NORD STAR 40

BUILT: 2014 PRICE: £364,950

Sometimes it’s hard to pigeonhole boats to a specific category and the Nord Star 40 is a case in point.

At first glance it looks like a walk-around wheelhouse cruiser like a Botnia or a Sargo (both built in Finland, as this boat is). But the crucial difference, and the reason for its inclusion in this feature, is that the Nord Star incorporates a proper flybridge deck as an option.

INTERIOR

The interior of the boat is typically Scandinavian – extremely practical but saved from being utilitarian by a high standard of finish. The two side doors are augmented by another sliding door in the rear bulkhead, improving both access

and ventilation. Helm and navigator get individual and very comfortable-looking seats to port and starboard, and there’s a decent saloon area behind them as well as a galley aft. Drop down to the lower deck forward and you’ll find a double berth in the forward cabin and there’s a heads down here as well. Less obvious is the discovery that further aft is a separate access behind the dinette which leads down to another cabin with a double berth and its own heads.

EXTERIOR

The outside of the boat is pure walk-around at deck level.

Wide, safe, well bulwarked and teak-laid walkways either side of the wheelhouse take you forward to the foredeck or aft to the cockpit.

But what is unusual are the steps leading up to a surprisingly large flybridge situated over the wheelhouse. Until fairly recently Nord Star was the only manufacturer offering this on a walk-around style 40 footer.

PERFORMANCE A pair of Volvo Penta D6-370 diesels sit beneath the aft deck. They transmit their combined 740hp through a pair of duo prop outdrives which push the boat close to 40 knots, making a fast 30-knot cruise possible.

SEAKEEPING Those outdrives don’t just offer a relatively slippery low drag, high-speed solution, they also give fast and direct handling as direction changes are via vectored propeller thrust rather than the more passive water deflection of rudders. And it’s Finnish, so expect a sturdily built but soft riding hull that’s more than capable of taking on choppy seas.

LOA 42ft 7in (13.0m) BEAM 12ft 8in (3.8m)

DRAUGHT 3ft 3in (1.0m) DISPLACEMENT 10 tonnes

FUEL CAPACITY 860 litres ENGINES Twin Volvo Penta D6-370 370hp diesels FOR SALE Approved Boats; www.approvedboats.com

Busy wheelhouse design has sliding aft doors to the cockpit and side doors to the decks Two sets of steps lead down to the owner’s cabin forward and the guest cabin aft