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Nordhavn 50

Built 1996–2006

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About the Nordhavn 50

Researched from public sources for this model. Any individual boat may have been modified or repowered — confirm before relying on any figure.

Illustration of a Nordhavn 50
Illustration, not a photo of this model. AI-generated illustration of a typical full-displacement pilothouse trawler.
Built
1996–2006
Length
51.17 ft
Waterline
44.17 ft
Beam
16 ft
Draft
5.17 ft
Displacement
80,000 lb
Hull / keel
full displacement
Propulsion
inboard
Fuel
1,320 gal
Water
260 gal
Holding
50 gal
Water heater
11 gal · AC + engine · standard
Generator
standard
Steering
hydraulic · Hynautic
Tank capacities — where the figures come from
  • Fuel 1,320 gal
    “1,320 gals. / 4,997 L” — builder, nordhavn.com · “4 tanks totaling 1,350 gallons” — builder, nordhavn.com · “1,320 gallons (two example boats)” — broker listing, nordhavn50.com
    The builder's spec table says 1,320; its construction spec on the same page says four fiberglass tanks totalling 1,350. The 1,320 is shown.
  • Water 260 gal
    “260 gals. / 984 L” — builder, nordhavn.com · “3 tanks totaling 300 gallons” — builder, nordhavn.com · “260 gallons” — broker listing, nordhavn50.com · “350 gallons, (4) fiberglass tanks” — broker listing, nordhavn50.com
    The builder's spec table gives 260 and its construction spec three tanks totalling 300; one boat for sale had four tanks totalling 350, likely with one added.
  • Holding 50 gal
    “50 gallons, (1) fiberglass tank” — broker listing, nordhavn50.com · “120 gallons” — broker listing, nordhavn50.com · “Waste .... 50 gals.” — search excerpt, cdn.denisonyachtsales.com
    No holding figure was found on the builder's page or in Nordhavn's brokerage listing. A reprinted powerboat guide and one boat for sale say 50; another shows 120, likely enlarged or custom. Our earlier figure of 50 is kept.
  • Water heater 11 gal · AC + engine · standard (Seaward)
    “Water heater: Seaward S1100 (11 gallon) for 110 volt and heat exchanger operation” — builder, nordhavn.com
    Builder construction specification.

Tanks are often replaced or added on older boats — check the tank labels or a survey for yours.

Thrusters and steering — where this comes from
  • Bow thruster unknown
    The builder's specification for this retired model mentions no bow thruster, and no option list or review was found.
  • Stern thruster unknown
    No source mentions a stern thruster.
  • Steering hydraulic · Hynautic
    “Steering Systems 1. Hynautic hydraulic steering system 2. Hynautic slave cylinder” — builder, nordhavn.com
    Builder spec: Hynautic hydraulic with Hynautic cylinder, copper/reinforced rubber lines, 24 in stainless destroyer wheel, emergency tiller.

Thrusters and steering are often replaced — check the units on your boat before ordering parts.

Sources disagree on hp (Yanmar wing) — left blank rather than guessed.

Heavily built full-displacement pilothouse trawler with bulbous bow; standard or asymmetric widebody salon; two staterooms standard, three optional. Ballast about 6,600 lb. Single 300 hp Lugger cruises 7-8 knots; range over 2,500 nm; 40 hp Yanmar wing engine.

Engines fitted

Boats of the same model can differ — check which engines yours actually has before ordering parts.

Generator

standard

“AC Genset – Northern lights M843N 12KW with sound shield providing 120/240 volt current at 60HZ.” — builder, nordhavn.com

The builder's electrical specification lists the 12 kW Northern Lights, with its own 4D-size start battery, without marking it optional, though the fuel-manifold item mentions a supply for an optional generator, possibly a second set.

Generators are often replaced or added — check the unit's own plate before ordering parts.

Manuals and brochures online

Hosted by the builder or an owners' association; they own the copyright.

Known problems for this model

No well-sourced problem reports found yet.

Steering

Hynautic — K-series pressurized hydraulic steering (H-series helms, K-series cylinders) parts: obsolete

SeaStar bought Hynautic and kept making components and rebuild kits for years; after Dometic bought SeaStar, Hynautic pages and parts were removed from Dometic's site. Helms H-21 through H-52 and cylinders K-6 through K-31 are discontinued. Seatech Marine Products publishes SeaStar direct-replacement equivalents (e.g., H-50/H-52 replacement kits usable in the pressurized system with a non-vented fill plug) and offers rebuild services; independent hydraulic shops rebuild helms and cylinders for roughly $250–350 each. Kobelt/Accu-Steer also supply steering and power-assist equipment used on larger boats.

Parts sources: Seatech Marine Products (Hynautic alternatives & rebuilds), Kobelt (marine steering systems)

Common problems (3)
  • Helm pump shaft seal leaks steering
    The upper helm shaft seal deteriorates from sun, salt and dirt and weeps oil; raising system pressure is only a stopgap, and the helm must be removed and resealed.
    samsmarine.com · trawlerforum.com · youtube.com
  • Cylinder rod seal leaks steering
    Damaged wiper/rod seals let fluid out the end of K-6 type cylinders.
    facebook.com
  • Olive-type tubing fittings leak steering
    Some owners dislike Hynautic's olive compression fittings on plastic tubing because they are prone to leaks.
    trawlerforum.com
Model sources (5)

hmy.com · nordhavn.com · nordhavn50.com · jmys.com · nordhavnonly.com

Other Nordhavn models

Researched from public sources. Spotted an error? The sources are listed above — tell us what they got wrong.