Pacific Asian Enterprises stopped building its Mason-designed sailing boats some years back to focus on its line of trawlers. With the Nordhavn 56 Motorsailer, it’s taking another look at sail, but as a way to add range and versatility to an otherwise thoroughly trawlerlike vessel. The extra drive from even a modest sail area, coupled with the flexibility of a Hundested controllable-pitch propeller, will stretch the fuel efficiency significantly while also steadying the boat’s motion in a seaway.
Embracing both worlds, the 56 Motorsailer has a sailing cockpit, complete with helm station and controls for the power winches and roller-furling sails, forward of a trawler-style combination saloon and wheelhouse and a trawler-style aft deck.
The engine room is forward of amidships, which permits a full width stateroom aft, under the wheelhouse where the motion is least. Here as elsewhere, details may be customized.
