The Nordhavn whisperer, James Knight goes out of his comfort zone, to explore the details of the Selene 59 in this long overdue in-depth walk through video.
How refreshing to have someone like James Knight conduct a thoroughly professional "walk-through", especially when he includes areas where improvements could be made and where a manufacturer fell short. Most boat reviews, I've seen, are usually conducted by brokers who rarely address design shortcomings, possibly because they lack the knowledge possessed by Mr. Knight, but, also, because such conversations are counterproductive to selling the boat! Kudos to James Knight and thank you for a most informative tour!
Easily one of the best walk throughs I’ve watched. (And I watch these every night!). Guy is great at it. Authentic, funny and the details and commentary are superior. Nice!
James, Thank you for all of your in depth reviews on yaghts. Especially on the Nordhavn's yaghts. I would love to see you make a video of the Fleming yachts, perhaps 65 to the 78 feet yaghts. I watch your videos over and over again. You never get boring, and I trust you to always stear me in the correct direction. You are a Blessing to many of your viewers.. for sure
Well done mate. As always you set the bench mark for how a detailed walk through/in depth review should be done. There's a guy in TF - Trawler Forum that did cross the Atlantic in a Selene 47 with no issues, so even a considerably smaller Selene than this 59 has done- and can do it. He wrote a blog about it too. I hope the Selene company watch your video and take notes, because you're right; they should put a group together and do a crossing documented with a quality video. I see so much potential here and if I were them I'd start by getting the fuel system sorted and re-arrange that engine room/lazarette to free up space around the engine. And I must commend you because I think you've given the Selene company a helping hand here and that's quite ballsy taken into consideration that you've been working close with N for two decades. But competition is good for EVERYBODY involved, all the way from the manufacturers to the customers and everyone in between (people like yourself). I think both the Nordhavn and the Selene are beautiful and capable boats. Thank you. Cheers from Norway.
59:55 i feel very ashamed to say this but i’m a skipper on a 98 feet bunkerbarge (for refueling ships) with no crew so i’m operating the vessel alone, and the tanks completely filled with 39 625 gallon of diesel. And even i managed to run out of diesel and completely drained my own bunkers 🤦🏻♂️. I had the luxury i could scoop a couple of buckets of diesel out of the tanks and fill my bunkers to get my engine started again so i could get hydraulic power to my delivery diesel pump to bunker (refeul myself) I did this by unscrewing a air vent bolt on the fuel filter and my engine fuel pump got a little plunger to manual pump fuel into the system, i kept pumping that plunger until i got a solid stream of diesel out of the filter air vent bolt and a minute after that. Then i kept my fingers crossed 🤞🏻 hoping that my battery’s hold (i have no generator) and kept restarting the engine until i catches and i could use my diesel pump to refuel myself. It took about a minute and it worked! From that point i always do my engine room pre checks myself and regularly test my alarms because i even didn’t get a low fuel level alarm wich i should have! Lesson learned the hard way
He's back at long long last how we have missed you and your wonderful walk throughs so detailed and so much fun please don't go again I know these are time intensive and you are a busy man
Pls bring us more Selenes. There aren't as much information out there about Selenes as Nordhavns. We are happy to see diferent designs with boats that has cross-ocean capability. And you are probably the most erudite person about boats on RU-vid. If there's only one walkthrough about a certain boat in the world, I want it to be done by you.
We've just bought a Selene after spending a long time thinking we only wanted a Nordhavn as we wanted to circumnavigate. Like Tom and Dina, we love the space and the headroom given that Colin is 6 foot 3! Thanks for the walkthrough on their boat - it is obvious how much they love and care for it.
I enjoy your videos, it’s refreshing to hear a honest assessment and of the boats. Too many people waste your time making just a prolonged advertisement. Keep up the good work!!
Your video was very well done and informative. Thanks for not only showing the layout but digging into the mechanics of the vessel. Really liked the engine room tour and explaining the fuel system.
Finally, a good boat REVIEW! Watch car review channels and they'll tell you all sorts of things they don't like with a car. Watch a boat walk-through or "review" and all you get is sunshine blown up your keister. This is the way they should all be done. Thanks for taking the time to make this.
Love your videos! The most important thing I learned in the 30 years I have spent working on diesels is that when bleeding the fuel systems you need to tighten the lines at the injector while the engine is cranking. If you stop cranking when you see fuel before snugging it down you run the risk of an air pocket.
I love listening to you James. You are very informative and educational. You also have a wonderful way about you. Thank you and keep the videos coming. A shout out to Matthew too!! God Bless you both.
anacondas I live south in the US Vancouver .. Now I know where to come and get my boat I truly trust your abilities and your honesty!! OUTSTANDING! So many of these guys are in Florida or England or Turkey It is nice to have one in the neighborhood.. This was a good look at a different boat.. don't wait so long to do another video.. 9 months is a long time.. Thanks James!
Great video - l had a Selene 60 with twin 6068 John deers, Full ABT Trac hydraulics and twin onan (Cummins) gens. The twin engine has a much better engine room layout with all service points inboard - except for the stbd engine mounted fuel filter. Over 4 years we circumnavigated Australia and ventured out to New Guinea. Boat never gave us a scrap of a problem, withe the 2 skegs and Center keel tracked like on rails in even a steep 5m following sea. The timber work and stainless like James says is exquisite as well as the thought gone into making things easier to service. I liked the lower profile (rolls less and not as much windage, as well as the more refined hull shape. I have 3 friends with nordys and they do tend to ride a bit bow down and push a lot of water with the fuller bow. Ours was 72 tonnes
Another fantastic video, I’m not a trawler owner but a mechanic for 30 years, your insight on “what’s wrong” is refreshing, and familiar. At least once a job I would say “who thought this was a good idea”
This is the second video of yours I've watched. Great style, easy to follow your train of thought. First few minutes on the dock was a great walk. I'll never commission a new boat, but I will be buy a used 40-50 in ten years. Thank you for going into the wear and tear, what to look for and such.
