Nordic Tugs' Twin Bill

A Closer Look at Two of the Latest Entries in Nordic Tugs’ Storied History
 

- Peter A. Janssen

Out of habit, I looked over my shoulder to see if anyone was gaining on us before I turned the wheel over hard on the new Nordic Tugs 44, but then I realized I didn’t have to. On this high-tech version of a traditional cruising boat, all I had to do was look at the Raymarine screen on the dash where one of the five cameras clearly showed that there was absolutely nobody near me. So I turned the wheel hard at 15 knots or so, and the full keel and big rudder dug in, the boat leaned just a bit, and turned easily in a circle without any fuss at all. Impressive.

Then, as we cruised up the Connecticut River past Hamburg Cove on a beautiful blue-sky, blue-water summer day, I nudged the throttle forward and the single 510-horsepower Volvo diesel urged the boat to a steady and solid 17 knots. I realized this was a boat to be reckoned with. Then, a few days later, I tested the new Nordic Tugs 40, which performed just as well, also topping out at 17 knots, and reached the same conclusion.

Both the new 44 and 40 are conventional Nordic Tugs, but updated to reflect today’s cruising comforts and technologies. The 44 is a new version of the popular Nordic Tugs 42; the 40 an update from the 39. Both remain true to the company’s original salty tugboat lines, with the mustache on the bow, faux smokestack, raised pilothouse, round port lights, and colored stripe (usually blue) along the hull side. A semi-displacement hull makes these serious cruising boats (if you dial back the 44 to 7.5 knots, you’ll have a range of about 1,400 miles), fuel efficient, seaworthy, and comfortable, with lots of space for living and stowage. Most owners are experienced cruisers, many coming from sail, others moving up in the Nordic Tugs line (now 26 to 54 feet). Many are retired or have more time for long-range cruising up the Inside Passage, around the Great Loop, or up the East Coast from Florida to the Chesapeake or to Maine.