Could this 1988 Defever 49 RPH be the one?

The Nordhavn is probably off the list so let’s revisit this!

Posted: May 14th, 2010 under general.
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The winds lessen and there is a hint of light in the darkness. The roar of waves crashing upon the rocky shore is diminished. We are not out of the storm yet. Dare I hope.

Posted: May 13th, 2010 under general.
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Time slips by, the winds of change tear relentlessly at our sails and howl in our rigging. We claw and beat our way off the rocks only to be pushed back. It is a struggle to survive, to move forward seems impossible yet we try. A times I am tempted to give up. It seems hopeless. The rocks are so close. There is so little time. How will we go on? What will we do? What can we do? I am without an answer. I must not fail her or myself. I must find the courage to move forward without a plan. I will.

Posted: April 14th, 2010 under general.
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Part 1: Introduction

Part 2: The Basics

Part 3: Choosing a Boat – Part 1

Part 4: Choosing a Boat – Part 2

Part 5: Choosing a Marina

Part 6: Costs

Posted: April 13th, 2010 under general.
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The economic winds of change are upon us. We struggle to claw off the lee shore of our dwindling assets. We will not give up. We will adapt and overcome. This may necessitate a change of boat choice.

Posted: April 12th, 2010 under general.
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An article about the Flanders and the Egret! This is the same model boat we plan to buy and their story is a significant part of why we made this choice. The proof is in the pudding!

Posted: March 14th, 2010 under general.
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Posted: December 20th, 2009 under general.
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Posted: December 19th, 2009 under general.
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In many of the Nordhavn size ranges there are boats that compete in one way or another, and there are certainly many that cost less (although I actually thought that our Nordhavn was fairly/reasonably priced). So, why did we choose this boat over those others?

First, we wanted to be safe. Nordhavns are built to take the worst. We did not intend to be as adventurous as many Nordhavn owners (no crossing of oceans or circumnavigations), we merely wanted to go up and down the East Coast for a while and spend time in the Carribean. Perhaps we would someday head through the Panama Canal and work our way up to the PNW and then Alaska, but that was really the extent of our dreaming. Still, we recognized that the ocean, even relatively close to shore, can be formidable and remorseless. We wanted to respect that fact and we wanted a boat that could stand up to whatever was thrown at us and then bring us back home. I have always thought that a good day boating was one where nothing bad has happened and after all of my reading and looking the Nordhavn seemed to be the boat that would give me the best chance to say that at the end of every day. As they say, “it is a stout little ship.”

Second, the Nordhavn is a well-built thing. As you go through one you can see tremendous attention to detail. The people who designed our boat and put it together really thought things through. Our boat is a 40 Mk. II. In Nordhavn’s lineup, the 40 is, in essence, a “value” boat (as are the 43’s and 47’s in their own niches) That isn’t meant to imply that it is “cheap” in any way, merely that it is not intended to be a custom boat with unlimited options — it was built to fit in a certain price range where there are competitors. Still, the compromises that were made to achieve this value equation were compromises where glitz was shunned in favor of functionality. In my mind, our 40 reminds me of a Toyota 4 Runner, a Glock pistol, a Leatherman tool or a G-Shock Watch. It is a purpose-built thing — a thing built really well to do what it was designed to do. There is an integrity of design and execution, even at our end of the Nordhavn spectrum, that we did not see in many other boats.

Third is a corollary to the second point — our Nordhavn is simple. The systems are straightforward and and can be managed by a normal competent boat owner. It is like the mark Twain quote — “If I had more time I would write you a shorter letter.” Nordhavn took the time to reduce things to their simplest quality solution. There is no complexity for complexity sake. Things can be fixed with normal tools by people normally competent in the key systems areas. One example in our boat is the choice a the Lugger LP668D main propulsion engine. A big old normally aspirated 6 cylinder marinized John Deere that turns 1,500 RPM. These engines have been known to last 80,000 hours in commercial service and in 2 years of cruising we have 1,000 hours on our boat. It is certainly not the coolest techno whiz bang solution, but it is not going to break, it can be fixed with screwdrivers and wrenches and it will certainly outlive us.

