Just in time for high season in the Mediterranean, Hull No. 1 of Nordhavn’s N51 hit the brine off Istanbul, Turkey, bound for Rhodes, Greece, on a 600-nautical-mile maiden voyage.
The N51 is the second model that the manufacturer builds in Turkey. Like the 41-footer that preceded her, the N51 has a build process that emphasizes series production instead of the semicustom approach with its Asian-built boats.
What series production means is that the N51’s standard equipment list is as long as a Viking’s oar. It includes Humphree fin stabilizers, an 11.5-kW Onan genset, a Sleipner bow thruster, a 1,000-pound-capacity Steelhead davit, an extra freezer, a separate washer and dryer, a six-person Lalizas Oceano life raft, a Fusion sound system, and a Garmin electronics suite with twin chartplotters, a sounder, a VHF radio and an autopilot. Her interior is satin-finished walnut matched to Corian galley counters.
In another departure based on Nordhavn’s experience with the N41, the N51’s standard power package of twin 160-hp, commercially rated John Deere diesels zags from a traditional Nordhavn build that generally pairs a single diesel with a smaller, get-home engine. Also like the N41, the N51’s hull is certified CE Category A Ocean.
The only layout available is a winning one: two en suite staterooms with a day head that’s a short jaunt from the salon. For serious cruising, there’s an off-watch berth abaft the pilothouse settee. The roomy flybridge can accommodate a 10-foot tender. An integrated Bimini top will be added to the standards list on future builds.
Hull No. 1’s shakedown cruise happened with the new owners on board, along with Nordhavn sales representative James Leishman (son of co-founder Jim Leishman and nephew of the company’s chief of design, Jeff Leishman). They reported an average speed of 9 knots with 11 knots easily in reach.
LOA: 50t. 9in.
Beam: 15ft. 8in.
Draft: 4ft. 9in.
Construction: FRP
Displacement: 71,575 lbs.
Fuel: 1,450 gal.
Water: 300 gal.
Engine: 2x 160-hp John Deere 4045AFM85 M1
Info: nordhavn.com
This article was originally published in the July/August 2024 issue.
