Sea Trial Nordic Tug 49

A MODERN CLASSIC

BY ROGER M

C

AFEE

WHEN NORDIC TUG’S ORIGINAL DESIGNER,LYNN SENOUR

of Seattle,died in 2004, the builder needed to look for a new marine archi- tect. Nordic wanted a designer who would bring a level of style and sophistication to the table, while retaining the look and tradition developed over the 28 years since the first Nordic – the Nordic 26 – splashed down at the Seattle Boat Show in 1980.

The builder chose HowardApollonio, a professional engineer and graduate of University of Michigan Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering. And that turned out to be an excellent choice, especially as far as the new Nordic 49 is concerned.

DESIGN FEATURES

At first glance the new 49 is all Nordic. It has a husky, broad-shoul-dered tug yacht style, with a pilot- house window visor, stowage funnel, stainless rails, excellent glasswork and high-grade marine windows and doors. However, take a closer second look and you’ll see subtle changes.The new 49 is the first Nordic tohave a flared bow — not much flare, but noticeable. It also has a finer entry that will smooth out the ride in chop.It is the first Nordic to have a mold- ed-in spray rail, or spray knocker, that has the effect of knocking down spray generated as the vessel moves through a head sea, which also keeps the deck drier.At the transom, the swim step hasbeen enlarged fore and aft creating a different look. It also makes access to the cockpit easier. The Nordic 49 tunnel hull has a prop that can be tucked into the transom, resulting in a shallow draft and more prop pro- tection than traditional semi-dis- placements hulls. It also results in a more horizontal driveline, leading to