Swift Trawler vs. Tugs

Looking at ST 44 (or maybe 41, but these are new only and not sure I want to spend an extra 200k..) vs. Nordic Tug 39 (though currently can't find anything used right now). Would consider 37 -42.

Coastal cruising useage. Will mostly go displacement speeds, but want the option to go faster so I don't want only a displacement boat.

Anyone here with lots of experience with either or has also done this comparison and can let on what they have found out? Build quality, Reliability, single vs. dual engines, etc. etc. I am coming from 55 years of sailing, have not really been cruising on power boats.

FYI A Nordic tug 39 is identical to a Nordic tug 37. Only the name is different. And of course they are newer.

I think the Benny is an ok boat. A fellow here brought his up and down the California coast which I though was pretty impressive.
But I think the NT is a better boat starting from the engine up. I actively avoid being interested in Volvo powered boats.

Over the years, like many builders Nordic Tugs has renumbered some of their models with very little change to the boat. The NT 37, 39, and 40 are basically the same boat with each higher number being a newer boat and costing more (usually) due to being newer. The 42 is a different, larger model. Some of the newer NTs have Volvo engines and most of the older ones have Cummins. Like Bligh, I steer clear of Volvo, as I have had a bad personal experience with one.
NT has a very good reputation for building a quality boat and as such they tend to hold their value (to a point) over time. I can’t speak to Swift, as I have no experience with them.
I can say, that buying new is expensive! Adding all the so called “extras” and commissioning a boat can really add up, plus you take the largest depreciation hit as the first owner. Also, new boats can and often do experience problems, and ease of repair is very dealer dependent (some good, some not so). Good luck with your boating decisions.

bligh said:

FYI A Nordic tug 37 is identical to a Nordic tug 37. Only the name is different. And of course they are newer.

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Huh?

John R M said:

Huh?

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Sorry . A nt37 and nt39 are identical. Oops!

firehoser75 said:

Some of the newer NTs have Volvo engines and most of the older ones have Cummins. Like Bligh, I steer clear of Volvo, as I have had a bad personal experience with one.

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I don't question your bad personal experience with Volvo. That said, much of the current marine lineup is a near-direct copy of their on-highway engines that are used in Volvo and Mack trucks. They're doing a great job of finding fuel economy for trucks at quite low RPM ranges, and they're doing a lot with integrated powertrain control as well. The one major deviation I see is the addition of a clutched supercharger in the marine versions to "eliminate" turbo lag (replace it with blown air until the turbo can catch up).


Crystal ball: Volvo will be one of the first to take Formula 1 hybrid technology and incorporate it into their marine engines. Namely, the "MGU-H" or electric motor/generator on the turbo will allow them to eliminate the wastegate (engage the generator to bleed off excess turbo speed) and the supercharger (engage the motor to spin the turbo up near-instantaneously). That's my guess and I'm sticking to it.

The problems i hear are the supply chain for parts and factory support. I run a fleet of equipment running cat, cummins some kabotas and john deer engines.Any part available next day. Guys tell me volvo takes weeks.

bligh said:

Sorry . A nt37 and nt39 are identical. Oops!

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Yeah, figured that so edited the post for you to read correctly. No worries - part of the service...

magna 6882 said:

The problems i hear are the supply chain for parts and factory support. I run a fleet of equipment running cat, cummins some kabotas and john deer engines.Any part available next day. Guys tell me volvo takes weeks.

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Agreed. The complaints I hear are always about parts cost or availability. The engines themselves are rarely the reason for the Volvo complaints.

I'm with you guys on Volvo. My brother has a pair in his Ocean and they have been a nightmare. Yanmar parts and service are not cheap but when we compare notes the Volvos run like 25 to 30% more for parts and since only a few people in his area work on them, the labor cost is through the roof. I bet he spends twice as much on maintenance each year as I do. And they have been considerably less reliable than my Yanmars.



I also like the Swifts, I like them a lot, but the Volvos are a no go for me. It's a shame, because quite a few good boats use them these days.

jbinbi said:

Looking at ST 44 (or maybe 41, but these are new only and not sure I want to spend an extra 200k..) vs. Nordic Tug 39 (though currently can't find anything used right now). Would consider 37 -42.

Coastal cruising useage. Will mostly go displacement speeds, but want the option to go faster so I don't want only a displacement boat.

Anyone here with lots of experience with either or has also done this comparison and can let on what they have found out? Build quality, Reliability, single vs. dual engines, etc. etc. I am coming from 55 years of sailing, have not really been cruising on power boats.

