.....says the guy (then yard manager for a highly respected yard - Zimmerman Marine) who went from Chesapeake Bay to Bermuda aboard a Willard 30
Steve D's theme is 100% correct - there are builders who happen to build boats; and then there are true boat builders. Amel, the French builder of world-capable sailboats, is perhaps the best example of the latter. I am sad to admit that Willard is an example of the former (for years, their core business was not government contracts - mostly for RIBs by the way - but building fiberglass wind-deflectors that sit atop the cabs of OTR trucks).
PAE/Nordhavn do an amazing job of building world-cruising capable boats. I remember when they were preparing for the N40 round-the-world stunt. They ran the boat up to Seattle - over 1000 nms of challenging waters - a couple times tweaking the fuel system (day-tank) and prop combination. Now, PAE has a large, devoted owners group that provides feedback, but back-in-the-day, they did the hard work themselves. Not infallible by any means, but a leader in the industry for practical experience in small offshore capable boats. It explains why the N40 proliferated at the same time the W40 (and Willard) exited the industry.
The above said, I do take issue with general theme of Nordhavn marketing - it promotes idea that you can obliterate risk by writing a check. True to some extent, but ignores reality that with redundancy comes complexity. Few are prepared for the complexity part, myself included. Which is why I agree that a 40-foot sailboat is often a more fit-for-purpose ocean-crossing platform (though there's no reason it can't have the same complex systems, and these days, often does). Part of the reason Nordhavn owners are so cliquish is they all need the same [relatively] exotic stuff repaired so they congregate near well-known yachting centers with extensive service providers to repair/replace/upgrade the cool gear they can't live without. Nothing against them - just an observation. Birds of a feather I suppose. But when everything is working, very very comfortable boat.
Peter
Ha, as I was composing my response I intended to include the Willard journey as an exception of sorts (I wasn't worried about that hull either, but our conditions were pretty benign), but got distracted part way through and then forgot. The Willard in which we made that passage, "Willie", was far from an original equipment, under my supervision (I had a vested interest) she was heavily modified for the passage, among other things including redesigning the exhaust system, which failed to meet even Yanmar's specifications, had it been left as original I'm certain water would have traveled back into the engine, along with custom-built flopper stoppers. Indeed, Willard had its issues, and as a dealer, custom builder and refit yard we tried to guide them toward a better product.
My distinction between the two types of builders you note, by the way, is "boat builders" vs. "manufacturers". As it happens, I'm lecturing at the International Boat Builders' Convention in Tampa today, on the subject of properly preparing vessel systems for offshore passage making.
I have many clients who buy Nordhavns who are relative cruising neophytes. Most are committed to learning and seek, and obtain training from professional captains, and equipment manufacturers like ABT and Northern Lights, making a concerted effort to learn how to safely and competently operate these vessels. One of the advantages they enjoy is exactly that owners' clique, as it offers considerable support to newbies, and the Nordhavn Owners' Group forum, which is a substantial repository of Nordhavn experience and knowledge open only to owners (it's fully independent of Nordhavn). Also, the similarity of systems design and construction between these vessels, even different models, is considerable, making service and support easier to provide, among professionals and fellow owners alike.
Learning how to operate the vessel properly is actually the easy part. The real challenge is, as you note, in mastering the complexity of the systems and preventing, troubleshooting, and repairing failures. Most Nordhavn systems are logical and extremely well-documented with owners' manuals and schematics, but complex none the less. I chuckle when I hear buyers, or even Nordhavn themselves, say "We want to keep it simple". There's really no such thing on vessels like this, with all having water makers, HVAC, cranes, thrusters, stabilizers etc. but there is complexity, and complexity done right. For more on this see https://stevedmarineconsulting.com/the-trend-toward-complexity-2/ To be clear, while many can and do do it, everyone or anyone can't do this successfully.
For a 60-something year old new owner couple who are not lifelong gearheads, this can be daunting and it can take much of the enjoyment out of cruising. Again, it can be done, and it has been done, but that part, learning the skills necessary to maintain the vessel and its myriad systems, should not be underestimated. For the most part all trawlers fall into this complexity category, but clearly some do it better than others.
I must confess, I don't look at Nordhavn ads like a buyer might, so I haven't noticed the "Anyone can do this with a check" theme. Again, while many can and have done it, most can't and don't.