Fourth is that Nordhavn thinks carefully about how you interact with your boat. We have an owners’ manual on board that was custom-prepared by Nordhavn for our boat, with sections on all of our key systems dealt with on a system by-system basis. (They employ an experienced technical writer for this purpose). I bet our manual is approaching 200 pages with all of the schematics, drawings, etc., yet it is so logical and easy to use that you don’t get overwhelmed. We showed our boat to a commercial airline pilot (he flew Boeing 757’s) one day and the thing that he was most impressed with was the manual. Apparently Boeing does this very well and the response he often gets in his airline when he calls one of his tech folks with a question is RTFM (“read the f—ing manual”). He said that outside of Boeing this was the best manual he had seen. As an aside, it has been interesting to me to see how many pilots there are in the Nordhavn owners’ group. In my experience, pilots are not daredevils, they are risk managers, and it tells me a lot about the boats that so many have chosen Nordhavns.

Fifth, the boat, even the 40, is very comfortable and usable. It is not lush, but it is not spartan and the finish is terrific. Of course, we have Sub Zero refrigerator/freezers, granite countertops, etc., but I was more concerned with ergonomics, fit and finish, how you move around the boat, where you store stuff. As my salesman, Jeff Merrill, told me, space is first allocated to key systems, then to people, then to storage with whatever is left over. Nordhavn seems to have found a good balance. Not all of our storage is always right at hand, but it is all well thought out and well-finished, even on the 40. My wife and I have lived on board for 9 weeks at a time and find it very comfortable, partly because you can always use the outside as your living room. The aft cockpit, flybridge and boat deck are great, but our favorite place to sit at anchor is the bow deck. With the bow pointing into the wind you get a great breeze, great view and it is the best place for setting up folding chairs, having rum drinks and watching a Bahamian sunset.

Sixth is economy. We carried our 900 gallons of fuel to the Bahamas this past summer for a 9 week cruise, spending 5-6 days a week moving about and anchoring out for the night, running the generator most of the time so our three AC systems would keep the boat cool in the Bahamian summer weather. We came home with approx. 250 gallons still on board. We did not need to refuel even though we did not make fuel conservation our primary goal. Running with the 8kw genset going our burn rate is a little under 3.5 gallons per hour. We often talked to the sportfish guys at the dock who, admittedly could go a lot faster than we could. Many of them were getting a little worried that they could not afford the 120 – 160 gph that their boats burned at cruise. Interestingly, most of the professional captains we talked to on those boats said that if they were to get a boat of their own, they would want our boat, not the flying sportfishermen they were employed to run. We are certainly not a sailboat in terms of economy, but my wife is pleased that we are upright wide, comfortable, cool (best of all cool)and I am pleased that the price of all that is only 3-3.5 gph at cruise. I’m 57 and it seems less important now to go fast everywhere.

Seventh, and last for now, is that I like how our boat looks. With its gray hull, white decks, light gray non-skid it is clean and purposeful. With our paravane stabilizers, stack and flybridge we look like a little navy ship. I don’t even mind the fact that the 40 looks a little stumpy. To me it looks a bit like a .45 caliber pistol cartridge — very serious and looks were clearly not the first thing taken into consideration. Rather, it was built to accomplish a specific mission. When you come into an anchorage people notice. It is different than anything else out there. We are certainly not all Italian and sleek and we are certainly not cute. We did consider a Krogen as an alternative when we first started looking. They are certainly very good boats. I just felt that I wasn’t a “jaunty” kind of guy. I liked the earnestness of the Nordhavn, it just fit my sense of self better.

In sum, the boat is far more capable than we are and we like it that way.

So, those are some of our reasons for making the choice. I’ll be interested to read what other people see as their own reasons for buying, liking or wanting Nordhavn’s.

