Continuous Cruising

[longjohnsilver]

Re: Conclusion

We've been to the Scillies as tourists, can't wait to get back there in our own boat. Dartmouth definitely on the passage plan, mine's a Bollinger please

We DeFever owners are more brown ale and sandwich people.......and that's only if there's an A in the month!

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

Re: Conclusion

But in the end we bought a ten year old Nordhavn N40.

Excellent choice. +1 for pics and more details

 

[Garold]

Re: Conclusion

Is that the boat that came over from Sweden?

If so, she looks to be in fantastic condition.

Congratulations.

Garold

 

[MapisM]

Re: Conclusion

+1 for pics and more details

+2
And congratulations!

 

[TwoHooter]

Re: Conclusion

Thanks to all for for nice comments.

Is that the boat that came over from Sweden?

Yes. The brokers found it very hard to persuade anyone to go and see her while she was there. We were making arrangements to go - and we would have been the first to go - but by the time we were ready she had been brought back to the UK, where we snapped her up. There is another brokerage N40 coming down to the Hamble soon but our boat has a flybridge and we wanted that. Coming from a sailing boat we want to be able to helm in the open air in nice weather.

If so, she looks to be in fantastic condition. Congratulations. Garold

Ye, she is good. Like any ten year old boat there are a few jobs needed, but we aim to have everything done within 6 months [edit: over-optimistic as usual. Say a year] The equipment is fantastic - she has just about everything she could have. The navigation kit is a bit dated but we can take our time over modernising the bridge.

I was going to take some more pictures but the boat has been a bit untidy inside and out so I didn't feel like it. There was a lot of stuff left on board, we must have filled a whole wheelie bin. By the time everything was tidy I had missed the sunshine. I'll take some pictures when we launch on Thursday.

 

[benjenbav]

Re: Conclusion

I think you have made a great choice of boat. Funny story about that: I went to look at one at a boat show some years back. I was seriously at least dreaming at the time. But my daughter wouldn't set foot on board for some reason, which did put me off a bit.

 

[BartW]

Re: Conclusion

congratulations !
really nice boat and absolutely suiteable for continious cruising

out of curiosity,
the inventory say's she has "flopper stoppers", and ABT Track stabilisers,
do you know if the stabilisers can be upgraded to zero speed ?
should be a nice upgrade ?

 

[Greg2]

Re: Conclusion

Excellent choice, many congrats!
I just love Nordhavns'.....the stuff of dreams and ideal for what you want to do. Enjoy

 

[TwoHooter]

Re: Conclusion

I think you have made a great choice of boat. Funny story about that: I went to look at one at a boat show some years back. I was seriously at least dreaming at the time. But my daughter wouldn't set foot on board for some reason, which did put me off a bit.

There will be an N64 at SIBS this year - why not see if she's changed her mind? Seriously though, the Nordies give the impression of being very tall boats and perhaps that's something that can put some people off.

congratulations !
really nice boat and absolutely suiteable for continious cruising
out of curiosity, the inventory say's she has "flopper stoppers", and ABT Track stabilisers,
do you know if the stabilisers can be upgraded to zero speed ?
should be a nice upgrade ?

Yes she has ABT Trac hydraulic stabilisers. I don't know if they can be converted to give STAR but even if they could the pump is on the main engine so I assume we would need a new pump on the generator because it wouldn't be good for the main engine to tick over for hours on end driving the stabs when anchored. She has a single flopper stopper which I understand is about 80% as effective as dual. I'd never handled a flopper stopper until we went on board - the modern ones are amazingly light. If we need to upgrade her stabilisation at rest I would start by adding a second flopper stopper and see how that does.

We had a stroke of luck with the stabs - there was no service history for them and we budgeted for the worst (new shafts) but they were stripped right down and given a full service last week and everything is in A1 condition. I saw the job being done - they look like new. Phew! BTW the published inventory for this boat is a bit inaccurate in places and it doesn't include everything. For example there is a brand new watermaker!

 

[LadyJ]

Re: Conclusion

Followed this thread with interest. Pictures would be very much appreciated. Great boat and happy cruising.

 

[TwoHooter]

Re: Conclusion

Followed this thread with interest. Pictures would be very much appreciated. Great boat and happy cruising.

