifecycle approach to ownership - for bucket-list customers who do their 3-year cruise and then sell, a decent resale price is likely. For those who seek to expand, there's always a larger Nordhavn to be ordered. The brand loyalty is exceptional given how unique boats are.

You either buy into the Nordhavn lifestyle brand or you don't. There are a lot of sort-of-similar boats out there who's value prop is "as good as a Nordhavn but cheaper." They can't say they are better than a Nordhavn because they are not. With exception of perhaps Fleming, I can think of no brand that spends so much R&D on how their boats actually get used, a byproduct of having a close-knit users group. I have no bone to pick with DDs but let's be honest, these boats are built by yards who construct and assemble stuff, not by cruisers with deep knowledge and experience in the way FPBs are (or Amel in the sailing world).

I personally am not a Nordhavn guy. Not because I don't respect the boat (I absolutely do), but I can't warm up to the lifestyle brand. They have too much stuff on them and I find it distracting. But most cruiser/trawler owners/customers want all that stuff (and the redundant stuff). Many can't afford it so the sour grapes discussion ensues "hurumph - it's just marketing fluff. Nordhavns are over priced." Of course, when topic of crossing oceans comes up, suddenly everyone's a convert - gotta have a Nordhavn.

I guess I'm saying is the Nordhavns I've been aboard are exceptional boats. And while they would be an excellent choice for the coastal passagemaking I aspire to do, the lifestyle brand mystique is not for me. I seek a more simple and personal experience. I find all the stuff - especially the overblown electronic navigation systems common on on Nordhavns (and their imitators) too distracting. Yes, all that cool stuff is a safety net, but I find it to be a glass ceiling that masks development of sound seamanship skills.

These are fine boats. Exceptional boats. Anyone who has ever operated one will attest. A boat like this is expensive. But when you sell and settle the accounts, they are not a bad buy. I'd be surprised if there was a less expensive ownership experience in the class.

Peter

 

[Hippocampus]

So after replacing sea boots on a near annual basis decide to take the plunge and buy a set of Dubarrys. Ridiculously expensive compared to other brands. Among blue water sailors a statement you’re a serious guy. Now I’m the type that won’t wear any clothes that has a large brand label on it. I object to paying money to advertise a brand and have no interest in flash. Still I bought the Dubarrys.
Guess what they’re a huge improvement compared to other brands. The soles started to fall off because the glue failed but the tops remained perfect and the tread remained unworn. Sent an email to DuBarry. They didn’t resole them they mailed me new ones. Total cost of ownership is less than HH, West, or Gill over time and a better product/experience.
So all this lifestyle stuff aside often in life the “lifestyle “ product is really better. Agree sometimes it’s hype. Boat ownership is cost in minus residual value plus cumulative annual expenditure. On this level sometimes buying “high end” is actually the better choice. A safer, more enjoyable experience at the same cost at the end of the day.
I lust after the big Norhavns. Love the aesthetics of any well executed purpose built boat. It’s not to be and the new 41 has no appeal to me. So will get something older.
My whole life I’ve been Murphy’s best friend. I’ve learned if you have a good solid thing to work with you can sort yourself out. But if you don’t you’re fixing and replacing over and over again.

 

[rslifkin]

So all this lifestyle stuff aside often in life the “lifestyle “ product is really better. Agree sometimes it’s hype.

And even the ones that are mostly hype often started out good. Some of them have changed target markets over time when they realized that 95% of their customers were buying them to be cool and have the label, rather than for any functional aspect of the product.

 

[twistedtree]

Everyone sees different things in boats, and values different things in boats. I think all I can really add here is why WE picked a Nordhavn.


We started out cruising with a Back Cove 29. Good boat, and a great value, but relatively low-end fit an finish. But that was fine because we were really just testing the waters, so to speak, to see how we liked cruising. But given it's size it was too much like camping. And the nosie level on the boat was way too much for our taste. But there is only so much you can do in a 29' boat.


