If asked to blurt out the name of a quintessential motor trawler line, I’d wager a good number of people would say, “Nordhavn!” What eventually led to the creation of Nordhavn was the founding of Pacific Asian Enterprises (PAE) in 1973 by Jim Leishman, Dan Streech, and Joe Meglen in Dana Point, California, as a sailboat company. Part of a wave of West Coast American boat design talents who built their boats in Taiwan, PAE started building the first Nordhavn motor trawlers in 1988. Now a truly multinational company with business connections from the Netherlands to Turkey, the sea salty look and function of Nordhavns are still reminiscent of North Sea fishing trawlers, melding the traditional lines and seakeeping focus with modern luxury.
Nordhavn trawlers continue to be popular and innovative today, and their new Nordhavn 41 (N41) carries the torch onward. At 41’, the fiberglass hulled N41 is a more diminutive build for the brand that currently has both a N120 and N96 line. The size should be perfect for the adventurous couple living the dream, especially when combined with the N41’s stringent Category A Ocean CE Certification (the highest seakeeping rating for recreational vessels according to European Union standards).
Accommodations are also geared toward that cruising couple with one- or two-cabin layouts for a more intimate ride. The look is still very much for Nordhavn fans with the stout looking, near-plumb bow, open and uncluttered foredeck, and attack-angled wheelhouse. The bridge above includes a mast for equipment mounting and space for a dinghy with a davit. A sheltered cockpit next to a modest swimstep is aft. The N41 is powered by twin Beta Marine 85 Kubota inboard diesel engines. The designer predicts a top speed of 9.5 knots with a whopping 8,232-mile range at 6 knots.
All in all, fans of the lion-hearted Nordhavn motor trawlers looking for a 41-foot version should love the N41. Essentially an evolution of the popular N40, a build that still reportedly holds the world record for fastest circumnavigation by a powerboat, the first two N41 hulls have been ordered. To learn more about future availability and pricing, you can contact local dealer Nordhavn Yachts Northwest.
