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Review of Norseman 400


Basic specs.

sail specifications
The Norseman 400 is a large sailboat designed in the late eighties.

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Hull
The hull is made of fibreglass. Generally, a hull made of fibreglass requires only a minimum of maintenance during the sailing season.

Keel

The Norseman 400 is equipped with 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 boat can enter most marinas as the draft is just about 1.62 - 1.72 meter (5.31 - 5.61 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.


Engine

The boat is typically equipped with an inboard Westerbeke diesel engine at 46.0 hp (34 kW).


Sailing characteristics

This section covers widely used rules of thumb to describe the sailing characteristics. Please note that even though the calculations are correct, the interpretation of the results might not be valid for extreme boats.

Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed

What is Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed?

The theoretical maximal speed of a displacement boat of this length is 8.0 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.


Immersion rate

The immersion rate is defined as the weight required to sink the boat a certain level. The immersion rate for Norseman 400 is about 296 kg/cm, alternatively 1657 lbs/inch.
Meaning: if you load 296 kg cargo on the boat then it will sink 1 cm. Alternatively, if you load 1657 lbs cargo on the boat it will sink 1 inch.


Sailing statistics

This section is statistical comparison with similar boats of the same category. The basis of the following statistical computations is our unique database with more than 26,000 different boat types and 350,000 data points.

L/B (Length Beam Ratio)

What is L/B (Length Beam Ratio)?

The l/b ratio for Norseman 400 is 3.01.

Slim Wide 79% 0 50 100
Compared with other similar sailboats it is more spacy than 79% of all other designs. It seems that the designer has chosen a significantly more spacy hull design.


Ballast Ratio

What is a Ballast Ratio?

The ballast ratio for Norseman 400 is 40%.

Low High 54% 0 50 100
This ballast ratio shows a righting moment that is higher than 54% of all similar sailboat designs. A righting moment (ability to resist heeling) just above average.


Over- / underrigged

Low High 79% 0 50 100
The Norseman 400 has more rig than 79% of all similar sailboats, which indicates that the boat is significantly overrigged.


Maintenance

Bottom Paint

When buying anti-fouling bottom paint, it's nice to know how much to buy. The surface of the wet bottom is about 46m2 (495 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.


Rig

Dimensions of sail.

mainsail specifications headsail specifications

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.



Guiding dimensions of running rig
UsageLengthDiameter
Mainsail halyard 36.5 m(119.8 feet)12 mm(1/2 inch)
Jib/genoa halyard36.5 m(119.8 feet)12 mm(1/2 inch)
Spinnaker halyard36.5 m(119.8 feet)12 mm(1/2 inch)
Jib sheet 12.2 m(40.0 feet)14 mm(0.55 inch)
Genoa sheet12.2 m(40.0 feet)14 mm(0.55 inch)
Mainsheet 30.5 m(100.0 feet)14 mm(0.55 inch)
Spinnaker sheet26.8 m(88.0 feet)14 mm(0.55 inch)
Cunningham4.3 m(14.0 feet)12 mm(1/2 inch)
Kickingstrap8.5 m(28.0 feet)12 mm(1/2 inch)
Clew-outhaul8.5 m(28.0 feet)12 mm(1/2 inch)

Boat owner's ideas

This section shown boat owner's changes, improvements, etc. Here you might find inspiration for your boat.

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



Finally

We are always looking for new photos. If you can contribute with photos for Norseman 400 (Grant) 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.



References