"Descriptions of yachts are like those blind dates - you often learn more from what you aren't told. If, for example, you hear that the yacht has a wonderful interior, then you usually can be assured that she is so fat and tubby she can barely move. On the other hand, a so-called 'high performance cruiser' often means good speed but a dark cramped interior.

The problem with the Norseman 400 (and a pleasant problem, in deed) is to decide how to describe a yacht with fine attributes all-round. From a sailing standpoint, I can't find a fault: she sails magnificently in heavy as well as light breezes. The interior is open, airy and perfectly laid out for both offshore work and dockside living. And the builders have obviously spent a considerable amount of time thinking about all of the little details that make an exceptional yacht. perhaps you've already broken the code: I liked this yacht.

The Norseman 400 is the second design (third, if you count two deck layouts on the 44-footer) from Norseman Yachts, a Southern California-based builder/importer. President Wally Freeman started the company in the late 1970s, when he saw a need for an offshore cruising yacht with higher performance, more roomy interior and better aesthetics than were first available. The first yacht, the 447, started life with an aft cockpit, followed by a center-cockpit version, and now the slightly smaller sister, the 400.

But the Norseman 400 doesn't need to apologize to anyone for being 40 feet long. Not when you get an after stateroom with enough floor space so that you can actually stand and get dressed normally, or a full-sized nav station (complete with a swivel chair) that doesn't intrude on the saloon.

Freeman, with naval architect Gary Grant, came up with a clever idea in the arrangement of the forward cabin and head area. By reversing the usual head/shower arrangement, the forward stateroom has its privacy, while the shower is still available to the rest of the crew.

Certainly the most pleasing feature of the Norseman 400 is the visual openness that has been achieved without wasting space. the living areas offer an airiness both from the layout and from some innovative thinking. The protective sea hood for the main hatch slide is a skylight, so there is plenty of light even with the hatch open. besides, with six opening hatches, seven opening ports, four dorade vents, and two light prisms in addition to the fixed cabin windows, there's no shortage of either fresh air or sunlight in this yacht.

Construction, at the Shing Sheng yard in Taiwan, is top caliber. freeman has a full-time quality control supervisor to assure exacting standards as well as to answer any questions that might crop up during construction. The hull utilizes hand-laid fiberglass with Airex coring and a heavy stringer framework to prevent oil-canning and to carry the rigging loads. The deck is also hand-laid, with a core of end-grain balsa for strength as well as lightness. Recesses are provided in the hull for the portholes, so that the frame and glass is fully protected, and all the through-hulls are flush mounted. The deck mold must be a masterpiece of engineering because it has been so carefully, allowing the mounting bases for winches, vents and other deck gear to be molded in the correct position. The keel is internally ballasted, and a sturdy skeg protects the rudder from any cruising misadventures.

On deck, the nonslip surface covers every area where a crew member might step, and a teak deck is optional. Wheel steering is standard, and the helmsman has an arched seat for comfortable sailing at all angles of heel.

The lazarette area are immense, with sealed space for gas bottles, and a cavernous area that easily solves the problem of sail stowage and provides enough room for a generator as well.

Power is supplied by a Westerbeke 46hp diesel through a Hurth V-Drive to a two-bladed prop. The engine compartment is heavily insulated and, with 70 gallons of fuel, there is a good cruising range under power.

SAILING, SAILING
Under sail, the Norseman 400 has all of the attributes of a thoroughbred with none of the twitchiness of many performance cruisers that can't be left unattended for a moment. Steering is light but positive, with enough sensitivity to satisfy the sailor who wants to feel the balance of the yacht. light-air and heavy-air performance are equally strong; this is a yacht obviously designed for fast, easy passages.

OFFSHORE AMENITIES
It's no surprise that Freeman and his team have spent a lot of time offshore, because the entire yacht is engineered for usability. The overhead panels, for example, are easily removed for installation or repairs to wiring and electronics. The galley is supplied not just with pressure hot and cold water, but also with a saltwater pump, a water purifier and even a built in soap dispenser.

The icebox is better insulated than I've seen on a production yacht, and a block of ice should be a long term investment even in hot climates. There's even a fiberglass trash bin hidden under the galley counter.

Obvioudly, the Norseman 400 is one blind date that you can look forward to meeting."