New Listing – 2002 Najad 490

Beautifully appointed twin-stateroom centre cockpit Judel Vrolijk Najad with a superb blue water spec, much loved and continuously upgraded by her current owners. A change in plans makes her available for more ocean adventures.

FURTHER BROKER’S COMMENTS:

Originally ordered with the specific brief to create a safe, comfortable and easily-managed world-cruiser for a husband & wife crew, LA CONTENTA has proven herself to be all of this and more.

Particular attention was given to creating essential additional storage and also logical choices in terms of rig, machinery and electrical selection and location. A major requirement of her original owners was the ability to service systems at sea safely and with ease; something which is particularly important but frequently overlooked in so-called ‘blue water cruisers’.

First launched in 2002, LA CONTENTA cruised for on average 6 months of each year in her original ownership with her systems fully laid up in between. Sold to her second owners in 2012, LA CONTENTA underwent an extensive 2-year £100k refit. A change in health and plans saw LA CONTENTA change hands again in 2016 and she participated in ARC 2016 with her current owners, cruising the Caribbean and returning back to the UK in 2018. Since then she has been sailed around Scotland and has benefitted from a further continual program of refit and update.

Her main specification highlights include:-
· Twin stateroom interior layout with custom front cabin configuration affording substantially increased stowage over standard and drop-down saloon table to create occasional double berth.
· Watertight bulkheads
· Upgraded stainless steel rudder stock
· Yanmar 96hp diesel engine with shaft drive and Flex-o-fold propeller
· Max Power tunnel bowthruster
· 24vDC domestic electrical system
· AGM service batteries
· 220vAC and 110vAC electrical circuits with dual inverters and dual voltage isolation transformer allowing connection to 220vAC or 110vAC shore connections
· Fischer Panda 8kw 220vAC generator
· Twin 12vDC and 24vDC alternators
· Rutland wind generator
· 440w solar panel array with MPPT Controller
· Spectra 24vDC watermaker
· Calorifier tank with twin coils and titanium element
· Eberspacher Hydronic diesel-fired hot water cabin heating and water heating system
· Climma 220vAC reverse-cycle air-conditioning system
· 800 litres of fuel capacity
· 730 litres of fresh water capacity
· Holding tanks
· Raymarine instrument package with chart plotters, radar, autopilot, and AIS transceiver
· Icom SSB radio with insulated backstay
· GN Espace galley stove
· Bosch combination microwave
· 3x fridge/freezers
· Washing machine
· Electric Jabsco heads (owner’s cabin) with manual heads for guest cabin
· KVH Tracvision M2 satellite TV antenna with Samsung 43” TV
· Cutter-rigged sloop with Furlex furlers for genoa and staysail.
· Leisurefurl in boom furling for fully battened mainsail.
· Twin spinnaker poles
· Andersen 68ST 2-speed electric self-tailing primary genoa winches
· Andersen 46ST 2-speed electric self-tailing mainsheet/furling winches
· North Spectra mainsail, genoa and staysail
· Cruising chute
· Retractable Bessinzoni davits.
· Aft radar tower with davit for outboard motor/MOB recovery.
· Combined bimini and tent with standing head room
· Comprehensive safety equipment package

RECENT REFIT HIGHLIGHTS:
· Rig inspection and new back stay 2025
· Seacocks and valves inspected and 2 replaced 2025
· Solar panels added 2024
· All Batteries replaced in 2023
· New Raymarine electronics 2023
· Perspex hatches, seals and ports replaced by Eagle Boat Windows 2022
· Sprayhood and bimini replaced with a new tent system by Goacher Sails 2022
· Fully reupholstered internally 2022
· Internal and external CCTV and Yale Alarm fitted 2022
· Saloon table replaced and hydraulic pedestal added to enable double berth conversion (Original saloon table and fixings available) 2021
· Anchor chain replaced 2020
· Wind generator fitted 2018
· Bowthruster replaced 2017
· Cruising Chute by Goacher sails 2016

OWNER’S COMMENTS:

LA CONTENTA has looked after us for the past nine years and thousands of miles of sailing. For our part we have looked after her and maintained her in tip-top condition, adding to and upgrading items along the way. She is built for world cruising and is ready to do that with her new owners.

We believe she is the perfect boat to have eight for drinks, six to dine, four to sleep and just two to sail. As part of our upgrades we changed the saloon table making it smaller to ease access on passage and by using a hydraulic pedestal it can be converted to a double berth when family and friends visit. We have kept the original table and fittings and is included in the sale.

We have sailed LA CONTENTA mainly double handed and developed a crew overboard recovery aid, COBRA, so that one person can physically recover an unconscious casualty from the sea. This will be included with the sale. It’s the first of its kind, featured in the Ocean Cruising Club magazine and has gone on to be manufactured and sold world-wide. The design is freely available with contributions being made to local rescue services such as the RNLI.

Cruising is often defined as maintenance in exotic places and LA CONTENTA comes with an army of spares for those moments when you are remote from chandlers. She comes with a comprehensive set of manuals and drawings that enables every detail of her to be understood.

Tom Cunliffe wrote an article extolling the virtues of in-boom furling at the time we were looking for our first boat. I am a convert. The system provides well controlled and excellent sail shape in all reef positions.

LA CONTENTA is a fast and comfortable boat and responds quickly to changes in the wind. She is a joy to sail and very comfortable to live on.

We will be sad to hand over but our sailing is now more coastal passage making than ocean crossing. She is ready for new adventures.

BUILDER’S COMMENTS:

Designing a sailing yacht, capable of sailing all over the world and at the same time being comfortable and safe for the crew, requires a great experience of long distance cruising yachts. The result is the Najad 490. A 49 foot sailing yacht with a powerful, extremely seaworthy hull of modern design.

2002 Najad 490 ‘LA CONTENTA’ for sale – Asking £280,000 UK VAT paid – full details here

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