Nordic Tug 49: A New American Idol?
By George Sass, Sr.
I once saw an ad from Harley-Davidson that said, 'Improve everything, but change nothing,' and that's how I see our new 49," said Jim Cress, president and CEO of Nordic Tugs in Burlington, Washington. He was giving me an overview of his latest model as we headed south in Puget Sound on our way to Seattle.
Cress, who has cruised his own 54-foot Nordic Tug, Big Fun, from the Pacific Northwest to Florida and back, is an avid motorcyclist and has been known to cross the country on his Screamin' Eagle Ultra Harley to attend boat shows. His passion for American icons has helped create one of the most highly respected names in the U.S. boatbuilding industry.
More than 800 Nordic Tugs, ranging from 26 to 54 feet, have been launched to date, and the all-new 49 looks like a big winner, successfully bringing new thinking to a time-proven concept.
I joined Cress in Anacortes to help deliver hull number one to Seattle's "Boats Afloat Show" held in mid-September. This 60-mile, 4½-hour trip would give me a chance to pick his brain as well as conduct a real-life evaluation of the big tug's performance.
At First Glance
Even from a distance, there is no question that the 49 is part of the Nordic Tugs family, yet this is the first model designed entirely by Howard Apollonio of Bellingham. Up to now, the late, legendary Lynn Senour of Seattle had created the line. Apollonio was challenged to retain the character of the previous models while introducing a number of noticeable improvements, and he clearly met this challenge.
Her rugged good looks feature the company's trademark stack; faux-planked hull; sweet, sweeping sheerline; and no-nonsense, vertical pilothouse windows. Viewed side-by-side with the rest of the line, however, the 49 seems to be a bit more rounded, with slightly smoother shapes.
Like every Nordic Tug—even the mighty little 32—the new vessel's raised pilothouse dedicates a separate area to running the boat without intruding on the activities of others. And like its siblings, the 49 boasts a "best of both worlds" semi-displacement hull that comfortably runs at fuel-sipping displacement speeds of eight knots or so, yet can get over the hump and cruise in the low- to mid-teens.
We ran down the outside to Seattle at 14 knots while burning 1.3 gallons per nautical mile. If we hadn't been on a tight schedule to make the boat show's check-in time, we could have cruised at eight knots while burning just .7 gallons per nautical mile. At this lower speed, the 49 has a range of over 1,000 nautical miles. Top speed was 17 knots.
The interior is signature Nordic Tugs—comfortable, sensible, practical, and without pretension. You may not find the indulgence of hand-carved, matched-grain woods or exotic, imported tiles and fabrics. But you will find attractive, well-thought-out accommodations that are nicely finished and designed for easy living at sea and in port.
Nordic Tugs feel comfortable and friendly. Instead of trying to impress with over-the-top bells and whistles, they exude a stately confidence that says simply, "Welcome aboard. You're going to enjoy this cruise."
One look at the engine room, and I knew I was on a vessel that knowledgeable captains will appreciate. The single Cummins 610 hp QSM 8.1 diesel sits smack in the middle of a wide-open space, just asking to be pampered. While the compartment's 4' 8" height does not provide stand-up room, there's no need to jam yourself into tight spaces, as the ship's systems and machinery are all within easy reach, with plenty of working room around them. There will be no excuses for not following maintenance schedules on this beauty. Heck, if the 49 were my boat, you'd have to drag me out of there and remind me to get underway.
Like her siblings, this model incorporates a full keel that protects the shaft and prop while enhancing directional stability. You'll especially appreciate this feature when trying to dock in a windy situation or when looking back at breaking seas following you into a tricky inlet.
A Closer Look
I had the good fortune of running a Nordic Tug 54 some 1,000 miles from Vancouver to Alaska two years ago (see Power Cruising, February 2007), and I had recently trialed one of the new 32 hulls that has been tweaked by Apollonio. I was anxious to see what was different about the 49.
