Nordhavn is starting work on a new 80-foot boat, the latest addition to its long-range cruisers, at the South Coast yard in Xiamen, China. It fits between the company’s 76- and 86-foot models. “For some, the 86 is just too big,” says Jim Leishman, Nordhavn’s vice president. “At 80 feet, this boat will be that much more manageable.” While maintaining all of Nordhavn’s famed seakeeping and world-cruising attributes, the new 80 will have a more modern look than some of the company’s previous models. The sheerline, for example, is long and straight; the foredeck is almost parallel to the waterline.…

Nordhavn is designing a new 475 trawler to replace the popular 43 in the company’s lineup. And the new two-stateroom, two-head pilothouse cruiser, powered by a single 180-hp John Deere diesel, will be true to Nordhavn’s blue-water, world-circling roots, says Jim Leishman, the vice president of PAE, Nordhavn’s parent company. “Nordhavns have crossed more oceans than all our competitors combined,” he told me at the Newport show recently. The 475 will be built to increase that number. On the 475, the keel will be extended aft from the keel on the 43, the salon will be larger and the boat…