I was wondering if anyone has been able to get on or trial Nordic's new 26 and North Pacific's new 28 so as to be able to provide a comparison. Thoughts?
I've owned an NP28 for about 18 months. For about four or five years prior to retiring in 2012 I studied, researched and compared features, specs and interior layout of several pocket trawlers to buy. Price, of course, was closely monitored as well. I attended every boat show in Seattle and some in British Columbia, Canada.
I focused on the 26' Nordic Tugs; the 25, and the 29' Ranger tugs, the not-so "pocketable" 31" Camano, and others. Eventually I sea-tried a Camano and a couple of Rangers. I did not have any sea trials on NTs but I boarded five or six as I sought the right boat for my wife and I.
Anyway, pound-for-pound I found that the NP28 was the best one for us. Fit, finish and quality of the NP28 is second to none. We had two previous outboard runabouts, so in essence we're new to the rudder concept. I have become quite comfortable with the boat's ease of handling. I have been focusing on docking/departing with minimal, or no aid from the bow thruster. Each time it gets easier and smoother.
A big factor for us was the more comfortable and expansive salon/galley. This is accomplished with additional interior space gained from a "full beam" salon. The Ranger and the NT have the old, inefficient dinette table that is supposed to convert to a berth. You have to be a kid or a very small adult to find comfort there. The NTs and the Rangers dining table, being in a traverse position cuts into the already narrow salon sole. The NP28 has a 7-foot long settee across from the similar-sized galley. An NBA player can sleep in full comfort on the settee that pulls out to make a berth somewhere in size between a queen and a full bed.
The 150 HP Cummins sips less than 3GPH as it chugs along at around 7 or 8 knots. Its very low placement in the engine compartment makes the boat steady. Last summer we encountered four to five foot seas full of white caps as we returned to Blaine from an overnight stay at anchor in Sucia Island. We took hard hits on the bow, and beam, with waves topping the roof and cascading over the pilot house. These conditions lasted for over an hour and a half and the boat handled it with ease, in spite of us being so "green" at this.
I realize that most, if not all of you are likely much more experienced and competent than I am; and that you might not have thought much of the sea conditions that we encountered. That said, I think that the NP28's ability to bring two not-so-young (LOL) greenhorns home safe from that experience is testament to, and speaks volumes to the quality, reliability and sea-worthiness of this craft.
Oh, and the way that Trevor Brice comes through for his clients is outstanding. He is NPY's CEO/president/publicist, and more. Wearing all those hats results in overhead costs savings that help keep prices down.
Well, those are my humble 2 cents' worth.
Ed
Knot@work