The Cult Solo-Handling Machine

1985 Nordic Tug 32 - $64,000

There are boats you buy to impress your neighbors, and there are boats you buy to escape them. This is the latter.

In a marina full of white, jelly-bean-shaped cruisers that all look the same, the Nordic Tug 32 stands out like a work boot at a black-tie dinner. It is salty, rugged, and unapologetically practical. It wasn’t designed to look fast while sitting still. It was designed to look like it has a job to do.

But here is the secret: It is the ultimate solo-handling machine. Most 32-foot boats are a nightmare to dock alone because you have to sprint from the flybridge down a ladder to the deck to grab a line. On this Nordic Tug, you simply slide open the pilot house door—which exists on both sides—and step onto the dock. You look like a professional mariner, not a panicked amateur.

This specific vessel, located in the Chesapeake Bay, is a rare find. Usually, to get into the “Tug Life” cult, you have to spend $100k+. Finding a well-equipped, turn-key example for $64k is the kind of opportunity that creates “Loopers” (people who do the Great Loop) overnight.