Nordic Tugs just launched its latest 40 pilothouse cruiser, and it will be on display at the show in Anacortes, Washington, this weekend.
With its nostalgic looks, full keel and solid build, the Nordic Tug is a serious pilothouse cruiser. It can be handled easily by a couple, but it also can sleep six people on a cruise and hold many, many more for onboard entertaining. Powered by a single 370-hp Volvo diesel, it tops out at more than 17 knots, and has a range of about 1,000 nm at 8 knots.
The first Nordic Tug, a 26, was introduced at the Seattle show in 1980. It was a home run; the company sold 54 of them the first month. Today, the line stretches from 26 feet to 54 feet, and the boats are all made in Burlington, about 65 miles above Seattle. They’re water-tested in Guemes Channel off Anacortes before they’re delivered to new owners.
Several years ago I tested a then brand-new 40 with Ben Wilde of Wilde Yacht Sales in Essex, Connecticut, the country’s largest Nordic Tugs dealer. It was a sure-footed, easy-to-handle cruiser. The large prop and barn-door rudder made for easy maneuvering; the bow and stern thrusters made for easy docking. And visibility from the pilothouse, with its two doors leading to the side decks, made a hit with me since I could remember the days of hanging a lot of fenders and adjusting a lot of lines on the locks along the Great Loop.
That boat did not have the optional pilothouse, but it did have Nordic Tugs’ solid, hand-laid semi-displacement hull with integral chines, a bit of a flare in the bow for a dry ride, and plenty of freeboard. A heavy-duty stainless show protects the prop and rudder.
The main social area is the salon, with a long galley on the starboard side and a barrel chair and settee with a high-low table to port (providing an extra sleeping area). Up two steps, the pilothouse is the heart of the boat, with visibility all around, a Lebroc helm chair with Ultrasuede on an adjustable pedestal, a table and seating for guests who want to enjoy the view.
The accommodations deck is down three steps, with the guest stateroom on the starboard side, opposite the head with shower, and the master forward. Headroom in the master is 6’ 7” and it has a spacious feeling.
Specs.: LOA: 43’; Beam: 12’1”; Draft: 4’4”; Disp.: 22,600 lbs.; Fuel: 320 gals.; Water: 144 gals.; Power: 370-hp Volvo D6. Read more:
