Lord Nelson Tugs

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Fish Catcher Jim

Fish Catcher Jim

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 18, 2014
Messages
157
Location
USA
I have admired, closely inspected and buddy boated with a Lord Nelson from the Bahamas to Florida and north. I also saw your post on the downeaster forum. This trawler forum seems a better place to answer your questions.

You first have to decide on some basics: flybridge or not, displacement cruiser or semi-displacement with go fast capabilities. The downeaster crowd is mostly go fast and non flybridge oriented. Nothing wrong with that and you can go as slow as you want even if you have a lot of horsepower on tap.

But back to the Lord Nelson. It is a very well built, slow- about 7 kts, displacement cruiser. I think that the interior layout is perfect for a boat of that size. The only complaint is that the engine compartment is in forward of and below the galley and is reached by a narrow door to the side. It makes the engine room a bit cramped as I recall. The advantage is that it places the engine well forward in the deepest part of the hull, so the prop shaft angle is reduced.

This boat was delivered with a number of engines, probably the most with the Cummins 4BT 4 cylinder. That engine is rock solid but as an unbalanced 4 cylinder will be rough at low rpms. It should push that boat to displacement speed easily.

Seems like I recall one that had been repowered with the John Deere 4045 which is also a 4 cylinder but has a balance shaft to make it smoother. Also a very good engine for that boat.

Avoid the 6 cylinder BMW engine.

So I like it a lot. But they are not cheap for an older boat which reflects the quality as built new and its endearing popularity. The closest modern competitor is the Nordic Tug 37 but at double the price.

David
 
David

Once again I say thank you for your time and wisdom.
I kind of figured my post in the DE might get some slack but I figured it would bring options or other boats that might fit my needs as well as the lord nelson or any tug.

Ok my lack of knowledge on these tugs leaves me with so many questions.
How did the tug handle the water from the bahama's?
I know they cruise around quite well and can be very family friendly especially for two, however i have no idea what kind of water or conditions these thngs can handle or even keep safe way around other boats if it got rough.

I do not want to sink time and money into something that will not meet my needs.
This is why i am here and asking all these questions. All the living quarter space and wood tend to draw me but pretty and spacious does notalways get the job done.
Thanks again
Jim
 
We had an almost flat water crossing from the Bahamas West End to Ft Pierce so I can't really say from experience how it handled.

But from looking at the hull shape I think it will be as good as any trawler in heavy seas. May be a little rolly due to lack of hard chines.

David
 
On the subject of Lord Nelson Tugs:
Does anyone with a knowledge of Lord Nelson Tugs know what happened to LNT 41 hull numbers 3 & 4 which were apparently sold as hull only? Alternatively the fate of the hull mould?
Hopefully this is the right place to ask this.
Thanks, Grae.
 
One thing hard to overlook is that this is one of very few full displacement trawlers on the market. And when I was shopping (about 4 years ago) I looked at Victory Tugs. Didn't like any of the engines I found but I considered the boats rather cheap. In price that is. Some were close to $100K.

I didn't think the hull was perfect but obviously it is very efficient. Didn't like the extremely sloped fwd deck. I was still looking though so I appearently thought they were desirable. Didn't know there were a high quality build at the time.

A similar and better boat may be the Pilgrim 40.
 
AaaaaaHa Eric, If the Lord Nelson is FD then I rest my case for the Marben being a FD. A great day in fact!!

I lust for a 37 Lord Nelson. When they come through Ketchikan or pass in travel, I tear up. They are the antipathy of a pleasure version of a commercial old timer,

To those who own one, you are to be congratulated on a wise choice of boat.
Al
 
Al said:
AaaaaaHa Eric, If the Lord Nelson is FD then I rest my case for the Marben being a FD. A great day in fact!!

I lust for a 37 Lord Nelson. When they come through Ketchikan or pass in travel, I tear up. They are the antipathy of a pleasure version of a commercial old timer,

To those who own one, you are to be congratulated on a wise choice of boat.
Al
Click to expand...

Aaaahh....I think you mean epitome, Al. Antipathy means the opposite, sort of...but yes, we get your drift...sorry to be a PITA...

Epitome | Define Epitome at Dictionary.com

antipathy - Dictionary Definition : Vocabulary.com
 
The 37' Victory Tug is, in our opinion, one of the best looking production diesel cruisers of all time. They are the boat that first got my wife and I thinking about augmenting our flying the Inside Passage with cruising it on the water.

At the time even used Victory Tugs were very expensive and the older ones use BMW engines which, we were told by people who had them, are not an ideal powerplant for several reasons. Later Victory Tugs use Cummins engines and that would be the better way to go.

There are a fair number of them in this area.
 
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Marin said:
At the time even used Victory Tugs were very expensive and the older ones use BMW engines which, we were told by people who had them, are not an ideal powerplant for several reasons. Later Victory Tugs use Cummins engines and that would be the better way to go.
Click to expand...

Besides getting parts, what are the issues with BMW diesel engines? Is this a boatdiesel.com question?
 
During the six months I was on the hard over in Indiantown, FL, this 37 was parked next to me. Needed a lot of wood and deck work, but what style. Anchor hause too.
 

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Out of curiosity, Has any Lord Nelson owner have experience in removal of engine replacement. What is the procedure of engine removal? Out the galley, up the topside or in bits and pieces?
It seemed the engine room area is extremely tight from memory of last visting on a passing through Nelson.

Al
 
Conrad said:
This should keep you occupied for a while:

Tug Fleet by Boat Name and Hull Number - Lord Nelson Victory Tug (LNVT)
Click to expand...

healhustler said:
During the six months I was on the hard over in Indiantown, FL, this 37 was parked next to me. Needed a lot of wood and deck work, but what style. Anchor hause too.
Click to expand...

