Favorites no longer made.....alternatives?

[Bajansailor]

Nordhavns have fiberglass hulls, thus they're not as rugged as the others mentioned on that count alone.

David, have you been on many Nordhavns and carried out detailed inspections of them?
They might not be as 'rugged' as the others mentioned above, but many have achieved impressive voyages to far flung lands in high latitudes.
Ruggedness is only one aspect of the whole seaworthiness equation.
I have always had a soft spot for their 46 - and there has even been one or two motor sailer versions.
This one looks very nice (non M/S) -
1997 Nordhavn 46 Pilothouse for sale - YachtWorld

The Cape Horn yachts appear to be built of steel - here is a 1999 model for sale.
1999 CAPE HORN 63' Trawler | Florida Yachts International
Beautiful woodwork inside - but I would always be a bit worried by what might be happening to the steel behind that woodwork, as she is 22 years old now.

 

[MapisM]

The Cape Horn yachts appear to be built of steel - here is a 1999 model for sale.
1999 CAPE HORN 63' Trawler | Florida Yachts International
Beautiful woodwork inside - but I would always be a bit worried by what might be happening to the steel behind that woodwork, as she is 22 years old now.

Funny you should mention that boat, which is an almost sistership of the one I previously mentioned.
Originally named Integrity, I don't think hull #7 had a ice strengthened bow as hull #4, but she was also powered by the very interesting (optional) Thrustmaster Z-drive.
And they were both built in the same yard, i.e. A.F. Theriault, which was imho the very best among those used by CH.
In fact, the ad statement "built by The Cape Horn Trawler Corp. in Meteghan River, Nova Scotia" is a bit misleading.
CH owned the design and the brand, but not much more than that. The actual builder was this one, which is still around.
And I suppose they'd be happy to accept a sh!tload of money from the OP, to build him something as close as he likes to the original CH concept.

 

[David Ess]

Neither alu boats are as rugged as steel ones, for that matter. Nor equally capable to withstand fire.

Ref. your question about why I think that sailboats are better than powerboats for ocean crossing, c'mon, really?
I'm well aware of the reasons why some folks would never go ocean crossing by sail while they would (and a few actually did, albeit just a tiny minority among those who said they "would" do that) with a powerboat.

My own reason is that I wouldn't do it at all, because life is too short to waste it taking forever to get nowhere.
But if I really should, for instance because paid an outrageously attractive amount of money, I'd rather do it on Beowulf than on Wind Horse.

Your reason as I understand is that you are "old and dont want to have to fuss with sails/rigging out in the cold anymore", which is perfectly valid and understandable. In fact, that's by far the most popular reason for preferring power to sails.

But that doesn't change the fact that technically, the latter is what I originally called the "best weapon" to bring to that specific fight, while the former is just an acceptable compromise - no matter how ruggedly built.
Or do you think it's a coincidence that the Dashews cruised I don't remember how many dozens of thousands of miles with Beowulf, before moving to Wind Horse pretty much for same reasons as yours?
For all the praises that their FPBs collected, I can't remember to have ever read a statement from the Dashews claiming that they are overall better and safer than their own sailboats.
So, you'd better ask them why sailboats are better than powerboats at this game. After all, what do I know?

Oh, and since you mentioned Cape Horn, you might be interested in another example that springs to my mind, also because I've been onboard a few of their boats, including hull #4, behind which there is a remarkable story.
The somewhat crazy guy (RIP) who commissioned that boat - and I'm using the term "crazy" with utmost respect for him as a sailor - went RTW with his wife and his three young kids. And he did that in record time: less than one year, IIRC.
BUT, the boat he picked for that purpose was a Sundeer 64, which the Dashews built for him.
Eventually, he asked Peter Sever to build a CH to replace the sailboat, but only because he wanted an ice rated vessel, capable to cruise Anctartica.
A dream which sadly he couldn't materialize, but that's irrelevant in this context.
I'm only mentioning this as another example of someone who knew a thing or three about long distance cruising, and always picked the best tool for the job - being obviously much more qualified than myself to make the right choice.

1. You're arguing woth yourself. Dashew USED to prefer sailboats when younger, then , like so many went for motor boats when older. And I never said there was any absolute best, but just that the ones like the best are those ive described. You mentioned speed: not even a consideration for us, slow and ugly is fine. And we happen love those 18 or 199mm thick windows!

 

[David Ess]

Funny you should mention that boat, which is an almost sistership of the one I previously mentioned.
Originally named Integrity, I don't think hull #7 had a ice strengthened bow as hull #4, but she was also powered by the very interesting (optional) Thrustmaster Z-drive.
And they were both built in the same yard, i.e. A.F. Theriault, which was imho the very best among those used by CH.
In fact, the ad statement "built by The Cape Horn Trawler Corp. in Meteghan River, Nova Scotia" is a bit misleading.
CH owned the design and the brand, but not much more than that. The actual builder was this one, which is still around.
And I suppose they'd be happy to accept a sh!tload of money from the OP, to build him something as close as he likes to the original CH concept.

Yes, we checked them out, but as you said, most were steel, with one exception that we saw, I think the 'Karma'. And most quite old now too. Of course I suppose that the AF Theriault yard would build a new one...or similar. There are many cistom boat builders out there. We also would go for hybrid electric now too.

 

[JB]

I own a Nordhavn and really cannot complain... the Lugger/John Deere engine has been so far flawless and they really are built to go anywhere... they can handle any weather you throw at them and you would be more worried about the people than the boat.. they seem to be bulletproof! They burn very little fuel (approx 10lph)... Only thing is the wing engines can suffer from little use