For one thing, Howard added a prop tunnel that allows a larger-diameter propeller to be used while reducing draft to just less than four feet. The tunnel also results in less shaft angle, which improves efficiency. According to Cress, the 49 is actually more efficient than the 42 at displacement speeds.
A small but effective change was made to the 49's rudder, which now features an airfoil designed to enhance the flow of water onto the rudder's surface and thereby improve handling at all speeds.
Apollonio also changed the forward portion of the chines by raising them farther above the waterline, eliminating "hull slap" while at anchor. To reduce spray, the 49's bow is more flared than those of its siblings. Cress also pointed out to me that this model's bowsprit is fully integrated into the hull and deck, increasing the structure's strength and minimizing annoying "chain chatter" when raising the anchor.
Access to the 85-square-foot, protected cockpit is via the large, integrated swim platform and transom door. There's plenty of room here for a couple of deck chairs and table, and the cockpit features a double-door storage cabinet with a stainless steel basin and faucet. An outside shower is also standard. This boat had an optional cockpit helm station complete with engine and thruster controls, which makes backing into a tight slip far less stressful.
Like the Nordic Tug 37 and 32, going forward from the cockpit to the foredeck (on either side) requires stepping carefully along the side deck while grabbing the stainless-steel handrail on the cabin roof. The deck widens at the pilothouse door, where bulwark-mounted safety rails begin and continue to the bow.
Cress firmly believes that his customers would rather have an extra wide saloon than wider side decks, and—as an option—he will extend the safety rails aft. Either way, if you don't feel comfortable transiting from the stern to the bow on the outside, it's easy enough to walk through the saloon, up the four steps to the pilothouse, and out onto the foredeck.
I particularly like the gentle angle of the stairs leading from the cockpit to the upper deck. Gone are those vertical ladders meant for jungle gym sets. One can safely descend the stairs facing outward (i.e., facing the stern of the boat), holding onto the sturdy, dual stainless rails.
Access is even easier via interior stairs leading upward from the pilothouse. The upper deck can hold a 12-foot dinghy and motor, and hull number one was equipped with a 1,000-lb. Steelhead davit system.
A flying bridge is an option on the new 49. Through personal experience and in talking with owners of similar designs, I've found that most of the time (perhaps as much as 95 percent) boats like the 49 are run from their pilothouses—except in areas like Florida or the Bahamas.
There, a bridge can be a delightful place to spend your time while at the helm. And, it's much easier to "read the water" when you're up higher. Apollonio's drawings of the flying-bridge version of the 49 could also sway one's decision to choose this option. It just looks as it's meant to be there as opposed to being an add-on.
The Inside Story
The 49 is ideally laid out for one couple with occasional guests. The latter will be treated to their own VIP stateroom, which is located forward with its own head, queen-sized island berth, and a washer/dryer combo. Nordic Tugs resisted the temptation to create a three-stateroom boat. "Our market wants a big, comfortable master and similar guest quarters," Cress told me.
To reach the accommodations, six spiral steps lead down from the pilothouse to the lower level, where one finds entrances to the guest stateroom and head. This latter compartment has two doors, allowing it to function as a day head while maintaining the privacy of the VIP stateroom.
The midships master stateroom, with its own private head, is located down another three steps and benefits from the full width of the vessel. This is a grand cabin, with a queen-sized berth and storage underneath, a nine-drawer dresser, a built-in vanity, end tables, and a large, cedar-lined hanging locker.
The three stairs lift to reveal a functional storage area under the VIP stateroom's sole—space that is perfect for all kinds of cruising gear. This is an ideal place to stow extra dry goods, spare parts, and more, and there's even enough room here to set up a small workbench.
The main saloon, which utilizes almost all of the ship's wide (16') beam, is a spacious, friendly living room featuring some of the most comfortable seating I have experienced, even on megayachts. Of course, there's the prerequisite wide-screen TV on a mechanized lift, complete with a surround-sound system.
More functional is a five-foot wide, drop-down snack-bar/dining table adjacent to the galley. Swinging it up into position makes serving dinner for two or three an easy task.
