Netto, the current Nordlund 115, was styled by Jonathan Quinn Barnett and is the latest yachtfisher look for the yard, with transoceanic range, and large bait wells and a typical Nordlund hi-tech crow’s nest to facilitate fish spotting.
The Nordlund brothers, Gary and Paul, have carried on the Northwest boatbuilding tradition their father started 60 years ago. The brothers are shown here aboard a 115ft yachtfisher, Netto.
The 106ft Rushmore features a near-expedition profile. Having built more than a hundred boats, most with a simple handshake agreement, the Nordlunds limit themselves to working for clients on projects they know will produce positive results. More than any other boat building company, the Nordlunds have produced a fleet of repeat customers who, following a boat build, stay in personal touch for years with Paul and Gary.
The Nordlund 111, Illusion, is rakish and offers a smooth composite form. “Northwest yards got a jump on the industry decades ago because they dealt with owners who ran their own boats,” says Jack Sarin, a naval architect responsible for innovations in big boat fibreglass techniques. “Their appreciation for boat handling was inspired by Northwest cruising grounds and the less formal builder/designer/owner relationship allowed an interaction between us and educated owners in a way that propelled design and construction… as did the cooperation among yards pioneering the composite industry in the 1980’s.”
Victorius was built for auto-racer and component manufacturer Vic Edelbrock who was passionate about the engineering of his second Nordlund Yacht. At 115 feet it was nearly 20 feet longer than his first and provided a longer range, greater speed and more diverse sport fishing abilities.
The engine room on Victorius, with MTU 2000s, is a showcase of the owners meticulous finesse. Red gloss and polished stainless and chrome decorated these power plants which have the muscle to tow their sport fishing tender through just about any conditions.
The Victorius galley is pure retro with black-and-white tiled deck, red leather upholstery, brushed stainless appliance garage and a built-in model train set beneath the panoramic windows just for kicks.
“We take all our projects personally,” says Gary Nordlund. The 78ft Shanakee was built for a southern Californian aficionado of both power and sail who owned some of the sleekest custom racing sailboats around, a small fleet of top-end production boutique power boats, and now his custom Nordlund designed to host the family for Pacific passages from Mexico up the inland passages to Alaska.
Southern Way worked well because, according to designer Ed Monk, Jr., he "...didn’t try to squeeze two quarts into a one quart jar.” As a result this boat is spacious at every turn with a plan to attack the fishing grounds between San Diego and Panama; the boat had the speed to spend days independently fishing remote offshore spots.
El Vato is another “Yachtfisher” of sorts with a quick 27-knot top speed achieved in part due to a sophisticated composite laminate schedule of Airex core, vinylester resin and knitted E-glass, vacuuum-bagged for efficient use of materials and featuring strategically reinforced carbon and beefed-up stringers for stiffness.
Rushmore’s interior has broad spaces filled with daylight and classic hardwood cherry and teak joinery with a midship office, where the owner, a hi-tech entrepreneur, can enjoy working on hi-res monitors in the midst of the action.
In part due to a limited size Travelift basin, launchings at the Nordlund Boat Company are exciting for the builder. The watching crowds are equal parts festive, nerve-wracking, and filled with relief at the successful completion of another project.
A striking shade of Alexseal’s Dolphin Blue gives Netto an almost surreal glow in front of the dramatic Alaskan backdrop near Tracy Arm. Nordlund’s strength has always been in building a perfect match for the owner’s requirements with no two Nordlund boats ever being the same.
Netto has an enormous fishing cockpit with twin live bait tanks and is the shapely product of composite construction. The owners made way from Alaska to Panama in its very first season, fishing every inch of the coast with stops in San Diego, Mexico and Costa Rica along the way. The project is a collaboration between Ed Monk Jr., Tim Nolan Marine design, who completed most engineering tasks, and JQB, which styled much of the interior and exterior look.
This lofty mid-deck space aboard Netto is free for socialising and includes a hot tub and wrap-around settee, and is made available thanks to a common Nordlund yachtfishing feature, the crow’s nest, which perches above and includes complete controls.
