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Nordhavn 55
By Matt Trulio — Spring 2006
Launched at the end of 2004, the first Nordhavn 55 made its maiden voyage from Dana Point to Hawaii. To date, six of the 55-footers have been completed, all designed by Jim's brother Jeff Leishman to place a premium on interior space and seaworthiness. Pacific Asian Enterprises is backlogged with orders for the model through the end of 2007.
"The 55 has quite high freeboard, a high bow, and is very rugged-looking," Jim Leishman says. "[She] has lots of volume. It's just a huge boat, much larger than our 57.
"The way these boats end up, form follows function," he adds. "On a boat you're going to be using offshore, one that's going to be subjected to all conditions, you want good freeboard and the boat has to be built very heavy. High freeboard lets you use the space really well, but our boats are ballasted, too. So even though they look high, they're very stable."
The 65-ton model's interior includes an owner's cabin and a guest cabin, each with private head. The wheelhouse has what Leishman calls an overflow cabin, meaning without attached facilities. Public spaces include a large galley and saloon, a laundry room, a stand-up engine room, and bountiful freezer space.
Clearly, the Nordhavn 55 was designed for long voyages, as witnessed by her 2,400-gallon fuel capacity. And she uses that fuel efficiently. On her maiden 2,300-plus-mile voyage, she reached Hawaii with 1,000 gallons of diesel left in her tanks.
In addition to the 55, boats built by Nordhavn (949-496-4848, www.nordhavn.com) include 40-, 43-, 47-, 64- and 72-footers. An 86-footer, as well as a sportfishing model, are also currently in the works.
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