Back in 2002, Jim Leishman, owner of Nordhavn Yachts, finished a circumnavigation on a Nordhavn 40 in a whopping 172 days. It became the world’s fastest circumnavigation of the globe in a production powerboat. The Nordhavn 40 became a backbone model of the Nordhavn line, not just for its fuel-efficient speeds and ability to handle circumnavigations, but also because it made for the perfect sized vessel for long-range cruising couples.
Last year, the builder retired its popular Nordhavn 40 model, after having built 69 of them. It changed their production line to 47 to 120 feet. As most boaters know, jumping from 40 to 47 feet is quite a leap. And while one might have thought that Nordhavn was focusing their production on larger yachts, it turns out they were doing something completely different at the smaller end of their line. They were raising the bar on what a 40-foot yacht delivers. Behold the Nordhavn 41.
When you have such a popular and well-accomplished design as the Nordhavn 40, it sets a high expectation for your next model. But the new Nordhavn 41 appears to have raised the expectations of what a 40-foot yacht can delivery, yet again. The newly unveiled N41 isn’t just a tweaked version of the N40 with another foot stretched into the hull. The hull has been completely redesigned through their partnership with Vripack. Vripack has brought advanced computational fluid dynamics analysis to the table to design a new hull form that was more capable, more efficient, and just as safe and comfortable as the other designs that Nordhavn is known for.
The N41 will have a Category A CE Certification, a category that very few yachts in this range can achieve. Category A means the boat must be able to operate in Beaufort Force 8 winds (over 40 knots) and consistent waves over 13 feet in height. And while the N41 reflects the traditional oceangoing Nordhavn lineage with its sturdy build and stout design, it also offers a comfortable, warm interior to make any cruising couple feel at home. The N41 will is being offered with two layout options. The first option will offer a single, large, luxurious owners’ cabin. For those who entertain more or cruise with more guests, a two-cabin layout will be available as well.
The new design will be built through a new partnership that Nordhavn has developed with a yard in Turkey. New owners will have an opportunity to take a lengthy shakedown cruise from the Turkish Coast through the Med, as Nordhavn explains:
“Imagine picking up your new Nordhavn 41 at the beautiful Ayvalik Marina on the West Coast of Turkey – less than two miles from her construction yard – and setting out for familiarization and shake down cruising amongst the many islands just offshore in the Aegean Sea. Unlimited help and expertise at hand, our construction experts will tend to any new boat issues and within days you’ll be ready to head west – less than 100 miles across to the first of hundreds of Greek Islands, a cruising paradise. Call on Athens, transit the ancient Corinth Canal and visit the port towns around the Gulf or Corinth; onward to the west, an overnight passage across the Ionian to Italy or maybe north into the Adriatic Sea. The possibilities are endless and the mileage between spectacular ports is minimal. A summer cruise from Ayvalik, through the Greek Islands, around the Boot of Italy, to Naples, Rome, Genoa, Monaco, the French Riviera, Saint Tropez, the Spanish Coast and Balearic Sea and on to Palma, Mallorca, can all be done on less than a single tank of Diesel.”
After your shakedown cruise through the Med, Nordhavn will package up your boat and ship it to the US for final delivery.
Nordhavn is set to deliver a ready passagemaker with its new N41. Double side decks allow for easy maneuvering around the boat when docking or mooring. Even at 41 feet, this new model saves space on the deck to store a 12-foot center-console tender with an 800-lb davit for easy launching and retrieval. The standard power package will have her outfitted with two Kubota 75-hp diesels by Beta Marine. These engines are low pressure turbos that don’t require electronic management, making them mechanical workhorses without complex electronics to troubleshoot. With 900 gallons of fuel and a cruising speed of 9.5 knots, the N41 should have a range of 972 miles. If you slow that down to an ocean-crossing speed of 6 knots, that range extends to more than 8,200 miles. Stabilization will be provided by ABT Trac hydraulic stabilizers with six-foot fins.
The Nordhavn 41 is set to debut in January 2020 at the Duesseldorf Show. Until then, we will be dreaming of cruising the Med on this new yacht. For more information, visit nordhavn.com.