There will be more pictures after the launch but meanwhile in deference to the hosts of this forum might I suggest that a copy of this month's Motor Boat and Yachting (October 2015) pages 132-136 would make a jolly good substitute!
Edit: the big picture on page 132 is our boat, and some of the others, but there are also several pictures of other boats.
The article says that access to the cockpit is only via the swim platform but there is a door on the starboard side of the cockpit. Why there isn't a door on the port side also I don't know. It's on my wish list of mods.

 

[MapisM]

Re: Conclusion

we budgeted for the worst (new shafts)

Geez, why? Did anyone suggest you that stabs shafts should be replaced in a 10yo boat?
In the last 19 years, the maintenance on my Naiad stabs has been close to nothing, and I'd be pi**ed if I should change their shafts before another 20 years or so...
Though I'm writing this with my fingers firmly crossed, of course!

Re the STAR conversion, actually the most typical installation is pump attached to a 3-phase electric motor, driven by the genset through a VFD.
In theory, a PTO pump directly attached to the genset might be a more straight/efficient solution, but I never saw it on any STAR-fitted boat.
I guess that the boat has a small wing engine, maybe one alternative could be a PTO pump attached to it... Just a thought.
Regardless, it's bound to be an expensive upgrade.
I also would try the flopper stoppers first - if they are good enough for the boat and for your needs, their capacity to work without needing any energy is a big plus, in a small(ish) but meant for long distance cruising boat.

 

[TwoHooter]

Re: Conclusion

More pictures. Not as many as I would like because I have a very small allocation for attachments/albums. I have been through my previous attachments and deleted as many as possible but I have also had to shrink my pictures and cut them down to the bare minimum. Will I get a bigger allocation of space for attachments eventually I wonder?

All these pictures will disappear when I have to clear my attachments to make room for new stuff. So anyone reading this thread in the future will find the pictures have gone.




Last bit of anti-fouling covering patches while she was in the slings. I thought I should do this myself as a token gesture, the bulk of the work having been done by my better half.




After arrival at Birdham Pool.
My first go at driving was to back it off a finger berth at Hamble Point, then bring it here. She purred along under auto pilot while we lounged about and took turns keeping watch. I went up to the flybridge for the Roman transit and past Itchenor - wonderful views. She is the complete opposite to a fast sport cruiser, but you can see why these things have a reputation for covering the miles in comfort whatever the weather. "Crossing an ocean in your carpet slippers" as Captain Robert Bebe would say. On arrival the lock was on free flow so that was a bit of a cheat. Not a lot of clearance though and the lock keeper looked worried. Backing it in to our berth between the poles took three attempts but the mooring posts are still standing and I'm aiming for two attempts next time, and a hole-in-one the time after that (if there is no wind and the thrusters don't let me down).


Talking of views, our view from the saloon up to Dell Quay is stunning, just stunning.
Note the scruffy flybridge instrument cover. There are a lot of tatty bits and pieces like this on the boat but that's a good thing because it helped us get it at the right price. We have a budget for getting everything tickety-boo by this time next year - a bit of a project but won't stop us using the boat.

If anyone is tempted by Nordhavns there are two good examples with 240v50Hz electrics, VAT paid, coming down to Hamble for sale very soon. They are a 40 like ours and a 47 which is very impressive but a bit too big for the sort of nooks and crannies we want to explore. And there's a 64 at SIBS - well worth seeing.

We have named our boat Coracle because she is a very small boat by Nordhavn standards, and our home is almost on the banks of the Wye. We are absolutely convinced she is exactly the right boat for us and will do exactly what we wanted as I explained in the first post on this thread. I think that now it's time to wrap this up. I will respond to any questions but otherwise I'd like to leave it there. Once again many thanks to everyone who chipped in. I'll probably post a few bits and bobs about work on the boat as separate threads.

 

[LadyJ]

Re: Conclusion

Very informative thread and great pictures, thanks. Enjoy, I'm sure she will take you the places you want to go and many more beside.

 

[henryf]

Re: Conclusion

Congratulations

I've been reading this thread on and off since first posted and I think you have probably bought exactly the right boat for your needs. As an industry standard everyone will know what it is come re-sale so it will appeal to a larger audience than a more obscure vessel.

It's also very well proven. I've watched the videos of Nordhavns crossing oceans so there are hundreds of thousands of nautical miles worth of experience for you to draw on.

All boats are compromises but I'm sure you will have lots of fun and must be immensely proud of your little ship.

I look forward to the next thread or indeed blog as you start stretching her legs.

