New (sort of) Nordic Tug Owner in So Cal

[dwilkieo]

Howdy List.

After spending much of my adult life on a sailboat, I have bought a Nordic Tug 32. I have owned it for 2 years now and it has been a bit of a learning curve, but I am really loving the boat, and best of all, so does my wife.

I have done some modifications to make it more personalized and to upgrade some of the factory options that the boat did not come with originally. I have done some more radical things too, like softening the very hard chines where they hit the waterline to prevent wave slap in harbor. More like wave BOOM, which makes it pretty tough to get a good night's sleep when conditions are less then perfect in my favorite Channel Islands harbors.

I am contemplating replacing the carpet in my boat with Amtico.

My home port is Santa Barbara, and I like to cruise Santa Cruz Island and an annual trip or two to Catalina. Thanks for having me.

 

[MurrayM]

Welcome aboard from up-coast a bit

 

[LaBomba]

Welcome from the Great Lakes.

 

[Comodave]

Welcome aboard.

 

[swampyankee]

Welcome from a fellow noob.

I'd like to know what you did to soften the chines forward. We experienced that chine slap at anchor on our Silverton 31. Kept us up all night and gives us second thoughts about anchoring out.

 

[Capitaine R]

Welcome aboard from Florida and from one new Nordic Tug owner to another.

 

[Bacchus]

Welcome aboard TF

 

[Tootles]

Welcome from an owner of a 26 which we love

 

[dwilkieo]

Welcome from a fellow noob.

I'd like to know what you did to soften the chines forward. We experienced that chine slap at anchor on our Silverton 31. Kept us up all night and gives us second thoughts about anchoring out.

I think in pristine, well protected harbors, this can be a non-problem. But in SoCal harbors, especially Santa Cruz Island, where crowding dictates that you drop a second hook to allow more boats in and the harbor entrances are not so protective as you would want, it can be sometimes daunting.

When the wind comes up in the direction we are anchored, the chop traps pockets of air between the chine and the water at the waterline resulting in a really loud rhythmic and continual thud that sounds like an NFL lineman is in the water banging the hull with the heel of a closed fist.

If I've been fishing in a kayak all day I can go right to sleep, but when I wake up at 2 am I see that my wife is still awake and unhappy and I can't go back to sleep either.

A little research showed that other Nordic Tug owners had experimented with different temporary fixes that either didn't work or required lines and two people to deploy. Not good for my local conditions.

So I went to the Ventura Harbor Boat Yard and had them install foam blocks covered with plenty of glass, all faired in to take the really hard edge off the inside of the chine either side of where it hits the waterline. The result was amazing with almost zero handling effects at normal speeds. The spray pattern is different at lower speeds, but not a problem. Really not a cheap project, unless you have time and skill to do it yourself, so not for the faint of heart. I haven't found anybody that has done this that is not happy with it.

My wife was so thrilled with my modification that I didn't even have to lie to her about what it cost. That's saying something.

 

[dwilkieo]

Thanks to all

Thanks for the welcomes. I will learn a lot here and hopefully contribute some too....

 

[swampyankee]

I think in pristine, well protected harbors, this can be a non-problem. But in SoCal harbors, especially Santa Cruz Island, where crowding dictates that you drop a second hook to allow more boats in and the harbor entrances are not so protective as you would want, it can be sometimes daunting.

When the wind comes up in the direction we are anchored, the chop traps pockets of air between the chine and the water at the waterline resulting in a really loud rhythmic and continual thud that sounds like an NFL lineman is in the water banging the hull with the heel of a closed fist.

If I've been fishing in a kayak all day I can go right to sleep, but when I wake up at 2 am I see that my wife is still awake and unhappy and I can't go back to sleep either.

A little research showed that other Nordic Tug owners had experimented with different temporary fixes that either didn't work or required lines and two people to deploy. Not good for my local conditions.

So I went to the Ventura Harbor Boat Yard and had them install foam blocks covered with plenty of glass, all faired in to take the really hard edge off the inside of the chine either side of where it hits the waterline. The result was amazing with almost zero handling effects at normal speeds. The spray pattern is different at lower speeds, but not a problem. Really not a cheap project, unless you have time and skill to do it yourself, so not for the faint of heart. I haven't found anybody that has done this that is not happy with it.

My wife was so thrilled with my modification that I didn't even have to lie to her about what it cost. That's saying something.

After I read your post I did some searching and found some discussion about the issue. Alot of people basically said "man up", but I'm with you. It's not just your average waves lapping on the hull like my sailboats, this is a loud "plop" sound as even the smallest wave slaps the underside of that hard chine shelf. We were anchored in a normally very protected cove and the sound kept us both up all night.

I'd be tempted to do what you did, but we see ourselves moving up in size in a short time so I don't want to invest the time and energy, and risk spoiling resale value.
We were talking about using some sound deadening material on the inside of the hull, and followed by a large wad of insulation of some sort. As a last resort, we sleep on the settee and use the V berth for storage.

 

[dwilkieo]

We were talking about using some sound deadening material on the inside of the hull, and followed by a large wad of insulation of some sort. As a last resort, we sleep on the settee and use the V berth for storage.

I have a buddy with a sistership NT 32 in my harbor who had done all of the research. Built a bridal thingie that was difficult to deploy and in the way at departure time. Covered the interior of the hull under the forward cabin with some sound retardant material. Finally filled the entire space with foam swim noodles. None of it worked at all. He had VHBY do the fill on his chines and was happy. That encouraged me to spend the money, since this is my last boat....

 

[Ang]

Welcome to the forum.

