Lord Nelson Victory Tugs

From what I have read, the 37, 41 and 49 LNVT's built in the mid to late 80's are nice, solidly built tug type boats. Anyone here have any experience with them or any opinions on the build quality, seaworthiness etc. etc
Thanks
John

I looked at a few 37s on the web last year and was quite drawn to them even though I don't like their exaggerated tuggy look. They are a serious full disp hull but fairly shallow and not very heavy but that can be a plus.

They are a stone to uncover if you want a full disp boat as there are very few to choose from. So you may want to take a good look. But I'm suspect about them as ther'e so cheap. Compare features and price to a KK or a Willard. It could have something to do w the BMW engines. Don't know anything about them except that they are unusual. Seems to me I thought windage could be a problem. I don't think anyone here on TF has one but so many never post???

They may be wonderful???

John,

Hope I do not offend any LNVTs on this site, but here is my 2 cts worth.
2 years when I was shopping, I looked seriously at two 37' VTs, one in LA, and one in Seattle. There seems to be a bit of a cult built up around these boats and there is a great deal of information on them on the VT website. For some time, in the past anyway, this cult has arbitrarily inflated the price, though I believe the market and reality is finally beginning to change that. The pricing was what ultimately drove me away from any of them.

The 37' ones that I looked at, I would not consider to be coastal cruisers because as Eric says, they are shallow and rather round bottom and have a reputation for rolling. Some folks have had stabilizer fins added that they claim helps a lot.

I was of the impression that they were pretty well built.(at least compared to a lot of junk out there)
My understanding and the ones that I looked at had Cummings engines. They came either as 100 or 150hp. Do not recall any BMW motors. The other issue, in my opinion, was engine room access. The engine sits mid-vessel behind a swinging door in the galley - a neat feature, but I thought questionable for access.
I especially liked the Pilothouse design - had a great view. I was looking for a Pilothouse in this size, but again as Eric says the "exaggerated" tug shape was a downside I think.
I was looking to only have one Pilot station to maintain, one that had a good high view.
Final thought: go take a serious "hands-on" look at one and I think you will decide very quickly if this is a design you can live with or not.

JimS

I really like the VT 37. We know several people who have them. The later ones had Cummins engines instead of the earlier BMW engine. We're we in the market for a VT we would only consider a Cummins powered boat.

A friend of mine purchased his new in 1985 w/BMW power. All I remember is the roll was very uncomfortable in very light wind and waves.

Thanks to all for the replys. I have heard that they tend to roll quite a bit with a beam sea but do better when quartering. The later examples with the 3.9 BTA Cummins would be the way to go just from a service/reliability standpoint.
Prices were high just a few years ago but have come down to the 100-130K range recently so thats partly why I asked about them.
Seems like they might be a good choice for the Florida ICW, Keys and Bahamas with limited live aboard capability just due to size?

JohnRB said:

Seems like they might be a good choice for the Florida ICW, Keys and Bahamas with limited live aboard capability just due to size?

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I wouldn't say that. I think the LNVT's are more of an enthusiast boat. Like a collector's item (in a way). There are better boats that will accomplish what you saying here... and for better money. Besides... I think they are kinda homely looking

Gonzo I'd fine tune the word a bit and just say a little silly looking.

One I saw had the 4 cyl Cummins so that one at least wasn't overpowered.

It was at least a year ago and all the ones I was looking at were just a tad over $100K.

Truthfully I don't see how anybody could highly recommend them and I don't see any reason NOT to recommend them either. I would check on parts and service first though for the BMW powered boats.

I kinda liked them except for the swooped up pilot house.

