The centre cockpit yacht Najad 451 CC was only launched this year. It is a complete redesign and further development of the Judel/Vrolijk design Najad 450 CC, which YACHT together with the Hallberg-Rassy 44 in a comparative double test.
Now the shipyard in Henån on the "boat builder's island" of Orust is building the same hull with a new deck and aft cockpit. The cockpit remains open to the rear and offers more space for two helm stations. In this version, the traveller for the mainsheet is no longer mounted at the back of the bridge deck, but in front of the fixed windscreen above the companionway. Everything else remains unchanged, including the hull appendages and the comparatively high two-reef rig with the short overlapping genoa as standard. The shipyard will offer a self-tacking jib as an option. The concept of the new 451 AC also includes the folding bathing platform.
In contrast to the CC version with the large master cabin aft, the AC version comes as a three-cabin version with two separate double cabins at the rear. There are also two toilet rooms. The owners sleep in the foredeck and can choose whether they want the boat with a triangular berth or a largely free-standing island bed (see layout in the picture gallery above). The Najad shipyard quotes a base price of 6,496,000 Swedish kronor for the new Najad 451 AC. At the current exchange rate, this is 568,670 euros net, or 676,700 euros including 19% VAT for customers in Germany.
Najad Yachts: The eventful history of a traditional brand
The Najad brand was established in 1967 by Berndt Arvidsson and Thorwald Karlsson in Kungsviken on the island of Orust in the Swedish Western Archipelago. The first model was a 34-foot boat designed by Olle Enderlein and launched in 1971. It dispensed with the traditional long keel in favour of a split lateral plan with free-standing hull appendages (keel and rudder). In 2011, the Najadvarvet shipyard had to file for bankruptcy and was later acquired by motorboat manufacturer Nord West Yachts. Since 218, Najad has been part of the Orust Quality Yachts AB group of companies, which also owns Arcona Yachts in Gustavsberg near Stockholm.
Technical data Najad 451 AC
- CE design category: A
- Torso length: 13,50 m
- Waterline length: 12,20 m
- Width:4,03 m
- Depth: 2,10 m
- Weight: 14,2 t
- Ballast/proportion: 4,8 t / 34%
- Mast height above waterline: 20,50 m
- Sail area on the wind (main and genoa): 99,0 m2
- Code Zero (optional): 85,0 m2
- Gennaker (optional): 143,0 m2
- Motorisation: Yanmar 4JH80 (59 kW / 80 hp) / Saildrive
- Fuel capacity: 450 l
- Fresh water capacity: 550 l
