Petrolia
Well-Known Member
Re: What\'s going to happen ? (Shaft v Outdrives)
The Nordwest 390. I quote MB & Y, March 2005.
“The 390 boasts the raucous option of outdrives. It’s a feature that not so much rewrites the rulebook but shreds it utterly. The twin D series duoprops turn mild manners into what is the best handling and most smile inducing drivers boat in its class.
The big book of boat design, the one that has just been shredded, decrees that past 30 odd feet the extra height of the flybridge requires a bit of iron under the hull to keep the ride manageable. Most builders go along with this, and Nordwest offer a shaft version of the 390. But once you’ve tried the outdrive boat you won’t want to consider the extra cost of shafts.
For lower speeds and close-quarters manoeuvering the difference compared to shafts is tiny. The boat tracks straight and true, and you can run on one engine with very little offset at the wheel. Our test boat came with bow thruster but it didn’t need much handling help. The boat can be spun and sloted into gaps with ease, and as the speed increases it just gets better.
There are efficiency gains too. Running at 2300rpm and 21knts, the fuel rate hovers around 14gph. Increase speed to 30knts and the rate goes up to only 20gph. The 390 returns a minimum 20% fuel saving over its competitors, in some cases over 30%.
But again I have to come back to the economy of the thing. A boat of this size and quality running at 31knts at almost 1.6mpg is just as thrilling as the handling. If this boat had been running at the same speed on shafts the return would have been under 1.0mpg, which is why many of us buy sport cruisers at this length. Now we have a flybridge choice. “
I quote selectively from their verdict.
“The 390 leaves you wanting for nothing – performance with economy, style with substance, it’s all there. The handling is a revelation, an utter triumph”. There simply isn’t another boat in this market that handles sea conditions and Chancellors of the Exchequer equally well. The increased cruising range this superb economy delivers-around 25% more than its peers-can be enjoyed within a beautifully finished mahogany interior that boasts three cabins and a specification which puts most to shame. I’d bet my mortgage that this boat will still have you feeling proud in years to come. The end result is both compelling and utterly charming”.
If I had the 275,000 quid I know what boat I would be buying. In fact second hand you might get one for 220,000. Give it a couple more years, a bit of saving & who knows ?
I know this is an expensive boat but it proves (to me anyway) that technically, outdrives, great handling (low & high speed) and class leading economy can be combined in a 40ft boat. How far behind will the competition be ?
P.S
I have nothing to do with Nordwest !
The Nordwest 390. I quote MB & Y, March 2005.
“The 390 boasts the raucous option of outdrives. It’s a feature that not so much rewrites the rulebook but shreds it utterly. The twin D series duoprops turn mild manners into what is the best handling and most smile inducing drivers boat in its class.
The big book of boat design, the one that has just been shredded, decrees that past 30 odd feet the extra height of the flybridge requires a bit of iron under the hull to keep the ride manageable. Most builders go along with this, and Nordwest offer a shaft version of the 390. But once you’ve tried the outdrive boat you won’t want to consider the extra cost of shafts.
For lower speeds and close-quarters manoeuvering the difference compared to shafts is tiny. The boat tracks straight and true, and you can run on one engine with very little offset at the wheel. Our test boat came with bow thruster but it didn’t need much handling help. The boat can be spun and sloted into gaps with ease, and as the speed increases it just gets better.
There are efficiency gains too. Running at 2300rpm and 21knts, the fuel rate hovers around 14gph. Increase speed to 30knts and the rate goes up to only 20gph. The 390 returns a minimum 20% fuel saving over its competitors, in some cases over 30%.
But again I have to come back to the economy of the thing. A boat of this size and quality running at 31knts at almost 1.6mpg is just as thrilling as the handling. If this boat had been running at the same speed on shafts the return would have been under 1.0mpg, which is why many of us buy sport cruisers at this length. Now we have a flybridge choice. “
I quote selectively from their verdict.
“The 390 leaves you wanting for nothing – performance with economy, style with substance, it’s all there. The handling is a revelation, an utter triumph”. There simply isn’t another boat in this market that handles sea conditions and Chancellors of the Exchequer equally well. The increased cruising range this superb economy delivers-around 25% more than its peers-can be enjoyed within a beautifully finished mahogany interior that boasts three cabins and a specification which puts most to shame. I’d bet my mortgage that this boat will still have you feeling proud in years to come. The end result is both compelling and utterly charming”.
If I had the 275,000 quid I know what boat I would be buying. In fact second hand you might get one for 220,000. Give it a couple more years, a bit of saving & who knows ?
I know this is an expensive boat but it proves (to me anyway) that technically, outdrives, great handling (low & high speed) and class leading economy can be combined in a 40ft boat. How far behind will the competition be ?
P.S
I have nothing to do with Nordwest !
