Nordhavn 40 Buyer's Guide, the Small Passagemaker That Went Around the World

The forty footer that ran 26,000 miles to prove a point

Most people shopping for a Nordhavn 40 for sale already know the story, and it still matters to resale. In 1998 Pacific Asian Enterprises, the Dana Point company behind Nordhavn, chose Southern California sailboat builder Pacific Seacraft to build a new small passagemaker. Hull 21, named simply Nordhavn, was then taken from stock and driven around the world by rotating crews of PAE staff during a 27 week run in 2001 and 2002, covering about 26,000 miles. Soundings later described the 40 as the holder of the record for the fastest circumnavigation by a production powerboat.

That voyage did more than sell boats. It shaped later designs, from the 43 and 47 to the 41 that eventually replaced the 40, and it gave the 40 a reputation as the smallest Nordhavn that can genuinely cross oceans. The model also completed an Atlantic crossing with the Nordhavn Atlantic Rally before the 40 II debuted in Europe.

Search data shows plenty of people spell it Nordhaven 40. The boat is the same; the brand is spelled Nordhavn, without the extra e.

A full displacement hull with 4,000 pounds of lead

Jeff Leishman's hull is pure passagemaker: a high, buoyant bow for dry running, a moderate forefoot to avoid pounding, a long keel that protects the prop and a large rudder tucked behind it. At 39 ft 9 in overall and 35 ft 5 in on the waterline, with a 14 ft 6 in beam and 5 ft 2 in draft, the 40 displaces about 50,000 lb, enormous for its length. Roughly 4,000 lb of that is internal lead glassed in place, which the spec sheet says is about half the weight of a full fuel load.

The result is motion that owners describe as heavy and steady. One couple who lived aboard a 2000 Nordhavn 40 full time in British Columbia told Power and Motoryacht they were shocked by the boat's stability at anchor, underway and at the dock. The trade-off is speed: this is a 6 to 8 knot boat, and there is no hidden planing mode.

Stabilization was optional rather than standard on many boats, with buyers choosing Nordhavn's towed passive stabilizers (paravanes) or hydraulic fins. For ocean work, fins or a well-rigged paravane system are essentially mandatory, so check what a listed boat carries.

Range at 6, 7 and 8 knots, from the boat that actually went

Nordhavn publishes figures from the fully stabilized Around The World boat in relatively calm conditions, and they are honest about the earlier, rosier numbers measured on a lightly loaded, unstabilized hull. At 1,300 rpm the 40 made 6 knots on 1.6 gph for a theoretical 3,450 nautical miles. At 1,600 rpm it made 7 knots on 2.6 gph for about 2,458 miles, and at 1,900 rpm 8 knots cost 4.0 gph, cutting range to roughly 1,840 miles.

Real passages vary. Running from California to Hawaii against contrary wind and current hurt the numbers, while in favorable Western Pacific seas the same boat made 7.4 knots on 2.6 gph. Nordhavn's overview puts a heavily loaded boat ready for an ocean crossing at more than 2,400 nautical miles at 7 knots on its 920 gallons.

Pilothouse, saloon and two cabins below

The 40 uses the classic Nordhavn three level plan. Aft, a watertight door leads from the cockpit into a saloon with an L-shaped settee and table to starboard and a bench or desk to port, with opening windows on both sides for cross ventilation. The galley sits forward of the saloon, and separate stairs lead up to the raised pilothouse and down to the cabins.

The pilothouse is the boat's best room: a helm with space for redundant electronics, a settee and table, and an off-watch berth so one person can sleep within earshot of the helm on passage. Below, a single head with stall shower sits off the companionway, the owner's cabin forward has a centerline queen, and the guest cabin has two bunks. On the listing for a 2000 boat called Dream, that guest cabin also houses the washer/dryer and access to the engine room.

There is one head. That is the compromise most buyers accept for a true ocean boat at 40 feet, and the full-time cruisers quoted by Power and Motoryacht said one head was fine with a visiting couple.

California hulls versus the 40 II from Xiamen

All 44 original Nordhavn 40s came from Pacific Seacraft over about four years. In 2004 PAE shipped the molds to South Coast Marine's then new factory in Xiamen, China, already the builder of the 43, 47 and 55, and production continued as the Nordhavn 40 II from hull 45. Nordhavn says the boat was technically unchanged, built to the same scantlings, but with a higher level of finish.

The 40 II brought granite counters in the galley and head, better teak and varnish, upgraded exterior stainless including a stainless rub rail, a redesigned hull to deck joint and noticeably larger pilothouse and saloon windows in half inch tempered glass. Jeff Leishman said he simply thought it was a better looking boat. Nordhavn also said the move to China lowered the base price of the first China-built hulls.

For buyers, the decision is mostly about budget and taste. The California boats are older and cheaper, and many have been heavily upgraded. The 40 II boats look more modern inside and command a premium. Neither should be judged by the year alone.

Single engine, dry stack and the get-home question

Like most Nordhavns of its era, the 40 runs a single keel-cooled diesel with a dry stack exhaust run up the mast, which keeps raw water pumps and wet exhaust components out of the main engine system. Nordhavn's specification lists a John Deere 4045AFM85 rated 160 hp at 2,400 rpm through a Twin Disc 3:1 gear, while the listing for the 2000 boat Dream shows a 105 hp Lugger LP668D, a common pairing on early hulls.

Many boats add a small wing engine on its own shaft as a get-home drive. Dream carries a Yanmar 3GM27 wing with very few hours, which is typical: you hope never to need it. Generators were optional, with space provided for up to 8 kW.

What a Nordhavn 40 costs to buy and keep in 2026

Nordhavn's own brokerage pages give the clearest market signal: a 2000 boat recently asked $349,000 and a 2002 boat $429,000, both on the Florida east coast. We estimate the broader 2026 range at about $300,000 to $600,000, with well-equipped 40 II hulls at the top. That is serious money for a 40 footer, and it reflects how rarely these boats come up and how well Nordhavns hold value.

Annual running costs are moderate because fuel burn is tiny. Budget roughly $25,000 to $50,000 a year for a 40 to 45 ft slip, insurance, a yearly haul, engine and generator service and a sinking fund for stabilizer seals, electronics and batteries. Long-range cruisers will spend more on spares and survey travel.