After being water launched in mid-November, undergoing numerous sea trials and testing, Nordhavn 72 #2 will be loaded on to a container ship today heading to Miami. Much of her rich cherry wood interior is covered with shipping protection, but it is still easy to see that this magnificent yacht is going to cause quite a stir when she is displayed in the Miami International Boat Show this coming February.
The Nordhavn 72 production line is now fully up to speed and from this point forward, a new N72 will be leaving the factory every three months. Hulls #3 and #4 are on the production line and hull #5 will be released from the mold next week as we work to reduce the 10-boat backlog that now exists. Overall N72 Project Manager Trever Smith is to be commended for his role in helping to create this history-making new yacht. Working under Naval Architect Jeff Leishman, Trever has motivated, cajoled, helped and pushed his troops on both sides of the Pacific for the last three years to reach higher, work harder and believe that they can create a yacht that will set new standards around the world. PAE engineers, staff and management in Dana Point and Chinese engineers, workers and management in Taiwan are unanimous in their praise for this fine young man. While the creation of new Nordhavns is a team effort, Trever is known among his peers as “Mr. Nordhavn 72”.
Scheduled to ship in late February, we are excited at the progress of Hull #3. This is the first of the aft pilot house configurations and she has been molded with the “extended” option, which brings her to 76 feet. She is a classic package of single engine, bulb and dry exhaust. The wide body saloon on this boat with a beam of 21 feet is enormous.
Hull #4 is an aft pilothouse configuration molded at 72 feet. She is bulbless, has a double walkway and comes with a single engine and dry exhaust. This boat is unique in that she is being fitted with an electric get home drive. The electric get-home system has been engineered and supplied by electrical giant Siemens together with assistance from PAE electrical engineer Mickey Smith. The Siemens electric get home system on 7204 is a precursor to the complete diesel electric package which will be installed on 7606 (more on that in a separate article).
Hull #5 has been ordered as a twin engine, bulbless, aft pilothouse 76-foot boat. This is the second Nordhavn for the Australian owners Michael and Miriam Lasky. Michael is a tireless and passionate Nordhavn supporter and many of his ideas and suggestions have found their way into the Nordhavn standard specifications list.
There is a very exciting story to be told about hull #6, but that will come later. Stay tuned