Quote:
Originally Posted by altinr
Hi,
I am searching for the good and bad on the North Pacific 42-43’ trawlers.
Also, if you have one with a single Cummins, please mention mpg or gph at various speeds/rpms, and your hp.
Thanks,
Bob
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Bob, I have a 2010 NP43 that I’ve owned for 3.5 years. I bought it from the original owner through Trevor. I have been really happy with the boat.
Good:
- The layout works really well for us. My wife has retired, I’m still working. We got the NP43 because we wanted a boat that was big enough to take our family with us. We have cruised for a week with 5 adults (the two of us plus daughter, son-in-law, and son). We just finished another week with daughter, son-in-law, and 22 month old grandson).
- The boat is very quiet at cruise. We typically run at 1450 rpm burning 2.0-2.1 gph giving us 7 knots. If the hull is dirty, we won’t get that 7 knots. From 1400-1550 rpm the boat is very quiet. We do have rugs laced over the salon floor which likely helps and the PO had Trevor put a bit thicker sound insulation in the ER at build time so other NP of our vintage may not be as quiet. We have the 380hp version of the Cummins QSB 5.9L engine. The PO asked for the engine upsize when the boat was built. It is fine but the standard 330hp engine would have been more than enough power.
- The boat handles unpleasant seas well, but unpleasant seas are, well, unpleasant.
- We love the Pilothouse, rarely use the flybridge. Excellent visibility forward and to the sides.
- The electrical systems are really well designed and installed. North Pacific does a great job of labeling everything.
- Fantastic factory support, even for those of us that didn’t buy new.
- The boats are well constructed and well designed. I may post a picture of my boat perched on a rock that the PO hit at high tide at speed. There was very little damage.
Less than optimal...:
- The view aft from the pilothouse is poor to none. This makes backing into slips tough unless it is done from the flybridge. We do have a camera pointed aft from the radar arch which is useful, but since we operate from the PH most of the time, we prefer to not back into slips. I would like to add another camera on the starboard side pointed aft and that would make all the difference.
- The boat is not fast. The PO says that he ran it at 10 knots most of the time and I believe him. He had lots of money to burn so never thought about the fuel cost. However, at 10 knots the boat is loud, drains your bank account, and digs a giant hole in the water. The trim tabs on our boat keep it from going too bow high, but this is not a great boat for someone that is in a hurry.
- Having a covered aft cockpit is wonderful and I consider it essential for us in the PNW.
- Really nice anchor lockers that drain outboard.
- The fuel fills are in the forward corners of the cockpit about a foot off the deck. This means that they are protect from the weather so even if the O-rings aren’t replaced as they should be, or if a fuel filler cover isn’t tightened down all the way, there is no way water will find its way into the fuel tanks. Furthermore, there can be no confusing between fuel and water fills as the water fills are located on the steps on either side up to the boat deck.
- Well done interior woodwork and NO exterior teak!
- There is LOTS of storage in the NP43. Our biggest issue is putting so much stuff in the boat that we forget we have it.
- The swim platform on the NP43 is spacious. I have a sailing dinghy that we often keep on the Seawise davits. When I am rigging the boat to sail, the large swim platform is great. The NP42 is the same just a foot shorter.
Nit picky things...
- The PH doors are a bit heavy with a door latch that can be uncomfortable for smaller folks to use. Changed in the North Pacific 45.
- When it is wet (just about all the time in the PNW), water will drip from the PH roof onto the PH floor if the PH doors are open. This is due to the slight angle of the PH sides. Annoying and fixed in the NP45.
- Due to the build of the swim step, if anything that has been mounted on the swim step leaks, the swim step can fill with water and the water can’t really escape. That happened to us. The problem is with items that have been added by owners. In our case it was second under-the-stop swim ladder that was added and leaked over the prior 8 years. It caused the interior wood framing on the edge of the swim step to swell and the gelcoat to crack. This was present when we bought the boat. Trevor was the one who pointed it out to me at the survey (our surveyor didn’t notice it despite going over the hull carefully after I showed him the photo of the boat on the rocks). Other NP 42/43 owners have had the same issue. The fix was easy and the way to avoid it is to simply make sure that if you affix something to the swim step it is done properly (butyl tape is your friend).
- The ER is fine, but it is tight. The NP43 has a full crawl around engine room space. Knee pads are a must.
- Since the NP42/43 has raked windows in the PH, it can get very warm. Not a problem with both PH doors open, but if they are closed it can get hot. We had exterior window covers made from Pfifertex which dramatically cools it down. The new design of the NP45 eliminates this issue.
- The galley table converts to a bunk. However, it is only suitable for kids as it is very short. Having said that, my 30 year old daughter who is 5’ 8” finds it very comfortable.
- The second cabin has two ports that open for ventilation. However, in hot weather when my 6’4” 250+ lbs plus son-in-law and my daughter are sleeping in there, they claim it feels a bit stuffy. Likely, this would not be the case with the double bed configuration rather than the bunk bed configuration. Personally, I think that cabin is incredibly comfortable to sleep in.
- The two lockers just forward of the PH above the cabin top are very convenient for lines, power cords, etc... However, the hatches are angled with the front of the PH and are not water tight. So anything that gets put in there will get wet with enough rain. The have drains in them and I have put dry-deck tiles on the bottom so it isn’t a problem, but it would be nice if they were dry.
- The aft cockpit is nice, but I which it was a bit larger. We keep a 12v freezer under the ladder to the boat deck and have a set of two teak chairs and a table that we use in the cockpit. It works but it would be nice to have a bit more space there as the aft saloon door opens out into the cockpit. The NP45 improves that with its 1’ wider beam as well as the aft salon door is a slider instead of swinging out.
- We weren’t real fans of the curtains that were supplied to the PO by North Pacific. We changed those out to blinds.
- The painted aluminum window trim has spots where the paint has bubbled. It isn’t an issue for us, but eventually we may need to have that trim redone. That is one of the reasons why the NP45 has stainless window frames.
Other thoughts....
If you have any questions, email Trevor Brice of North Pacific Yachts. He truly is an outstanding gentleman and will be happy to answer any questions you have. He likes to keep track of the North Pacific boats out there and NP owners often use him as a broker when they want to sell or upgrade.
I couldn’t be happier with my boat. Initially, I didn’t consider the NP for several reasons. I wanted full walk around decks. I didn’t want a flybridge. I also wasn’t taken with the looks of the NP43. However, look what I ended up with. I find that I don’t need full walk around decks and much prefer the extra interior space the full width saloon affords. I don’t use the flybridge much, but when I do it is really nice. The looks of the NP have really grown on me. I think it is lovely now and even though it doesn’t matter a bit, we get lots of complements on our boat when are out.
Despite that wall of text, I’m sure I am forgetting both positive and negatives. Every boat is a compromise but the NP43 is the best compromise for us. If I was in a position to buy a new boat, the boat I would buy is the NP45. It has all the wonderful features that we love with the NP43 and has improved upon them. From a value/dollar perspective, it is hard to beat the North Pacific either new or used.
Let me know if you have any other questions.