From Sail to Power - Nimbus 365

[Geoff.rogers1@gmail.com]

I have recently sold my Southerly 110 yacht and research against my personal criteria has drawn me to a twin engined Nimbus 365 Coupe. I like the quality and simplicity of the design.
I would be interested to hear the experience of existing or former owners who have on longer offshore passages and weather conditions - I will be aiming to use it locally in the Solent/South Coast but also on longer 2/3 weeks trips to the Channel Islands/West Country. I appreciate that it’s is not on all weather boat like a Nelson/Dale/Hardy/Aquastar

 

[GEM43]

Nimbus are well built, well designed, tough and capable boats. As you say they’re perhaps not in the Nelson/Dale all-weather category but the latter have come from a pilot boat ancestry where seaworthiness is everything, the balance falls to function not form whereas Nimbus has the balance a little different.

Crucially the Nimbus will take much more punishment than the crew will want to endure. We punched through a very nasty channel chop with a F5/6 over the tide past Dover in our Nimbus, the boat was very very wet indeed but handled it very well, the boat was fine but I was seriously sea sick! We’ve since changed to sail.

As ever with marine diesels you need a continuous supply of clean fuel - clean tanks and well setup filtration is essential.

 

[Geoff.rogers1@gmail.com]

Thanks for the reference and feedback on the quality of a Nimbus in rougher weather.
As a long term sailor I do appreciate that no motor boat of a similar size will handle a rough seaway nearly as well as a sailing yacht with a keel.

 

[jbweston]

Thanks for the reference and feedback on the quality of a Nimbus in rougher weather.
As a long term sailor I do appreciate that no motor boat of a similar size will handle a rough seaway nearly as well as a sailing yacht with a keel.

I'm having to learn this. After 20 years under sail I've got used to boats that laugh at my unwillingness to accompany them into conditions they think nothing of but I find uncomfortable. Now the boot's on the other foot, and I look at the sea conditions and think it's a little loppy but my (motor) boat acts like a big girl's blouse and whines that I should have waited for a calmer day before opening the throttles.

We'll get used to each other I imagine.