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Sea Trial

By N e i l Ra B i N ow i tz

Cape Flattery—a defiant, storm-lashed knuckle of the continent—faced gale after gale as the Pacific pounded the coast in late

October, sending boaters running for cover. Most Pacific Northwest cruisers had long since reached Mexico or were tucked in dockside, pondering spring-time cruises on the Inside Passage. The crew of the newly launched Northwest 45 Norwester, however, cast off their lines for the journey south, toward Baja, to participate in the FUBAR Odyssey. (See March/April ’08, page 36.)

Built by American Expedition Yachts in Washington State, this composite pilothouse trawler was right out of the box when it faced a nasty, coldwater, 2,200-mile run down the coast. “We waited for a weather window but realized we had to take the plunge with any gap in the fronts,” explains Peter Whiting, founder and visionary of the Northwest line and the man who ran the boat out

the Strait of Juan De Fuca, straddling the Canadian border.

Ahead, 10- to 20-foot North Pacific swells curled around Cape Flattery as Norwester turned into steep head seas that obliterated the horizon with each pass. Under a full moon, the vessel quickly proved that it was born for this sort of roughneck coastal passagemaking.

The semi-displacement, hard-chined hull, fitted with an unusual articulating rudder and an oversized propeller, gave the 45-footer the performance profile it needed, while a broad, full-length, shallow keel and active stabilizers made it a rock-steady cruiser. Measuring 24" wide in places, the keel was designed to allow the single engine and transmission to be placed lower in the boat, producing a lower center of gravity (thereby enhancing stability) and a lower shaft angle for better propulsive efficiency.

A 405-hp, electronically controlled Cummins gives the vessel a top speed of 13 knots and enough gumption to dig

itself out of any trough, run Pacific Northwest tidal rapids, or slip along at a gentle 8 knots, a speed that provides a cruising range of some 1,500 miles.

The aforementioned prop is protected by a beefy skeg that offers more adven-turous cruisers another level of protec-tion from deadheads and groundings. At the same time, the hull, which is completely cored for stiffness and insu-lation, features a bow section with a Kevlar skin for extra impact resistance.

As Norwester cruised south at 9 knots under autopilot, though big seas and gusty crosswinds, the articulating rudder proved its worth. Featuring an extension that looks and functions like the flaps on the wings of an airplane, the rudder never

moved more than four degrees, even in large following seas. “It was as though the boat was on rails,” remarks Whiting.

“[Using the extension] is the equiva-lent of turning a conventional rudder harder over, so the autopilot works less and the boat needs less correction,” explains designer Stuart Archer. “The articulating rudder, which has been around for a long while, not only is more responsive with less helm, but it also offers greater maneuverability at slow speeds. In fact, it

can sometimes take the place of a stern thruster, and the helmsman no longer has to use the throttle to put some prop wash on the rudder in order for it to react.”

In the BeginningThe concept for the Northwest 45 first took shape when Peter and his wife, Jan, were anchored in a remote cove off Desolation Sound and 9-11 happened. “We sat there in our solitude, not really knowing what was going on, and we

decided that on our return, if the world was still intact, we would develop a new line of a relatively self-sufficient, envi-ronmentally sensitive, raised-pilothouse cruising boats for couples to explore the quiet, hidden outposts of the coast.”

For a few years, Whiting oversaw the design and importation of the Integrity line of trawlers (36 to 49 feet), which were built on Mainland China. But, in 2005, having grown weary of travel, warranty issues and customs paperwork, he shifted gears completely, turning to designer Stuart Archer of American Expedition Yachts (AEY) in Anacortes.

Labor costs are, of course, higher in America than in China, but the price of the Northwest 45 isn’t impacted by over-seas shipping charges or dealer markups (the boat is sold direct). Further, its construction reflects some extraordinary efficiencies. Plugs for the molds required to produce all the boat’s components (including the hull) were carved by a

The Northwest 45 looks far larger—both inside and out—than its length would in-dicate. Designed and built in the U.S.A., the vessel was developed specifically to make a couple self-sufficient while they’re exploring remote coastlines.

SPECIFICATIONS

LOA: 45' 4"

Beam: 15' 10"

Draft: 4' 3"

Displacement (half load): 40,000 lbs.

Power (base): Single 405-hp Cummins

Fuel: 640 gals.

Price (base): $949,000

Information: 866-370-5560

www.nwtrawlers.com

Northwest 45

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76 R e p R i n t e d f R o m m ay / j u n e 2 0 0 8

Sea Trialcomputerized five-axis router that achieved tolerances measured in the hundredths of an inch. So, molded parts fit together quickly and accurately.

While the fiberglass in most trawlers is still laid up with a very “wet” 30/70 glass-to-resin ratio, the vacuum-infusion process used by American Expedition Yachts produces a 70/30 ratio, resulting in a lighter, stronger boat. Corecell foam coring is used throughout, except for the internal bulkheads and floors, which are cored with end-grain balsa. Displacement is a modest 40,000 pounds at half load, an admirable figure for a boat this big.

The deck plans developed by Archer and Whiting include a set-back flying bridge rather than one stacked atop the wheelhouse. The result is an appealing lower profile and a spacious social area topside. The wheelhouse itself has a forward-raking “windshield” to increase interior volume, reduce solar heating, cut glare, and shed spray better.

The entire interior of the vessel is finished in warm Makore, a plantation-grown cherry from Africa. “We have made every attempt to utilize envi-ronmentally friendly materials,” notes Jan, who is vice president of Northwest Yachts and oversees interior design. The optional, thoroughly sealed cork-parquet flooring (again, the wood is plantation grown) both feels soft underfoot and reduces sound, while the wall coverings

are comprised of naturally woven rattan fibers and grass cloth.

The 45-footer’s asymmetrical layout provides a walk-around deck to starboard, while the saloon and its galley extend almost to the port rail. The interior features stylish detailing at every turn, including an optional wall sculp-ture of fused-glass tiles that serves as the galley backsplash.

The island-queen master state-room, located forward, is served

by a separate head and shower, as is the guest stateroom and its oversized upper and lower twin berths. The boat is ideal for four people and, in a pinch, a sleeper sofa in the saloon could accommodate two more. By that time, however, the planned Northwest 55 might make more sense.

Thanks in large part to the lifelong cruising experience of both Peter Whiting and Stuart Archer, the Northwest 45 has emerged as one of the best-built, most nimble-footed coastal and middle-distance trawlers on the market.

Because it extends to the boat’s port rail, the galley is unusually spacious.

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