Best,

Max Wallace
Silver Hammer
N4053
[Reprinted from Yahoo Group Nordhavn Dreamers ]

Posted: December 17th, 2009 under general.
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“The one item that sets Nordhavns apart from other brands of boats similar in size is that when you purchase a Nordhavn, you are not purchasing a boat for a specific type of cruising, you are purchasing a boat to do any kind of cruising, whether around the corner to the next bay or around the world. That, the quality of construction, and ruggedness of these boats, is the greatest advantage of owning a Nordhavn.” – Bernie Francis

Nordhavn 46 At A Glance
Nordhavn 46 More Detail
Nordhavn 46 Current Listings

Posted: November 30th, 2009 under general.
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I’ve been doning some soul searching about priorities in boat choices and life in general. Thoreau said, “It is easier to sail many thousand miles through cold and storm and cannibals, in a government ship, with five hundred men and boys to assist one, than it is to explore the private sea, the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean of one’s being alone.” Well that may be so but, after much thought, I have decided that I am most concerned with the public sea, the real Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. I swear I will not go into this adventure if I have to compromise on safety and quality. This oath limits my choices since I am on a fixed budget. The Nordhavn 46 is a proven vessel that could satisfy all of our needs despite it’s smaller size. I’m just worried about the dogs they need space.

Nordhavn 46: (LOA: 45′ 9″, LWL: 38′ 4″, Beam: 15′ 5″, Draft: 5′-5″, 60,000 lbs., Fuel: 1000 USG, Water: 210 USG, Single 105 HP – 2200 RPM , A/B 2.3, D/L 383, prismatic coefficient 0.63)

Click here for listings

Posted: November 6th, 2009 under general.
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Memories of the summers of my youth.

Posted: November 6th, 2009 under general.
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DeFever Cruisers DeFever 49 Pilothouse Page

Some listings I like.

Posted: June 2nd, 2009 under general.
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As usual it all comes down to money. We would prefer a powercat. The shallow draft and lateral stability at anchor make them ideal for our cruising plans (Great Loop, FL Keys, Bahamas, Caribbean). But, the powercat industry is young and the used market leaves much to be desired. So we are now turning back to monohulls. We have  lowered our expectations about the cruising range and abilities of the ship we buy. We have accepted that it will not be the right ship for world travel. By doing this we expand our options into the large used coastal cruiser market. The following are some examples of less expensive used boats we could buy:

58′ Hatteras Yachtfish

58′ Hatteras Yachtfish

53′ Gulfstar Mark II Trawler

Posted: April 26th, 2009 under general.
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Well, the economy got much worse and our retirement plans are FUBAR. But, we aren’t going to let that stop us. We are just going to downgrade our expectations and keep moving forward. We can get a cheaper ship. We can get part time work. The good news is that there are a lot of boats going on the market at a discount. The bad news is first we have to sell out at a discount.

Posted: April 26th, 2009 under general.
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We don’t want to cash out at the bottom but also don’t want to wait around for years. So, we are taking a little time to see which way the economic winds will blow. meanwhile we have been looking at some power catamarans that are sweet:

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Endeavour TrawlerCat 48

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Pacific Expedition Yachts PE-45 Power Catamaran

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TrawlerCat Marine TCM 45′ VOYAGER

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Endeavour TrawlerCat 40

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Here is a brief summary (taken from wikipedia) of the pros and cons of catamarans:

Advantage of multihulls

• Multihulls are inherently substantially faster than monohulls, because the absence of ballast reduces their weight and the amount of drag through the water considerably. The waterline to width ratio is larger, allowing the thinner hulls to be driven through the water at higher speeds, as each works somewhat independently of the other(s).
• Multihulls have a shallower draft which enables shallower waterways to be utilised, along with shallower moorings. It also reduces the risk of underwater collision.
• The stable platform of a multihull makes seasickness less likely, reduces the fatigue of ‘walking on walls’ and increases safety due to stability in a seaway. The stable platform is wide enabling deck area to be effectively utilized for solar panels and fresh water collection. By not heeling, instruments that require a level platform work more effectively (e.g. radar).
• Duplication of systems enables backups should failures occur. In a catamaran (the most popular multihull), most have twin engines and thus usually always a way of getting home. Many essential items are able to be duplicated e.g. water tanks, fuel tanks and toilets.
• Most multihulls are positively buoyant. Should hull penetration occur the vessel is unlikely to sink thus enabling time for rescue or repair. In fact, most modern production multihulls are officially rated as unsinkable, by various regulatory agencies around the world.