We are also new owners of a NT-32. We love it. We did the Amtico replacement last September. Very happy with it.

Cheers,

 

[Tootles]

Likewise on our 26 we love the durability of the Amtico. We put heavy mass sound damping on the inside of the hull and then laid more under the bed with good results. We were guided by Soundown which are in California and Florida.

 

[dwilkieo]

Likewise on our 26 we love the durability of the Amtico. We put heavy mass sound damping on the inside of the hull and then laid more under the bed with good results. We were guided by Soundown which are in California and Florida.

Can you elaborate on what and where Sundown is? I did a google search and found nothing that seemed on topic.

Thanks in advance....

 

[dwilkieo]

Welcome to the forum.

We are also new owners of a NT-32. We love it. We did the Amtico replacement last September. Very happy with it.

May I ask if you did the work yourself, and if not, who did the work for you? I have been contemplating bringing my boat up to the PNW for an extended cruise. I know there are installers up there. Haven't found anybody in SoCal yet that will do this work so I am wondering if I want to tackle it.

Thanks....

 

[Tootles]

I sincerely apologize for the typo. Should be Soundown so sorry

 

[dwilkieo]

I sincerely apologize for the typo. Should be Soundown so sorry

Got it! Thanks for the info. Great stuff. Learning a lot. Their site shows another product for use under floors. I will call them in the new year and start this process. Thanks to TunaJoe for other hookups on the Amtico. I’m going to do this.

 

[Ang]

May I ask if you did the work yourself, and if not, who did the work for you? I have been contemplating bringing my boat up to the PNW for an extended cruise. I know there are installers up there. Haven't found anybody in SoCal yet that will do this work so I am wondering if I want to tackle it.

Thanks....

The fellow who did my installation is a retired Nordic Tug employee. I think he does a number of these every year. Keeps him busy. Send me a PM and i'll forward his contact information.
Cheers,

 

[garycasey]

NT 32 hard chine

The noise generated by the hard chine was disturbingly obvious the first night I spent on the boat. I too thought about how to fix it, but it looks like your modification is the only true fix. It looks most excellent from the pictures. I wonder why NT bragged so much about the design. My layman's opinion is that any sharp corner will reduce the efficiency of the hull. I assume the shape has something to do with generating lift or controlling the bow wave. Regardless, the elimination of the slapping at anchor would rate higher than any possible improvement in wave action. Besides, the shape that you ended up with after the modification looks to be much better than the original.

 

[dwilkieo]

The noise generated by the hard chine was disturbingly obvious the first night I spent on the boat. I too thought about how to fix it, but it looks like your modification is the only true fix. It looks most excellent from the pictures. I wonder why NT bragged so much about the design. My layman's opinion is that any sharp corner will reduce the efficiency of the hull. I assume the shape has something to do with generating lift or controlling the bow wave. Regardless, the elimination of the slapping at anchor would rate higher than any possible improvement in wave action. Besides, the shape that you ended up with after the modification looks to be much better than the original.

Coming from a sailing background, I was horrified with beam reaching to the Islands in a power boat. On the Sea-Trial I couldn't believe how much it rolled. I didn't consider that I had turned across the waves in a 20 knot breeze and held it there.

The Surveyor was great and taught me a lot after he quit laughing at me. He praised the NT hull shape and it's seaworthiness and comfort in rough weather. He suggested that I would learn to make course and speed adjustments to minimize discomfort, and I have. He referred me to some articles about sea-keeping properties of various hull designs and as I've cruised and fished with my new set of "Stink-Potter" friends on a variety of displacement, semi-displacement and planing hulls, I have to agree that the NT is worthy of praise.

I think the hard chine does dig in and give you a bit more control in rough conditions and reduced speeds, and it surely throws spray away from your foredeck. That said, If you are at full cruising speed, I doubt you could tell the difference. I am not qualified to lecture about any of this. YMMV.

Bottom line is I am thrilled with the quiet in the harbor and coming out of my home port in a crisp, square wind chop. The boat still handles great in open water. Only downside for me was the cost, but as a fraction of what the boat cost it was OK with me.

I still suspect that if I were still in the PNW (where I used to sail the Puget Sound,) or if I was Looping or cruising the ICW or keys, I would be able to anchor in more protected coves (most of the time?) and it likely would not be a problem just as it is from the factory. If you Search out the Nordic Tug Owners lists you will find articles about the mod. I saw one that was done by the owner -- admittedly not quite as pretty, but a whole lot less money and it did the job.

David

 

[DDW]

I've thought of doing this to my AT34 which has a similar hull and a similar problem. It occurs to me that it should be possible to mold some separate pieces which fill the space. They could be stuck on with epoxy or even 5200. There would be a little tooling to do, but the per install cost would be a small fraction of the work shown in the pictures. Wish I had the time to do it, there are enough NT32 and AT34 in the world that the market is fairly large.

 

[nanna]

Welcome from the Great Lakes.

Ark is perfect 'cause its not real.
Titanic destroyed by Captains "need for speed"

 

[dwilkieo]

I've thought of doing this to my AT34 which has a similar hull and a similar problem. It occurs to me that it should be possible to mold some separate pieces which fill the space. They could be stuck on with epoxy or even 5200. There would be a little tooling to do, but the per install cost would be a small fraction of the work shown in the pictures. Wish I had the time to do it, there are enough NT32 and AT34 in the world that the market is fairly large.

I can't think of any reason that it wouldn't work. 5200 is amazing. Cosmetics might be an issue, and tooling up would be relatively expensive.

 

[My1967nova]

A great fix!