Updated on October 19th, 2024
You’ll probably never meet a Nordhavn owner who isn’t happy with their boat. In the yachting world this is surprising, because here someone is always dissatisfied with something. Nordhavn is definitely an exception as every buyer of these unique trawlers always seems to be a happy one.
The world of trawler yachts is generally special. There are no random people here; every future owner of boats of this type always knows exactly what he needs, down to the smallest detail. However, this becomes logical if you consider that, as a rule, people do not come to trawlers right away, but only after a long period of experience in owning other boats. Moreover, a huge percentage of the current owners of these yachts are sailors who are tired of the discomfort of their sailboats.
Of course, after a long period of putting up with the inconveniences of a sailboat, any motor yacht will feel like the ultimate dream. But trawlers are also bought by motor boaters, who were completely dissatisfied with a number of factors such as seaworthiness, range, habitability, reliability, safety and, in the end, the economy of their sports cruisers. In general, people come to trawlers who no longer want compromises and restrictions in order to travel the world in comfort comparable to a country house, and not a hobbit dugout.
There are not very many manufacturers of reliable and seaworthy trawler yachts, and only a few of them are the standard for the sophisticated part of the yachting community. Nordhavn is among the first in this series. The American shipyard, which has been building its famous trawlers since the end of the last century, successfully entered the market during the decline of sailing and for decades survived all financial crises, even despite a sharp reduction in orders.
Since the first hull was designed by Jeff Leishman, the reliability and seaworthiness of Nordhavn yachts has become legendary. This is easy to explain as the design was inspired by the fully displacement fishing vessels of the North Sea. The name Nordhavn itself is translated from Norwegian as “North Harbour”.
However, at that time there were many other manufacturers of trawler-type yachts and it was very difficult to stand out from them. But the hard work of the company’s founders, a debt-free business model that allowed it to survive crises, and just a lucky coincidence of circumstances have allowed Nordhavn to be where it is now – at the top of the podium of the best trawler yachts, ready for any challenge you throw at them.
Nordhavn hulls are an ideal example of the use of fiberglass in the construction of explorer motor yachts. The GRP hulls can be very poor, or, as in the case of the Nordhavn, it can be of the highest quality, maximally reinforced and finished to perfection. Extremely reliable, repairable, low maintenance and little loss in resale value.
But despite all this, it seems to us that the real reason for the popularity of Nordhavn trawlers lies in their beauty. Especially the latest models such as N86, N96 and N120 make us absolutely delighted. Just look how graceful and harmonious they are in their natural environment!
But the smaller yachts in the line are also incredible. We also really like the non-flybridge model N63. Despite the enormous benefits of a flybridge, there are yachts that can benefit from not having one, and Nordhavn successfully demonstrates this to us.
Having grown up on the shores of the Baltic Sea, we know that the number of days we would spend during the season on the flybridge would tend to zero. Plus, a sleek hardtop is minimalist and ethical. But, of course, this point of view changes dramatically when we get into the subtropics or tropics.
Does Nordhavn have any competitors today? Yes, they have. The main ones we would call trawlers from Selene. But in fact, they do not compete with each other so much as they complement each other’s model ranges. In terms of quality, as well as in terms of seaworthiness, it is impossible to single out one of them, and current owners of yachts from both shipyards seem to be equally satisfied.
When we look at the trawlers both Nordhavn and Selene, our hearts begin to beat equally quickly and we again feel like little children in an unknown and mysterious world full of sea adventures. This means both companies are doing everything right.