The galley is well equipped and spacious, featuring a stand-up, side-by-side AC/DC refrigerator/freezer, a four-burner Force 10 LPG stovetop, a microwave/convection oven, and a dishwasher.
Galley storage is generous, featuring 15 drawers, two double-door cabinets, a single-door cabinet and two double-door overhead cabinets. There's also plenty of counter space and a full-sized sink.
Command and Control
Stepping up four three-foot-wide steps, you'll enter a pilothouse that will be the envy of even experienced skippers. Forward and side visibility from the centered Stidd helm seat is superb, and by looking aft through the rear windows of the pilothouse, you can easily check for overtaking vessels.
A U-shaped settee seats four around a teak table, whose pedestal can be removed to form a double berth. The pilothouse then becomes an extra stateroom for grandkids or your old cruising buddy.
The first Nordic Tugs 49 was equipped with an optional, second Stidd chair, but frankly it was in the way of the otherwise well-conceived layout. I'd choose to do without this option, as the settee is a better place for the first mate or navigator to sit.
Besides plenty of panel space for monitor screens, instrumentation, radios, plotters and more, the 49 has an honest-to-goodness chart table, with a drawer for chartbooks and plotting instruments. As Jim Cress manned the helm of his newest tug, with paper charts and dividers by his side, perhaps the only thing missing was a corncob pipe.
One of my pet peeves with some of today's luxurious power cruisers is their lack of natural ventilation and total reliance on air conditioning. If you've ever spent days and nights at sea in the tropics on a multimillion-dollar yacht with a broken-down A/C system and no opening windows, you know what I mean.
Happily, the Nordic Tug 49 has an abundance of opening windows, hatches, and ports to create a good flow of fresh air. Yes, this is a real boat, not a floating condo.
Raising The Performance Bar
Nordic Tugs have earned a reputation as capable coastal cruisers, combining some of the better attributes of full-displacement, oceangoing passagemakers with those of swifter, planing boats. The new Apollonio-designed 49 is the result of fine-tuning and improving an already proven, semi-displacement, single-engine cruiser.
The hull exhibits good, natural stability whether at rest, at displacement speeds, or when running in the teens. "Out of the 800 or so boats we've built, I don't think more than a dozen were outfitted with stabilizers," states Cress. The hull's form stability, which minimizes the need to add active-fin stabilizers, greatly simplifies things, as these systems are both expensive and complex.
Although our passage took place on a calm day on Puget Sound, I was able to get a sense of how the 49 behaves in different seas by running through passing wakes at various angles. She has a solid, stable, dry ride. And she's quiet. At 2,000 rpm, running at 14 knots, I measured 73 dB of sound pressure in the pilothouse. At a displacement speed of 8 knots, she's an extremely quiet ride, producing just 67 dB.
While waiting for an hour to enter the boat show's staging area in Lake Union, I had the opportunity to play with the 49's throttle, gearshift, and thrusters to get an idea how she maneuvered. The newest Nordic Tug is a big, 45,000-pound boat, but she can turn on a dime and back down straight. Interestingly, the stern thruster is located down low in the full keel, and it is extremely effective there.
The ZF electronic engine control was smooth and responsive—there was none of the ambiguous hesitancy I have experienced with other, similar controls. Because the 49 was still undergoing commissioning (she was launched less than two weeks before my visit), it was hard to judge the smoothness and responsiveness of the steering system, as the hydraulic lines apparently needed to be purged of some air.
Conclusion
Nordic Tugs have developed a near cult following with their salty good looks; fuel-efficient, seaworthy hulls; and comfortable interiors. The new 49 not only fills a big gap between the company's ever popular 42 and its big, 60,000-pound 54, but also introduces a number of new design features that make noticeable improvements in both performance and appearance.
If you're in the market for a new power cruiser in this size range and compare its features, performance, American craftsmanship, 10-year hull warranty, and strong dealer network, this tug's $950,000 base price represents real value. And if you asked him, I bet Jim Cress would be glad to include a corncob pipe.
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