Nordhavn 96

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 the crew area, saloon and sky lounge. Additional room is also found within the outside deck (aft of the sky lounge) as well as the flybridge deck, which are both lengthened. Chief of Design, Jeff Leishman, N.A., said there will be no changes to fuel capacity and that there may be slight gains in fuel burn due to the N96’s longer water line. Meanwhile, there will be relatively little increase in displacement. “It is a fairly easy procedure to extend the molds,” said Leishman. 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 a recently published report, there is absolutely zero downside to adding hull extensions. Says Leishman: “These types of modifications have actually demonstrated to enhance performance.”

Like the N86, the interior of the Nordhavn 96 is customizeable to the owner’s personal vision. She accommodates eight comfortably within the VIP and three guest staterooms, and includes a captain’s cabin and crew quarters with separate entrance. She is propelled with twin Caterpillar C-18 engines allowing a cruising speed of 10 knots and carries more than 7,000 gallons of fuel.

The first N96 is currently in production and is expected to complete September 2015.