Test Nordship 430 DS: A yacht for all weathers

The 430 DS is a further development of its predecessor, the 43 DS, which dates back to the 1990s. The most significant changes concern the underwater hull: the moderate short keel has become a relatively slender fin that is more effective downwind. And the rudder is now free-standing; the 43 DS still had a skeg.

What has remained is the loving workmanship and the solid, well thought-out construction of the Danish shipyard, which is one of the few in Northern Europe that still offers deck saloon yachts of this size.

Anyone who has to weather a spring like this at sea will feel right at home in the Nordship. Lots of mahogany alone creates a feeling of warmth, and when the auxiliary heating shovels warm air almost inaudibly from the depths of the technical room into the large cabin, you can almost forget about the rain or cold.

Even at sea, the large, heavy yacht conveys confidence. During the test it was blowing at a good 5 Beaufort, in gusts even 6. The 430 DS then needs a reef in the wind and also heels noticeably, but without any nervousness. She feels like a large saloon on a cross-country trip. Thanks to the high freeboard, the deck stays dry for a long time. And the relatively soft lines promise pleasant sea behaviour.

If you are planning long journeys and want to head for cooler waters, you will hardly find a more suitable deck saloon yacht. Nordship also fulfils individual owner wishes when fitting out the yacht; it is almost semi-custom. This is also reflected in the price: the 430 DS costs 530,000 euros ready to sail according to the YACHT definition.

You can read the test in the current issue 13/2012 of YACHT (on newsstands from 4 June). It also contains a web code that you can use to call up an extensive photo gallery of the boat and its technical features.