Then we moved to a Grand Banks 47'. It had space and appointments to comfortably be on board for a month or more, so no more camping. And the build quality, equipment, and fit & finish were a clear step up from the Back Cove. At the time we also looked at Nordhavn's and really liked them, but couldn't get our heads around life at 7-8 kts. But along the way we learned a few things. First, and probably most important, we really liked distance cruising as opposed to weekend excursions, so we wanted to do more. But when we made our list of destinations, the GB just didn't have the range do do what we wanted. Plus, after 2 months straight on the GB, we wanted more space, a full galley, separate washer and dryer, more water maker capacity. One value judgement here is that we want at-home comfort while cruising if we are going to be on the boat for 6 months out of the year. The other thing we learned is that when distance cruising, we were always running at 8kts or so, even though the boat could go 23 kts. Going slow was much more comfortable, and with no rush to get somewhere and back in a weekend, we preferred to take out time.


So our focus went back to Nordhavn. It had the same excellent fit and finish of the Grand Banks, but was more geared to what we wanted. It was bigger, which allowed for the improved amenities. It was also much quieter while underway, was equipped with more redundancy which meant less disruption to cruising plans because we could just keep on going and fix problems when convenient rather than having to stop. And the greater range was huge, opening up a plethora of destinations that would have been cumbersome, if not impossible in the GB. Also important to us was the design geared towards a couple operating the boat, and a boat that can be comfortably and easily run overnight, e.g. a pilot house separate from the main living space.


So that was how we got to Nordhavn, and it wasn't because we looked at a brochure and said "we want to be like that". In fact, I don't think I've ever even seen a Nordhavn brochure, but rather just been on a lot of boats, including a lot of other makes. And there are lots of good boats out there - no doubt about it. I have yet to go on any boat and not seen at least one thing that I think is a great idea.


And speaking of other boats, we looked pretty broadly when we decided we wanted to move up from the N60. I had looked at Nordhavn 68s and 76s, of course, and really didn't see any 76 that I liked. We also looked at Northern Marines, Deltas, and a few other boats with similar capabilities, but kept coming back to the Nordhavn 68.


So that's our experience, and your mileage may vary.

 

[sunchaser]

Guy
Isn't the N63 hull a stretched 60 which in turn was a stretched 55? After being on all 3 the N63 is my favorite. The interior layout is quite nice with the expected N design and build quality dominating throughout.

Two question:
- Does the PH move aft provide good forward vision?
- Were the engines and rudders moved aft as the was hull stretched?

BTW, I 100% agree that not venturing far offshore in no way diminishes the benefits of a top flight sea boat like yours. You've a lifetime of cruising on the Pacific Coast. If you get bored you can always nip up to Dutch Harbor.

 

[w8n4sun]

...And speaking of other boats, we looked pretty broadly when we decided we wanted to move up from the N60. I had looked at Nordhavn 68s and 76s, of course, and really didn't see any 76 that I liked. We also looked at Northern Marines, Deltas, and a few other boats with similar capabilities, but kept coming back to the Nordhavn 68.

Please expand more on the your findings between the brands you researched. Was it the familiarity with your N60 that swayed your decision to build another Nordhavn?

 

[hollywood8118]

Call it what you want, Nordhavn's fill a segment of the market for folks that want a SUV type boat that has great finishes. They are a Denali version for sure.. fit and finish is top notch and they are built to take a beating. As others have pointed out, they are expensive but they also have great resale value and have known capabilities. They share the same type of loyalty as Patagonia clothing, and like Patagonia the high up front cost turns into a great value as the years go by. These boats love to go to sea, and have all the comforts of home. Nordhavn has crafted a lifestyle image with their boats that is totally attainable and sustainable, unlike the lifestyles we see portrayed by the current crop of "lifestyle influence types" we see on most social media platforms.
In the past I have spoken out about how great these boats are, and I feel even more confident in these boats after more time has passed.

The Dashew boats are also great boats if you like the look and feel of that style of ocean capable boats. but it comes at a very high cost per square foot of living space and a very high cost in moorage. Dashew built a boat that fits his type A personality and definitely gets there fast but has other limitations in its design. As others have pointed out previously Nordhavns tend to be a but top heavy if no more so than looks and they need to be stabilized to be comfy but in reality all power boats at sea need some form of stabilization to be comfortable.

