Nordship 40 DS Buyer's Guide
The Nordship 40 DS has been a familiar name on the European brokerage market since production began in 2004, built by Nordship Yachts ApS as a deck-saloon cruiser designed with Borghegn Yacht Design. Shopping for one means choosing between owner three-cabin layouts, which are the more common on the used market, and other configurations — and ex-charter examples are common, so a buyer should verify a given boat’s history carefully.
Layouts on the Used Market
Owner three-cabin arrangements dominate the listings, though both layout types appear. Because Nordship offered a customizable interior in wood finish and furnishing style, even within a given cabin count the details differ from boat to boat can be customized to suit individual personal preferences. Ex-charter 40 DS yachts are a common presence, and their higher-use history argues for closer inspection of wear points and systems than a privately owned example might require.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
Most boats on the market carry a short-handed setup built around a self-tacking jib, and commonly fitted gear includes heating, radar, autopilot, chartplotter, life raft, inverter, bow thruster, swim platform, and teak decks. Often-seen additions are solar, electric winches, hot water, and AIS. For a buyer, the bow thruster and electric winches ease close-quarters handling and solo sailing, while solar and lithium batteries — the latter a less common owner upgrade — speak to off-grid endurance. A watermaker or code zero, where fitted, marks a boat set up for longer passages rather than coastal use.
What to Inspect
The 40 DS is built on Nordship’s hand-laid sandwich hull with a steel frame laminated into the structure and a glued-and-screwed deck joint. A survey should focus on how well an individual boat’s specified layout and finish have been maintained, since no fixed standard interior exists to compare against. Ex-charter history, where present, warrants particular attention to systems fatigue.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
Typical markets for the Nordship 40 DS are Germany, Spain, Sweden, Croatia, and France. For a shopper, the practical checklist is straightforward: confirm whether the boat is ex-charter and assess accordingly; verify the specific interior layout and finish against your needs since customization was standard; check the self-tacking short-handed rig and bow thruster for handling ease; and review solar, batteries, and any watermaker or code zero as indicators of cruising intent.
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Nordship 40 DS. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 4 rows
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 25 | 2 | $322,717 | — |
| Mar 26 | 1 | $276,450 | -14.3% |
| Apr 26 | 3 | $319,887 | +15.7% |
| May 26 | 5 | $404,842 | +26.6% |
Where they're listed
Nordship 40 DS listings appear across 5 countries. Germany has the most listings with 3 (33.3%), followed by Spain and Sweden.
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
8 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SUN Sun Odyssey 40 DS | 40' | $ 108,151 | 59 | 15 |
| Elan Impression 40 | 39.04' | $ 138,572 | 29 | 2 |
| Wauquiez Pilot Saloon 40 | 41.67' | $ 156,153 | 20 | 5 |
| Moody 45 DS | 45.01' | $ 531,494 | 17 | 4 |
| Siltala 40 | 39.37' | $ 129,900 | 15 | 1 |
| Nordship 40 DSYou are here | — | $ 322,717 | 11 | 3 |
| Norseman 400 | 40' | $ 95,000 | 8 | 4 |
| Delphia 40 | 39.21' | $ 113,356 | 7 | 2 |