Between these two posts I was able to get to the bottom of a mystery boat I'd been curious about for a couple of years. I run in the Saginaw River probably 50 times a year, and kept catching glimpses of a salty looking tug's hind quarters nestled between some trees in a marina. I was able to decipher the name, but couldn't figure out what kind of boat she was. Now I know, she's Tugboat Annie, a LNVT. I can finally sleep.
 
Al.

I was looking on the L N V T web page the other day and they said that were designed so that the engine / engines could be removed without and need for dismantling any part of the superstructure / house.

Apparently the hatchs in the house and roof top line up so to make removal easy.

This it seems was a design requirment at the time they were conceived. Pity all boats are built this way. Their web page lists every vessel built and info on whether it is for sale or not.

Regards.

David.
 
Manly O-
Thanks, Smart move if that is the case. Monk designed that feature into our Marben. With a huge amount of glass in the windows all around the cabin and poor air conditioning in the late 70's Monk designed a hatch on top of the house that is directly over with the engine hatch below and same dimensions.It serves two purpose. Straight shot in and out. We recently utilized this option and it was a sweet piece of engine replacement. Thanks again-Al
 
Our not-very-big Port Townsend Yacht Club (about 100 member families) has FOUR Lord Nelson Victory Tugs. IIRC they only built around 40 of them? So having 10% in our yacht club is pretty cool. And yes, they are very cool looking boats!
 
They're certainly fine looking vessels. I was quite interested in them for a while. There's one in my marina - I think it may be a 41' version though not sure.

I'm surprised Marin hasn't commented on the fact they're not Tugs. :hide:

Richard
 
You can pull or push another vessel or a barge with a Victory Tug. So if you do that, it's a tug.

There were 75 36'-11" VTs made, 3 40'-11" VTs made and 8 48'-10" VTs made.

Lord Nelson Yachts was based in Seattle, which explains why a good number of the boats live in these waters. First delivery was in 1983 and the last in 1997.
 
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Marin said:
You can pull or push another vessel or a barge with a Victory Tug. So if you do that, it's a tug.

There were 75 36'-11" VTs made, 3 40'-11" VTs made and 8 48'-10" VTs made.

Lord Nelson Yachts was based in Seattle, which explains why a good number of the boats live in these waters. First delivery was in 1983 and the last in 1997.
Click to expand...

Perhaps we should rename this the "Tugforum" - since all of our boats apparently qualify as Tugs. And there I was thinking that Nordic Tugs, American Tugs and all the other were calling them tugs because they were styled to look like one.

Yes - there weren't many 41s made, but there were a few

Richard
Stillwater
Kadey-Krogen 54' Tug
 
They are shallow fwd and w that swooped up high bow I'll bet they are kinda windage prone. A bit like a canoe w high ends and little draft. Looking at the VT on the water one would expect a much deeper hull. But they are probably quite efficient ...... unlike tugs.
 
manyboats said:
They are shallow fwd and w that swooped up high bow I'll bet they are kinda windage prone. A bit like a canoe w high ends and little draft. Looking at the VT on the water one would expect a much deeper hull. But they are probably quite efficient ...... unlike tugs.
Click to expand...

From wikipedia
Jim's inspiration for the yacht's dramatic sheer lines came from New York City's Moran Tugs of the 1950’s and 1960’s. He specifically incorporated the superstructure and raised bow which give the appearance of a working tugboat. Below the waterline, the full-displacement hull has elements of a Maine lobster boat shape with a full-length ballasted keel extending under a single propeller.
​
Richard
 
Thank you Richard,
Yes I hate that swoopy fwd sheer, deck and roof lines. But they are cute and cute sells. Rec trawlers made to look like fishing trawlers usually flop from a utility standpoint too. I'd prefer a Pilgrim.
 
Britannia said:
And there I was thinking that Nordic Tugs, American Tugs and all the other were calling them tugs because they were styled to look like one.
Click to expand...

Well, duh. Even my dog knows that and he's not particularly good at coming up with marketing schemes.:)
 
Marin said:
Well, duh. Even my dog knows that and he's not particularly good at coming up with marketing schemes.:)
Click to expand...

Excellent. Perhaps your dog could explain why the term "tug" is ok when it's clearly a marketing term and not a representation of the boat's intended use, while "trawler" is not acceptable as a marketing term. Clearly a buyer who purchases either of these vessels under the misapprehension that it was built for the named purpose is going to be disappointed in either case.

Where's the distinction?

Richard
 
You know, theres a wonderful quote by someone a lot more adept with the language than than I am which goes something like this: "It's pointless to argue with a fool because he'll drag you down to his level and then beat you with experience."

i'm not interested in debating words that people should have learned how to use properly in grade school. As the idiotic and interminable discussion on the word "trawler" showed, it is indeed pointless. It also demostrated the tremendous power marketing and branding can hold over people, which is extremely beneficial to me as it's how I earn my living.

Ironically, the "recreational tug" manufacturers don't market their vessels as tugs despite their looking like one. They market them as "trawlers." In the case of Nordic Tug they market them as "fast trawlers," which, if one buys into Eric Henning's definition of "recreational trawler," is an oxymoron like "military intelligence.":)
 
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Marin, you have a typo in the above post. I'll give you a hint; it's punctuation.
 
Marin said:
You know, theres a wonderful quote by someone a lot more adept with the language than than I am which goes something like this: "It's pointless to argue with a fool because he'll drag you down to his level and then beat you with experience."

...
Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice. I'll back off now before being dragged down any further.

Richard
 
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