It wasn’t long ago that we were publishing stories about the Nordhavn 71 in an effort to illustrate everything this newer model had to offer—and, beyond that, to encourage buyers to take a closer look. The design and engineering team at Pacific Asian Enterprises, Inc. (PAE) were at a loss to explain the N71’s slow-ish start given its aesthetics, capability and performance. The first three hulls sold relatively quickly, but hulls four and five sat in the molds waiting for buyers. The team knew they had a hit on their hands; it was just taking a little time for the rest of the world to catch on.

Well, catch on they have. If you were biding your time before grabbing one of these beauties, you’ll be waiting a while. Nordhavn 71 hull #5 was recently delivered to its owners in California. With hulls six through nine under contract and hulls 10 through 14 currently reserved, the next available hull is number 15.

The success of the N71 lies in its fit and finish, the precision of its craftsmanship, and the sheer enormity of the boat within its footprint. Buyers have also been given the freedom to modify the cockpit, something that has happened with other Nordhavn designs before it, including the N64-68 and N86-96 series. Hull number four was built with a two-foot swim step extension to improve water access. With hull number nine comes the addition of a hull and cockpit extension cockpit along with the swim step extension.

The buyer of 7109, Jeff Snow, comes from a sportfishing background. While not a competitive angler, the speed capabilities of his previous sportfishing yachts served him and his family well. Time on the water often competed with the activities of his three children, so getting to and from destinations quickly was a necessity.

With the impending graduation of his youngest child, the Snows decided it was time to switch gears. “We are going to be less schedule-dependent,” he said. “We’ll be able to live on a boat for a longer time.”

Snow loved the space and seakeeping ability of the N71, but he needed a bit more speed. So Chief of Design Jeff Leishman set out to create a four-foot cockpit extension. Combined with the swim step, which is being incorporated into the hull itself, the result is increased waterline length, and thus the N77 was born.

When first shopping for boats, Snow considered the Nordhavn 80, but he and his wife intend to operate the boat themselves. “The design of the N80 felt less like an owner-operator boat to us,” said Snow.

The potential shock of transitioning from a 30-knot boat to a Nordhavn’s full-displacement cruising speed is not lost on Snow, but the modifications to his N71 will result in an increase to the typical pace. PAE is also installing the larger 375-hp John Deere 6090SFM85 engines currently used in the N80, helping the N77 reach a projected top speed of more than 12 knots.

When Snow approached PAE’s project team about his desire for more speed, they initially bristled at the thought of burning 30 gallons of fuel per hour for the sake of extra speed. A typical Nordhavn burns about eight gallons per hour while cruising at eight knots.

“Operators of sportfishing yachts are conditioned to burning 100 gallons per hour, so burning 30 gallons feels economical to them,” said PAE President Dan Streech. “It’s something our team had to really reconcile with!”

Snow recognizes the additional fuel burn is significant, but it’s a tradeoff he and his wife are willing to make for the sake of convenience.

“On a day with a short weather window, having those extra knots is the difference between going versus not going. That’s huge.”

The Snows won’t be completely abandoning their sportfishing roots. The N77 will be built with two live bait wells, tackle storage and additional rod holders. Fishing isn’t the primary mission, but it’s something they look forward to enjoying during longer passages.

The Snows are scheduled to take delivery in mid-2028 and plan to spend the first couple of years cruising both coasts of North America, undertaking extended passages such as Alaska to Baja and Maine to the Caribbean.

“We’ll get the rhythm of the boat down before going off to explore the world.”