In my experience of a fair amount of Nordhavn travels, the boats are pretty self tending once land is cleared and the autopilot is engaged. My most enjoyable passages happened on Nordhavns off the coast of Baja and Central America. One was a night watch on a moonless and cloudless night with a slight tailwind. Listening to songs on the owners music list from Johnny Cash, Tony Bennett, and the Rat Pack with both pilot house doors open was a experience I will never forget. In all my 20000+ miles of blue water sailing I only had one such event while ghosting along at 3kts on a flat calm sea West of the Marquesas ( the French ones) and watching the Southern Cross sway back and forth through the rigging.
HOLLYWOOD

 

[guy with a boat]

Guy
Isn't the N63 hull a stretched 60 which in turn was a stretched 55? After being on all 3 the N63 is my favorite. The interior layout is quite nice with the expected N design and build quality dominating throughout.

Two question:
- Does the PH move aft provide good forward vision?
- Were the engines and rudders moved aft as the was hull stretched?

BTW, I 100% agree that not venturing far offshore in no way diminishes the benefits of a top flight sea boat like yours. You've a lifetime of cruising on the Pacific Coast. If you get bored you can always nip up to Dutch Harbor.

My understanding is that the 60/63 is a stretched 55. Nordhavn isn’t a builder that just adds length to an existing mold and calls it good. They engineer each model on its own, so the “extended” hull has the prop, rudder, COG, etc in the correct places. The basic hull shape worked extremely well in the 55 so they made a longer version with the correct adjustments.

The N63 is the same hull as the 60 under the waterline. It’s a very different boat but the same proven bottom. FWIW, our 63 is 68’ overall, including swim platform and bow pulpit. For us, the layout of the 63 worked better than the 60, and we prefer the aft pilot house.

No issues with sight lines from the aft PH. Geometry says you can’t see the water in front of the bow as closely as you can with a forward PH, but we have never noticed or considered any reduced visibility. The views and visibility are very good in all directions. We have wing stations on each side of the Portuguese bridge, so no visibility issues at the dock. We were able to get dual PH chairs, which was a big plus for us. I may be wrong, but I don’t think the 55/60 had room for that.

The N55 is a hugely popular boat, but my opinion is that the hull is improved in the longer version. Our boat is not sensitive to reasonable changes in fuel load, more or less heavy chain and anchor in the bow, or general weight distribution. It sits on its lines and rides well in most conditions. The 55 seems a little more sensitive to weight distribution. Additional length improves most boats, and it works very well in this application.

The details of the N models will vary, but design philosophy and build quality are consistent throughout the line, which translates to good boats, good reputation, owner satisfaction and resale value in any part of the size range.

 

[trawler nut]

how does Bering fit in with Norhavn,Krogen,Fleming and diesel duck as far as safety,redundency and price and quality? I know they're steel but besides that how does Bering compare?

 

[rslifkin]

I'll agree with an aft pilothouse not being a visibility issue. The Nordhavn pilothouses are up plenty high for good visibility. Yes, you can't see as close to the bow as you can from some other boats, but it's still worlds better than you'd get on most sailboats and many express cruisers (where the helm is down low and not all that far forward).

I've got an aft helm on my own boat and can't say I've ever felt being back further was an issue visibility wise. I'd expect the sight lines from the Nordhavn pilothouse to be comparable to what I've got in the picture below (the Nordhavns are longer and have higher bows, but the pilothouses are up higher).

 

[Hippocampus]

Wish to thank the posters. Especially the nordhavn owners. Good to see reinforcement of my thoughts.

 

[skyhawk]

The documentary of the first Nordhavn Atlantic Rally (2004?) gives an idea of their ride in sizable swells, though the newest models are missing of course. Most interesting is when one of the smaller models has their active stabilization go down for a while. Available on YouTube.

thanks...just watched the 1st leg. Actually found it interesting...definitely something I'd have watched back in the day when I had cable and might stumble across it flipping channels.
Funny how 20 years old seems so old fashioned...the computers, the fashion, the cinematic production style, etc...