GonzoF1 said:

I wouldn't say that. I think the LNVT's are more of an enthusiast boat. Like a collector's item (in a way). There are better boats that will accomplish what you saying here... and for better money. Besides... I think they are kinda homely looking

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LOL! I guess "homely" looking is one way to describe them! I like the gunwale lines and the round stern, sheer bow look...to each his own!
I was thinking it would be a nice weekend ICW boat with the ability to get to the Bahamas for a week or so on occasion. I am concerned about the quality of construction and the reputation of rolling in a beam sea so I thought I'd ask for experiences here. Don't want my wife puking all over my boat

John,
You should check out the LNVT site and converse with some of the owners. We were looking at the 37 to live aboard but the admiral wanted more room. We ended up with the Krogen 42. And a house. Now she wishes we would have gotten the tug. As far as looks, you either like them or not. Parts are VERY expensive for the BMWs. The boats were designed for 50hp. BMW wanted to break into the US marine market and made the builder a hell of a deal. Most of the boats are over powered (135-150 hp).
They appear to be well constructed and have lots of storage. I do agree with a previuos statement about servicing the engine. I looked at one that had the Mercruiser/Cummins engine. Not a good fit.
I looked at another in VA that had the BMW engine. It needed a riser. I suspect there would also be issues with the turbo.$1250.00 to have the riser shipped to Fl. I planned to replace the BMW with a 75hp 4cyl Beta Marine (Kubota engine base).
I had some health issues that made us change our boating plans. The 42 will be on the market soon and we are looking for a "trailerable" boat 24 to 28 feet long. But IS still like those LNVTs.
Ken
Ft Myers, Fl

krogenken said:

John,
You should check out the LNVT site and converse with some of the owners. We were looking at the 37 to live aboard but the admiral wanted more room. We ended up with the Krogen 42. And a house. Now she wishes we would have gotten the tug. As far as looks, you either like them or not. Parts are VERY expensive for the BMWs. The boats were designed for 50hp. BMW wanted to break into the US marine market and made the builder a hell of a deal. Most of the boats are over powered (135-150 hp).
They appear to be well constructed and have lots of storage. I do agree with a previuos statement about servicing the engine. I looked at one that had the Mercruiser/Cummins engine. Not a good fit.
I looked at another in VA that had the BMW engine. It needed a riser. I suspect there would also be issues with the turbo.$1250.00 to have the riser shipped to Fl. I planned to replace the BMW with a 75hp 4cyl Beta Marine (Kubota engine base).
I had some health issues that made us change our boating plans. The 42 will be on the market soon and we are looking for a "trailerable" boat 24 to 28 feet long. But IS still like those LNVTs.
Ken
Ft Myers, Fl

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Ken,
Thanks for information. I have been looking on the LNVT site for about 3 years now and have learned quite a bit about the tugs from the members. I would only consider one with the Cummins engine....the BMW just presents too many unknowns, especially since it is no longer produced or supported with parts/service. The Cummins is a tight fit but still accessible.
The LNVT site is a good resource but the members tend to be biased so thats why I wanted to ask here for other opinions.
Good luck with your search for a trailerable boat!
John

They seem way overpriced to me , but if there is enough hype to keep the market for them going , a ZERO round trip might be possible.

The fore deck is a little too steep for my comfort.

Old deckhand,
I don't see the steep outside deck as much of a problem but would'nt like it in the wheelhouse. I kind of consider it bad design. If it was mine I'd want the inside decks to be flat or nearly so. For that matter if I had been the NA I probably woulda put a break in the sheer terminating at about the wheelhouse door. That would keep the stem height/bow height the same but the boat would then be a bit like a 1 1/2 story house. Step up to the bow deck.
But the Victory boats were obviously made to be cute (more than anything else) but if they're well built boats they have a feature that is hard to come by and now that the marketing is a distant has-been the hard to come by feature sticks out as their most desirable trait. That feature is that It's a full displacement boat .... probably mor efficient than most FD boats .. like my own. Actually I can think of only one mono hull trawler on this forum that's comparable. The Pilgrim 40.
I suspect the VT is very rolly though. May be the reason there are some always for sale.
I seem to recall that there's some kind of dynamic issue w them like a handling problem, bad windage imbalance, weak rudder or??? Can't remember though.