“There are few boats so uniquely qualified to take two people and their guests around the world as comfortably and as economically as the Nordhavn 40. Strong, rugged and handsome in a no-nonsense way, her special personality was inspired by salty commercial ships fishing the world’s deepest oceans. She stirs a passionate interest and curiosity along docks and throughout anchorages everywhere, with people enthusiastically asking her crew “where have you been” and “where are you headed?” Indeed, the Nordhavn 40 looks like the serious passagemaker that she is. But above all her seriousness of purpose, there is a wonderfully romantic, emotional element to the boat that strongly attracts a wide base of seasoned sailors, experienced power boaters and those just entering the world of boating.”

The Nordhavn 40 is a well proven sea worthy vessel. The paragraph above explains this very well. Nordhavn believes so much in this vessel that they sent their own project managers and other staff around the world on a Nordhavn 40 back in 2001. It was a 26,000-mile circumnavigation completed in six months. Many other Nordhavn 40s have made many noteworthy passages proving the seaworthiness of this little ship.

Entering the port side onto the cockpit you will find a spacious cockpit area with two benches which double as storage and an LPG locker. The deck is equipped with non-skid and there is access to the lazarette as well as to the swimstep. The swimstep was recently upgraded and a stainless-steel teak slatted extension has been added. This is a wonderful use of an exterior space with the new extension. Forward thru the watertight aft door you will now enter the salon. The salon on First Forty is full beam, and the starboard side has a an “L” shaped settee with a teak dinette table. The settee cushions were completely replaced recently, and the upholstery and foam are all new. The port side of the salon has two reclining chairs and is a great place to relax, watch TV or read a book. The Splendide washer/dryer combo is neatly hidden away in the salon as well. Forward on the port side is a well-equipped galley. The galley appliances were all recently replaced with new units. There is a new gimbled Force 10 three- burner LPG range which is great for cooking in adverse sea conditions. The new stainless steel Norcold fridge is a great upgrade as well as the new microwave.

Forward of the galley and salon area there are two staircases, one leading up the pilothouse and one leading down the cabins. Down the staircase one will be led to the guest cabin just off to the port side. The guest cabin consists of upper and lower bunk and ample storage. The lower bunk slides out to become larger, which is a very nice feature. Opposite the guest cabin is the head area, which is a full head with a shower. It’s a nice use of space for a 40 foot vessel. Forward is the full beam master cabin. This cabin has a large bunk for two people, ample storage and plenty of natural light from the overhead hatches and portlights. The floors throughout the vessel are carpeted with the wheelhouse having a teak and holly sole.

The pilothouse on the Nordhavn 40 has been well thought out. Starting aft there is a spacious day bunk. Moving forward there is a nice settee area with a teak table. The cushions, the same as the salon, have been reupholstered and the foam has all been replaced. The dash equipment is easily accessible. Much of the dash equipment has been replaced with new modern units which is another great upgrade to First Forty.

From the pilothouse we can access the remaining exterior spaces, Portuguese bridge, foredeck and the boat deck, through either the port or starboard watertight doors. The Portuguese bridge is a great protected area for an operator to observe his or her surroundings and still be protected from the elements. The foredeck has a non-skid surface as well as stainless steel and lifeline railings. Access to the windlass and anchor is from the foredeck. The anchor on First Forty was recently upgraded to a Rocna 40 kg anchor.

Access to the boat deck is from both port and starboard sides. With the non-skid deck and stainless steel lifeline railing one does feel safe up here. The paravane rigging has all been removed from First Forty so the boat deck is a nice and open space. A brand new 2021 Achilles 11’6″ tender with a 20 hp Yamaha outboard was recently installed. This is great tender for a Nordhavn 40 and is about as large as you can fit on the boat deck. The boom and winches can easily handle lifting and lowering this into the water from either the port or starboard sides. The galvanized winch cables were recently replaced with Spectra lines, which is yet another big improvement.

The engine room and lazarette areas on First Forty are easily access and well laid out. Access to the engine room is through a water tight door in the guest cabin. The machinery is simple which is what you want on a long range cruiser. The main engine is a Lugger 668D with 105hp and about 5070 hours. These have always been extremely reliable engines. First Forty is also equipped with a Kilo Pak 12kw generator with only 1,700 hours. The fuel manifold system is simple to operate and the fuel capacity is 920 gallons. This fuel capacity will propel the vessel for 3,000 plus miles. The lazarette is accessed from the cockpit and holds the steering gear and several other electrical components.