Henry

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

Re: Conclusion

Wow, she looks good for a 10yr old boat, TwoHooter, at least on the outside and I'm guessing that not all N40s have fin stabilisers fitted so thats a big plus. How did you get on with close quarters manoeuvering in the marina with just a single engine and thrusters? Does she have hydraulic thrusters? I like Nordhavns myself but the idea of handling one in a tight marina with a bit of wind blowing with just a single engine worries me a bit

 

[TwoHooter]

Re: Conclusion

Wow, she looks good for a 10yr old boat, TwoHooter, at least on the outside and I'm guessing that not all N40s have fin stabilisers fitted so thats a big plus. How did you get on with close quarters manoeuvering in the marina with just a single engine and thrusters? Does she have hydraulic thrusters? I like Nordhavns myself but the idea of handling one in a tight marina with a bit of wind blowing with just a single engine worries me a bit

All my experience of driving boats under power (what little there has been) has been on our 29' yacht with one engine and no thrusters. I've never driven a twin-screw boat. The boat handling techniques for Coracle are the same as the yacht but now I have bow and stern thrusters it's easier. I haven't had to cope with much wind or current yet and I'll limit my exposure to those until I have more experience. This boat is 33% longer and about 6 times heavier than the yacht, but on the whole I'd say she is easier to handle and I'm not woried by close-quarters manouvering (providing the quarters aren't too close).

The thrusters are electric. Hydraulic thrusters driven off the wing engine are the solution many people prefer, but I'm not complaining.

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

Re: Conclusion

The thrusters are electric. Hydraulic thrusters driven off the wing engine are the solution many people prefer, but I'm not complaining.

I've had electric thrusters on many boats and I've never experienced them cutting out ever so IMHO the supposed disadvantage of electric thrusters is overstated. I also suspect that Nordhavn would have specified thrusters of adequate size and fitted them correctly (unlike some manufacturers) so I would guess that you will be fine with electric thrusters rather than hydraulic

 

[jfm]

Re: Conclusion

Many congratulations 2Hooter. That is a very fine ship and fits your bill perfectly. Excuse the shallowness but I like the light grey hull too :encouragement:.

Can you walk down the side decks? They seem to have fitted a walking board but I wasn't sure from the pictures. I remember on the 46 they had a proper side deck, but only on one side. (The 46 now in swanwick with the blue hull, Moby Dick, used to be in Antibes parked next to me)

The stabiliser fins look nicely sized. She should be completely roll free underway!

Very very nice

 

[TwoHooter]

Re: Conclusion

Many congratulations 2Hooter. That is a very fine ship and fits your bill perfectly. Excuse the shallowness but I like the light grey hull too :encouragement:. Can you walk down the side decks? They seem to have fitted a walking board but I wasn't sure from the pictures. I remember on the 46 they had a proper side deck, but only on one side. (The 46 now in swanwick with the blue hull, Moby Dick, used to be in Antibes parked next to me). The stabiliser fins look nicely sized. She should be completely roll free underway! Very very nice

There aren't any side decks aft of the pilot house. You have to remember what the design aim is for these boats - to provide something very small which is capable of going trans-oceanic and indeed around the world (5 of the N40s have done that I believe). Every aspect of the design uses that as the starting point and if compromises have to be made and the choice is between long range and anything else, the range always wins. When it comes to long voyages it is important to maximise internal space. The slightly bigger Nordhavns have offset saloons with a deck down one side; the very big ones have two side decks. But if the N40 had even one side deck the saloon would be noticeably less spacious. If you are using the boat for day trips and short spins round the Solent then the inconvenience of not having a side deck is important because a big part of each day's use of the boat is close-quarters handling. But if a typical passage lasts several days, or (like us) you plan to spend long periods at anchor or on buoys, then the amount of internal space is more important. When I first looked at Nordhavns I rejected the 40 specifically because of the lack of side decks, but then I came across a blog by someone who circumnavigated in a Kadey Krogan "Whaleback" with no side decks, and I talked to several N40 owners, and my wife and I spent a day on an N43 which has one side deck and noticed that it really wasn't needed (or used very much). We are working out how to handle the boat and so far we have managed OK despite this constraint.

I am amazed by the interest in this boat. We have had people walking round the marina just to take a look, and asking if they can come on board to see what it's like, and we always try to say "Yes". If anyone reading this sees us moored nearby please do come and say hello.