Review of Nord 80

Deck plan of Nord 80.

The hull is made of fibreglass. Generally, a hull made of fibreglass requires only a minimum of maintenance during the sailing season. And outside the sailing season, just bottom cleaning and perhaps anti-fouling painting once a year - a few hours of work, that's all.

The interior is like most other boats made of teak. Teak has the advantage of being naturally very oily and therefore water-repellent, which is suitable on boats.
The boat is equipped with 2 cabins, 4 berths, a galley, 65.0 liter fresh water capacity, toilet facility and 20.0 liter waste water capacity.

Note: the boat has also been sold to be self-made/-interiored, which means that the quality of each boat may vary.

Nord 80 has more than one rig.

One option is a masthead rig. The advantage of a masthead rig is its simplicity and the fact that a given sail area - compared with a fractional rig - can be carried lower and thus with less heeling moment.

Keel of Nord 80 anno 1978.

The Nord 80 has been built with different keel alternatives.

Fin keel

One option is a fin keel. The fin keel is the most common keel and provides splendid manoeuvrability. The downside is that it has less directional stability than a long keel.

The keel is made of lead. Compared with iron, lead has the advantage of being 44% heavier, which allows a smaller keel and hence less water resistance and higher speed.

The boat can enter even shallow marinas as the draft is just about 1.35 - 1.45 meter (4.43 - 4.73 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.

Fin keel

Another option is a fin keel. A boat with a fin keel is more manoeuvrable but has less directional stability than a similar boat with a full keel.

The keel is made of iron. Many people prefer lead keel in favour of iron. The main argument is that lead is much heavier than iron and a lead keel can therefore be made smaller which again result in less wet surface, i.e. less drag. In fact iron is quite heavy, just 30% less heavy than lead, so the advantage of a lead keel is often overstated. As the surface of a fin type keel is just a fraction of the total wet surface, the difference between an iron keel and a lead keel can in reality be ignored for cruising yachts.

The boat can enter even shallow marinas as the draft is just about 1.35 - 1.45 meter (4.43 - 4.73 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.

The Nord 80 has been equipped with different engine alternatives.

Alternative 1:

Nord 80 may be equipped with an inboard Volvo Penta MD7B diesel engine at 17 hp (12 kW). Calculated max speed is about 6.2 knots

The transmission is a saildrive.

Note: From 1982.

Alternative 2:

The boat may be equipped with an inboard Volvo Penta MD7A diesel engine at 13 hp (9 kW). Calculated max speed is about 5.5 knots

The transmission is a saildrive.

Note: From 1977.

Alternative 3:

The boat may be equipped with an inboard Volvo Penta MD6A diesel engine at 10 hp (7 kW). Calculated max speed is about 4.8 knots

The transmission is a saildrive.

The fuel tank has a capacity of 42.0 liters (11 US gallons, 9 imperial gallons).

What is Capsize Screening Formula (CSF)?

The capsize screening value for Nord 80 is 2.12, indicating that this boat would not be accepted to participate in ocean races.

What is Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed?

The theoretical maximal speed of a displacement boat of this length is 6.3 knots. The term "Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed" is widely used even though a boat can sail faster. The term shall be interpreted as above the theoretical speed a great additional power is necessary for a small gain in speed.

The immersion rate is defined as the weight required to sink the boat a certain level. The immersion rate for Nord 80 is about 126 kg/cm, alternatively 708 lbs/inch.
Meaning: if you load 126 kg cargo on the boat then it will sink 1 cm. Alternatively, if you load 708 lbs cargo on the boat it will sink 1 inch.

What is Motion Comfort Ratio (MCR)?

The Motion Comfort Ratio for Nord 80 is 18.0.

What is L/B (Length Beam Ratio)?

The l/b ratio for Nord 80 is 2.83.

What is a Ballast Ratio?

The ballast ratio for Nord 80 is 42%.

What is Displacement Length Ratio?

The DL-ratio for Nord 80 is 222 which categorizes this boat among 'light crusers & offshore racers'.

What is SA/D (Sail Area Displacement ratio)?

The SA/D for Nord 80 with ISO 8666 reference sail is 14.9, with a 135% genua the SA/D is 17.9.

What is Relative Speed Performance?

The Relative Speed Performance for Nord 80 is 46

When buying anti-fouling bottom paint, it's nice to know how much to buy. The surface of the wet bottom is about 21m² (226 ft²).
Based on this, your favourite maritime shop can tell you the quantity you need.

Note: If you use a paint roller you will need more paint than if you use a paintbrush.

Dimensions of sail for masthead rig.

Are your sails worn out? You might find your next sail here: Sails for Sale

If you need to renew parts of your running rig and is not quite sure of the dimensions, you may find the estimates computed below useful.

This section is reserved boat owner's modifications, improvements, etc. Here you might find (or contribute with) inspiration for your boat.

Do you have changes/improvements you would like to share? Upload a photo and describe what you have done.

We are always looking for new photos. If you can contribute with photos for Nord 80 it would be a great help.

If you have any comments to the review, improvement suggestions, or the like, feel free to contact us. Criticism helps us to improve.