Trawler Lifestyle | PassageMaker Magazine & Events

Diesel Heat
By Steve D’Antonio

A decade or so ago, I joined a friend for a cruise to Newfoundland aboard his 47-foot cutter, Paloma. The passage lasted four months and afforded me an unforgettable plethora of experiences and photographic images. One of the more memorable components of that passage was the varied and extreme weather in those latitudes. Although we departed Long Island Sound in late May—shirtsleeve weather for that region—once we transited Massachusetts Bay, the thermometer seemed to have a hard time getting out of the 60s.

The Nordhavn line of trawler yachts continues to be one of the few that provides production bluewater passagemakers to pleasure boat owners. While we all recognize the growing number of custom builders creating outstanding expedition and offshore trawler yachts, it is PAE's Nordhavns that one consistently finds at boat shows around the country. No other production or semiproduction builder can point to a line of bluewater boats that offers a range of sizes to fit most budgets and cruising agendas that involve offshore travel.

From my vantage point, I see that most new boats coming into our market are getting larger and larger. So the Nordhavn 43 is especially welcome, as PAE acknowledges interest in smaller, yet still capable, cruising boats. Using the experience and feedback gained from its Nordhavn 40, PAE has incorporated into the N43 ideas about what needs to be in a nextgeneration boat. While the Nordhavn 40 remains an able passagemaker in its own right, its design and layout do not allow the flexibility to change certain features. The Nordhavn 43 does.