Saw this boat in Victoria, BC just last weekend. Had a very nice chat with the owner as we had been to the boat show the day before looking at a Selene 36. She is a beauty in person!
Thank you, James, enjoy your opinions and reviews. Great eye for detail. Ironically in design, trying to make small spaces feel large and large spaces feel small. Other words would be adequate (meets expectations) vs substantial (exceeds expectations)
Stumbled upon the channel and really liked the detail that James adds. He backs his opinions up with thoughtful commentary, and I look forward to more of these videos.
Love you or hate you, the one thing we can count on, James, is that you shoot straight. I happen to love it, and I appreciate it. So, would you please give us your no-holes-barred thoughts on how the Bering 65 might compare to the benchmark Nordhavn - even if just what you’ve read or heard? THANK YOU SIR.
Great video James. No doubt it takes a lot of time but know it is truly appreciated. Your style of polished unpolished videos makes you feel like you are the only one there and following you around the boat. While I am firmly in the Nordhavn camp, it is great to see other offerings.
James, We really need a review of the Nordhavn 41. It is a departure from the traditional marketing approach of customizing every boat to suit the buyer. This one is delivered complete. No options. No flying bridge. Twin engine. Built in a factory invented to build this boat with limited experience. It may be the future for Nordhavn. Please give us your take on the boat.
I recently watched someone else’s walk-through of a nordhavn. I was very disappointed after watching your walk-throughs I could hardly get through it. You do a great job I could watch two or three hours on these boats keep up the good work.
Much respect sir. It is refreshing to hear a point of view from someone who maintans these boats. As a heavy equipment engineer I would have you look at some of those fuel systems. Why the dont use pumps that are actually in the tanks along with a bleeder valve at the end of the rail I dont know. In a bulldozer if it fails its usually in the middle of a muddy field in adverse to being stranded in the middle of the north atlantic. Push the fuel to the rail, and bleed the rail purging it out of the end of the rail, your up and going.
Oh my god, The Trawler Guru is back in action! I can't wait to know more than I could ever possibly need to know about a boat I will never ever be able to afford! YAY!
Very nicely done. As the first captain on the Nordhavn 120 for the first owner, it sure would be interesting to hear your perspective on that boat. Steve D'Antonio was hired for a 4-day survey while I ran the boat. Quite informative, he caught a LOT of things that the yard missed or did wrong in Xiamen. I do like Selenes and spent a bit of time on the 92. I'm going to take an in-depth look at a different 59 Selene tomorrow up here in Sidney. I will be keeping some of the observations that you've noted here in mind. Thank you!
Nicely done James. As others have already noted, you do a great job analyzing the various systems and comparing the two manufacturers. I recall a larger Selene awhile back with some serious print through that went to auction after the owner refused to take it if I recall correctly. I have spent limited time on the smaller Selenes and found they are a good value overall. No experience with the larger cousins, so it’s nice to see videos like this.
12:10 This handrail installation and reasons for its location as is explained in a few seconds, are interesting and indicates a lot of thought behind the general design of this beautiful yacht.
My first time on this channel. Wow, James! What a fantastic review! If I ever want an actual honest review, and not just a fluff piece, I know where to go. Great job!
Finally what a stunning boat ,beautiful interior thank you James and Matthew 😊 I forgot to say I do think the Beneteau 473 is a stunning elegant boat 🤔
The manerisms that he displays shows that he is incredibly experienced. Example, when closing mechanisms, his eyes leave before his hands are finished.
Another excellent sensational walk through that I have really enjoyed watching, well done 👏 And looking forward to the next one. Absolutely 💯 fantastic thanks
In case anyone is wondering, the answer is...417. That is, he mentions Nordhavn 417 times during this video of a Selene. That aside, he knows his business and I learned a lot.
I’m on a quest to watch all of your videos, I like the way you refer to these as “Boats” they really are made for people in a different world, I hope that the individuals who own these boats appreciate your true worth and you’ll actually have one of your very own, and you can pick up your satellite phone and call Joe to make your favorite boat operate way it should
So there are no watertight compartments under the floor in the accomadations area? chain locker to engine room bulkhead can all flood? Is there enough floatation to not sink? How many watertight compartments?
Thanks James & Mathew for the review on the Selene. Now how about a review of Fleming???? I know there is an entire row of Fleming yachts up there. So James will you be in town for Trawler Fest in a few days???
Thanks for another information packed video. I can't get enough. You are to yacht video's what Iain Tyrrell is to classic sports cars. I probably spend too much time on RU-vid as it is, but I appreciate it when I'm watching someone who I can tell knows what he's talking about, even though my own knowledge on these yachts is limited to what I see on RU-vid. Should I ever find myself with a spare $Million or two, I'll be sure to call you up, although I might have already promised Tony Fleming I'd buy one of his boats. One suggestion. I think your subscribers would also appreciate video's on the performing of some kind of maintenance or mechanical repair you may be doing. Iain Tyrrell merely has to tune a set of Weber carburetors with a rubber hose and a screw driver and his subscribers love it. Looking forward to the next one.
Gorgeous vessel!! Thanks for the tour. I really like Selenes, having spent some time cruising FL west coast and Bahamas on some friends 40. I think they're a very underrated boat.
James, you ask the question "Why do people crossing oceans choose Nordhavn?" Is it that most other manufacturers choose Deere engines that are M2 or M3 instead of M1. Most Nordhavn's I see have the M1 engines? Thank you for your insight, Brian....
