Nordhavn 43 for Sale, a Broker's Buying Guide

Why the Nordhavn 43 for sale listings move quickly

Good Nordhavn 43 for sale listings rarely sit long, and once you understand the boat the reason is obvious. It is the smallest Nordhavn with true ocean range that you can still buy for well under a million dollars, and its hull was good enough that the builder later stretched it into the current Nordhavn 475. Buyers get a proven passagemaker, two staterooms and two heads, and a single keel-cooled diesel, a Lugger on earlier boats and a John Deere on later ones, that any competent mechanic can maintain.

Jeff Leishman designed the 43 after a stock Nordhavn 40, crewed by PAE staff, completed a 26,000 mile circumnavigation in less than 26 weeks in 2002. The company describes the 43 as a refinement that sits between the 40 and the 47, combining the best of each. In practice that meant more interior volume than the 40 and far less bulk and cost than the 85,000 pound 47.

Power and Motoryacht tested the new boat in its January and February 2005 issues, which dates the first hulls to about 2004. Builder South Coast Marine, which PassageMaker described in 2006 as the Taiwan builder of the Nordhavn 46, 43 and 50, kept the model in production for years. Nordhavn later reused the hull for the 475 and referred to the first 475 as hull 44, which puts N43 production at roughly 43 boats.

Sixty thousand pounds on a 38-foot waterline

The numbers that matter are 60,000 pounds of displacement, a 38 foot 4 inch waterline, a 14 foot 10 inch beam and 1,200 gallons of fuel. That is a lot of boat for 43 feet, and it is deliberate. Weight carried low, a full keel protecting the single 34 inch propeller and generous fuel give the 43 a slow, steady motion in a seaway and the ability to carry stores for weeks.

The downside is a modest hull speed. With 38 feet of waterline, the boat is most efficient at 6.5 to 7.5 knots, and pushing toward 8 knots buys very little. Owners who expect to cruise at 9 or 10 knots should look at a semi-displacement trawler instead.

• Fuel 1,200 gallons, water 300 gallons
• Black and gray water 50 gallons each
• Dual engine alternators, a large house unit (140 to 160 amp depending on the spec sheet) and a 90 amp start unit
• Galley with dual refrigeration and a separate freezer

Three engine generations and a plan B

The engine in a Nordhavn 43 depends on its build year. Early hulls carried a Lugger L668D, listed at 142 hp in Power and Motoryacht's 2005 test, turning through a ZF W220 gear. PassageMaker reported in 2006 that Tier II emission rules ended supply of the L668, and that the yard would switch to the Lugger L1066T, rated at 165 hp continuous. Nordhavn's later standard specification lists a John Deere 4045AFM85 rated at 160 hp with a ZF W220 at 3.79 to 1 and a 34 x 28 inch four-blade prop. All three are simple, keel-cooled, dry-exhaust installations, which is one reason experienced cruisers like the 43. Confirm exactly which engine a listing has, because parts sourcing and service networks differ.

A single engine boat lives or dies on its backup plan. The factory option was a separate 27 hp Yanmar wing engine with its own shaft and folding propeller; Nordhavn quoted about 6 knots in calm water and Power and Motoryacht about 5 knots. Specifications vary hull to hull, so confirm exactly what is fitted, test it on sea trial, and log the speed it delivers. A wing engine that has not been run under load in years is decoration, not redundancy.

What 1,200 gallons buys you

Nordhavn's own projection for the 43 was 3,360 nautical miles at an ocean-crossing speed of 7 knots, burning about 2.5 gallons per hour, with normal cruising at 7.5 to 8 knots and a maximum of about 8.5 knots. The Nordhavn 475, which uses a lengthened version of this hull, keeps the same 1,200 gallon tankage. For planning, a buyer should still hold back a healthy reserve and treat 2,500 to 3,000 nautical miles at 6.5 to 7 knots as a comfortable working band.

In everyday terms, expect burn near Nordhavn's 2.5 gallons per hour at 7 knots to climb with speed, load and generator time. That makes a Florida to Maine summer season or a Seattle to Southeast Alaska round trip possible on one or two fill ups. For ocean work, Bermuda and the Azores are well within reach, and the tankage makes an outside crossing of the Gulf of Alaska a realistic plan rather than a stretch.

Treat these as planning numbers rather than specifications. Bottom condition, prop pitch and how heavily the boat is loaded with gear swing actual burn by 20 percent or more.

Stabilizers are not optional on this hull

A round bilge, heavily ballasted displacement hull rolls, and the 43 is no exception. Almost every boat on the market carries active fin stabilizers, usually Naiad or ABT Trac. When you compare listings, look at fin size, the age of the actuators and seals, and whether the hydraulic pump runs off the main engine only. A boat whose stabilizers stop when you switch to the wing engine has a gap in its safety plan.

Service intervals matter. Stabilizer seals and bearings are typically inspected every few years and replaced on a schedule that depends on hours. Expect a $6,000 to $15,000 bill if a full rebuild is due, which is a fair negotiating point on an older boat.

Two staterooms, two heads and a working pilothouse

The 43 has a raised pilothouse that is a real watch station rather than a lower helm tucked into a saloon. There is space for a chart table, a raised settee and table, and an off watch berth, and sightlines over the bow are good. The main deck saloon has a dinette and the galley, with dual refrigeration and a freezer that suit long stretches away from provisioning.

Below, the master stateroom sits nearly amidships under the pilothouse with an athwartships queen berth and its own head and shower. The guest stateroom is forward with bunks, and a second head with shower sits in the bow. It is a classic couple's boat with room for occasional guests. Storage is better than on most 43-foot trawlers because the hull is so full, and long term cruisers appreciate the volume for spares.

Great Loop, Bahamas and the inside passage

With 5 feet 3 inches of draft, the 43 can run the Great Loop but sits right at the limit of comfortable depth on the Tenn-Tom and in the shallow stretches of the Trent-Severn and Florida's west coast. Plan the route carefully. The other gate is height: the fixed railroad span in Chicago allows only 19 feet 1 inch, and whether a given 43 slides under depends on its mast, radar and antenna arrangement, so put a tape on it.

The 43 is happier on the Inside Passage to Alaska, the East Coast ICW and Bahamas runs where its range and sea keeping shine. Single engine handling in tight marinas needs a bow thruster, and many boats also have a stern thruster retrofitted.

Nordhavn 43 versus the newer 475

Nordhavn's 475 is built on a lengthened Nordhavn 43 hull, with a sleeker profile, a longer cockpit and flybridge, and more interior room. It is the natural new build alternative and keeps the 1,200 gallon tankage. If you love the 43 but need more space, the 475 is a sensible step. If you love the 43 and want maximum ocean capability per dollar, the original remains one of the best values in the brand.