Pacific Asian Enterprises (PAE) has expanded the Nordhavn line with the addition of the Nordhavn 96. This new design looks to serve as a stepping stone between the large cruiser and megayacht categories. For the enthusiast who is seeking megayacht-like style and features in a boat that is still able to be managed with no – or minimal – crew, the Nordhavn 96 is the ideal solution.

She is based on the hull of the very successful Nordhavn 86, and incorporates a 10-foot cockpit extension that allows for space bumps in several areas of the boat including below decks in the crew area and lazarette; at main deck level in the cockpit and saloon; on the pilothouse deck with a larger sky lounge or upper master stateroom (depending on layout); and an even more capacious fly bridge. Fuel capacity remains the same, although slight gains in fuel burn are likely due to the N96’s longer water line. Displacement also stays virtually the same. “It is a fairly easy procedure to extend the molds,” says Jeff Leishman, PAE’s Chief of Design. And it is an efficient way to give a customer the additional space they are seeking without the drastic cost of building an entirely new hull. Nordhavn has employed this method of thinking with several of its other models including the N52 (based on the N47 hull), the N60 and 63 (based on the N55 hull), the N68 (based on the N64 hull) and the N76 (based on the N72 hull), and the approach has been a hugely successful one. The stretched out models proved themselves to be so advantageous that, as a result, they have become more popular than their predecessors. And contrary to published reports, there is zero downside to adding hull extensions. Says Leishman: “These types of modifications have actually demonstrated to enhance performance.”

Nordhavn

Nordhavn 96'