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We have had a Beneteau 44 Swift Trawler for that last 3 years, gone through the Bahamas to Turks and Caicos then up to Canadian border and back to Florida. Wonderful cruising experience and very reliable boat, engines, and systems. Twin 300hp Volvos, 20 gal/hr at 16 knots but sipping fuel at 10 knots. Currently for sale at St. Barts Yachts Charleston. We are moving on to our next phase. Beneteau makes a superior product

bligh said:

Sorry . A nt37 and nt39 are identical. Oops!

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Typically, with newer boats the larger size is due to a fiberglass swim platform that is an extension of the hull.

dway said:

We have had a Beneteau 44 Swift Trawler for that last 3 years, gone through the Bahamas to Turks and Caicos then up to Canadian border and back to Florida. Wonderful cruising experience and very reliable boat, engines, and systems. Twin 300hp Volvos, 20 gal/hr at 16 knots but sipping fuel at 10 knots. Currently for sale at St. Barts Yachts Charleston. We are moving on to our next phase. Beneteau makes a superior product

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Thanks for this. How is the rocking / rolling motion both underway and at anchor/mooring.

Nordic Tugs are excellent. You might also consider American Tug 39.

jbinbi said:

Thanks for this. How is the rocking / rolling motion both underway and at anchor/mooring.

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not any different from on any boat, all depends upon speed, wind direction, seas, currents.
was the best boat I ever had
we would live on it for up to 4 months at a time

To me Beneteau is the Bayliner of our era. There's nothing wrong with them but definitely mass produced. I don't know this for a fact, but I strongly suspect that 20-30 years down the road the Nordic and American tugs will hold up better. I know that for sailboats Beneteau is more a Catalina than an Island Packet so I imagine their powerboats are the same.

Slowmo said:

To me Beneteau is the Bayliner of our era. There's nothing wrong with them but definitely mass produced. I don't know this for a fact, but I strongly suspect that 20-30 years down the road the Nordic and American tugs will hold up better. I know that for sailboats Beneteau is more a Catalina than an Island Packet so I imagine their powerboats are the same.

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Actually, Catalinas appear to be built to a higher overall standard than recent Beneteau’s. In both motor and sail, Beneteau and it’s offspring use lower-common-denominator components than most other builders.

We all know that most of the “stuff” on our boats was built by companies other than the boat manufacturer. So, the quality of those items is pretty important. If you compare recently built models from Beneteau to other makes on a component by component basis, the difference is stark. From through hulls to cabinets, and everything in between. However, this is why they cost less and that’s fine.

I’m not saying there is anything wrong with this approach. It’s just different. Most Beneteau owners I know love their boats, and at the end of the day, that’s all that really matters.

we were gonna buy a ST but went w a 43 velasco, the jeanneau version. Was a great boat, we loved it. We purchased it new in 16' and just sold it. No complaints. You can cruise all day at 8-10 or go 16-25 when needed. We wanted more fuel, water, and tank capacity.

We had always thought Nordic was the boat and had been thinking and tire kicking for 5 or 6 years.We went to the factory during the covid and it looked ok but i was surprised the production was looking slow. Also went to the american tug factory and came away with the same feeling.Built well but i had the impression from tooling and equipment they were running on a little short on cash. My wife made a comment that my wood shop at home was larger and had more sophisticated equipment then they were using .We ultimately went with north pacific. It just seemed built with top end equipment and a decent price point. No questions ask customer support.
The only thing i didnt factor in was 40k in commissioning and toys.

magna 6882 said:

We had always thought Nordic was the boat and had been thinking and tire kicking for 5 or 6 years.We went to the factory during the covid and it looked ok but i was surprised the production was looking slow. Also went to the american tug factory and came away with the same feeling.Built well but i had the impression from tooling and equipment they were running on a little short on cash. My wife made a comment that my wood shop at home was larger and had more sophisticated equipment then they were using .We ultimately went with north pacific. It just seemed built with top end equipment and a decent price point. No questions ask customer support.
The only thing i didnt factor in was 40k in commissioning and toys.

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Did you go to the North Pacific factory as well? What were your impressions of that facility?

North pacific is built off shore so with travel restrictions we were unable to facility. I did see a lot of photos of the factory and they make other boats as well for other manufactures. Nordic and American are only a couple hours from the house so very easy. Please do not get me wrong in thinking they don't built fine boats. I really like the build quality of both companys but nordic also had more hulls they were manufacturing for another brand then there own and i was left with the feeling both shops had limited capacity on how many boats they could produce. It just sorta felt like they were both struggling. Note i said felt not fact. My ask me what would we do if we put monies down and they had to stop production. I didnt have a good answer but she did ask the question. I think i may have been willing to buy either if they had something closer to done.