N56ms
What’s ahead? The next generation of Nordhavn Motorsailers will be bigger, faster, roomier and with even greater range
The bright minds at Pacific Asian Enterprises don’t view the new Nordhavn 56 Motorsailer as a one-off design, but possibly the beginning of a new market segment: the first of a series of even bigger heavy-displacement motorsailers. The next boat will probably be 68 feet (20.7 meters) in length. “We would basically carry forward the exact, same concept,” notes Jim Leishman, co-founder and vice-president of the company. “It would just be a bigger boat for people who want a bigger boat.” Younger brother Jeff, PAE’s chief designer, adds, “It probably stems from a number of people saying, ‘I love that boat, do you have anything bigger?’ ” So what would be the advantages of a bigger motorsailer? The answers: greater speed and range, and more room. Start with speed. With a highly efficient hull similar to the Nordhavn 56 Motorsailer, and assuming a waterline of around 60 feet (18 meters) and a cruising speed/length ratio of as much as 1.2, a nine- to 10-knot cruising speed is not unrealistic. That translates into 250 miles a day (400 kilometers), or around 10 days from the west coast of the United States to Hawaii. And under the right conditions, its sailing rig could provide a significant portion of the power needed to make the passage free. The second reason to make a larger motorsailer is the same reason PAE builds bigger Nordhavns—people want more living room, especially if they plan to be at sea for any length of time. For example, if they were making a circumnavigation. In addition to more and larger 60
CIRCUMNAVIGATOR I 2010
The Nordhavn 68 will offer more living space, and go farther and faster.
accommodations, the Nordhavn 68MS’s larger size means there would be more room for fuel and water tanks. You would end up with a boat that could go long distances and stay somewhere a long time. “If you were to go off to Tahiti or go to Australia, the real serious cruising, that would just be a phenomenal boat
in terms of comfort, capability and security,” notes Jim Leishman. “The best of the traditional Nordhavn trawler—its capability, then throw in a good sailing sailboat.” However, sailboats over 50 feet (15 meters) tend to be a handful to operate, especially for a short-handed crew, www.circumnavigatormag.com