First, I have limited experience with trawlers and cats. I chartered an Aquila for a week last summer and we just chartered an American Tug 435 the middle of May in San Juan Islands. Both were enjoyable experiences. We plan to mostly cruise the eastern seaboard and Bahamas, maybe the loop. I recognize the Nordhavn is probably overkill for that type cruising, but I like overkill for the mission. Rightly or wrongly I translate that as more comfort and a more likely positive outcome. When I say Nordhavn, I really am speaking of the N41. We had engine issues on the AT 435 just as we were about to leave the dock in the middle of Friday Harbor. That suddenly made me reconsider twin vs. single. Of course the Aspen is a single screw full displacement cat with a 14 foot beam. While at anchor on the AT we sailed and sailed. My guess would be the Aspen cat would improve upon that, but then the question becomes, how frequently would we be at anchor? With my wife on board, probably not a lot. I guess my biggest question is about the build quality of an Aspen. I don’t know that answer and I am hoping for some feedback. .As I said, for me, Helmsman is a great choice and a great value, but I did like the Aspen. The Nordhavn with mechanical twins, large engine room, stabilizer, and built in Nordhavn quality and cache also has an appeal. I’m not sure those features outweigh the smaller helm, cockpit, and lack of flybridge for us though. My guess is all 3 would serve us well along the east coast and ICW. Helmsman and N41, I think I have a feel for, it’s Aspen I am most unfamiliar with. I’m interested in what others know and/or think.