Disadvantage of multihulls

• The width of a multihull vessel is often an issue, especially when docking. They are also more expensive to produce than a monohull of the same length.
• If a storm or wave capsizes a small monohull, it may recover when the weight of the ballast in the keel rights the boat, if it does not broach and sink before it recovers. Modern multihulls are not self-righting and can capsize but they don’t sink; instead they float upside-down, providing a raft for the survivors to hang on to, that is much easier to find than a liferaft or single individual in a survival suit. It is difficult to right a multihull and the larger ones could even require the use of a crane.
• The inherent inertia of a monohull dampens a great deal of ocillations and other surface effects. For example, monohulls can power through waves that a multihull would be forced to ride over. This means that multihulls are more prone towards hobby horsing especially when lightly loaded and of short overall length.
• Smaller differences in payload make a larger difference in performance.

Posted: November 17th, 2008 under general.
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These two are on the possible list:

Nordhavn 46: (LOA: 45′ 9″, LWL: 38′ 4″, Beam: 15′ 5″, Draft: 5′-5″, 60,000 lbs., Fuel: 1000 USG, Water: 210 USG, Single 105 HP – 2200 RPM , A/B 2.3, D/L 383, prismatic coefficient 0.63)

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Selene 47: (L.O.A.: 51′-10″, L.W.L.: 45′-9″, Beam: 15′-8″ , Draft: 5′-1″, 62,000 lbs., Fuel: 1000 USG, Water: 280 USG, Holding: 60 USG, Single 330HP – 2800RPM , A/B 2.55, D/L 321, prismatic coefficient 0.63)

Posted: April 6th, 2008 under general.
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Well things aren’t going to work out with the DD462 after all. The broker was not being straight with us and, although I am still impressed with the boat that he builds, the builder’s paper work was way less than professional. There is a fair amount of money involved and we need to be very cautious. Therefore, we have decided to look elsewhere for a ship. The good news is this takes the scheduling pressure off. The new target date will be after fall ‘09. Also, we are reavluating the size. Should we should get a larger ship? How large?

Posted: February 12th, 2008 under general.
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We heard from the builder that hull number ten is available and well on it’s way to completion. She is in the water and ready for customization if we want it. She has the fly-bridge we want and a new feature, an exterior watertight locker on the transom. The good news and bad news is that putting a deposit on this hull would accelerate our schedule. Here are some shots from China:

Posted: February 1st, 2008 under general.
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The “Peking”, a 462 DIESEL DUCK, was honored as People’s Choice Award “BEST IN SHOW” at the 2007 Mystic Trawlerfest. Check it out: Passagemaker Magazine’s Video

Posted: January 11th, 2008 under general.
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Click here for a photo tour.

Posted: January 10th, 2008 under general.
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A friend sent us this. (Thanks Mike!) Check it out: Lyle Lovett – If I Had a Boat

Posted: December 28th, 2007 under general.
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“Adventure means risking something and it is only when we are doing that that we know really what a splendid thing life is and how splendidly it can be lived… It is far better to venture and fail than to lie on the hearthrug like a sleepily purring cat. Only fools laugh at failure; wise men laugh at the lazy and the too-contented and at those who are so timid that they dare undertake nothing.” – Alain Gerbault

Posted: November 10th, 2007 under general.
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Posted: November 10th, 2007 under general.
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The ship we are buying is called a DIESEL DUCK 462 made by Seahorse Marine and designed by George Buehler. The Diesel Duck is called a ‘Troller’, she is a sail assisted motor vessel. (George Buehler’s book The Troller Yacht Book explains the philosophy and details the design.) Her main form of propulsion is a single 130 hp diesel engine. The sail is used to steady the boat, improve fuel efficiency, and as emergency propulsion. The ship has a displacement hull and is designed to run at six to nine knots. Running at that speed she will use very little fuel. Her range will exceed 5000 miles (~2.5 mpg). This is way more efficient than the normal power boat, which is really a giant speed boat dependent on huge engines to get up onto a plane. It is also way faster than the typical sail boat’s average speed. We will also be far more comfortable than in a sail boat and will carry more electronics (both marine and entertainment).

Posted: November 10th, 2007 under general.
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Although our ship has not yet been purchased, we are getting very close. We have been having discussions with the dealer and have agreed on a deposit, a base price, and a target delivery date. We are working out the details of the ship’s options and expect to sign a purchase order soon. Our target delivery date is Feb. ‘09.

Posted: November 10th, 2007 under general.
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