Help me choose, Nimbus 31 v Skilso 975?

[Quandary]

After listening to the advice given (first and only mobo. for ex yachty) I have reduced my shortlist to mid nineties versions of the above. My beginners perception of the main differences are -
Skilso - twin four cylinder engines; Nimbus - single six cylinder, both usually Volvo. The latter looks as if it would be a lot easier to maintain, you can just about see the dipsticks in the crammed engine compartment in the Skilso so looking after them will have been awkward. I presume the single engine will also burn less fuel, we tend to do long cruises to remoter places rather than weekending to marinas, perhaps 500 miles over 2 or three weeks, in scenic areas so usually no great rush. (I know you guys think yachties are unreasonably obsessed with economy)
Most Skilsos do not have a bow thruster and with tanks right forward look awkward to fit but I presume with twin engines there is no need? My permanent berth involves a tight U turn at a windy spot in the Crinan canal which was easy with a deep fin keel in the middle to spin the boat around.
There are a lot of Skilsos on the UK market and it looks as if they have been on for a while, the price varies considerably from just under £50 to over 70k, it looks as if an adjustment is taking place, Clark and Carter did manage to sell one a few months back but they were asking way less than £40k and it did not go that quickly, (for in the region of £30k I suspect, annoyed to have missed it). Some really beautifully kept Skilsos in Norway which is probably closer to here than the South Coast of England but the strong kroner makes them very pricey, and i would be nervous of a first trip being back across to Shetland. To my eye the Skilsos are the nicer boat so why are there so many stuck with brokers, is it just because Nimbus are a lot better known by first timers like me, or is a single engine right for smaller semi displacement. I will only have this boat for 4 or 5 years, perhaps less if I do not take to it, so I do not want to lose a lot on it.
I can not find a lot of consistency in the asking prices related to equipment or specification and am suspicious of quoted engine hours on twenty year old boat so I am tending to focus attention on the lower asking prices, perhaps I should ignore the risk of causing offence to those who want more, but when I was selling I found it hard not to be irritated by what I regarded as silly offers, but then it easy enough to say 'no' .

Anyone who knows either boat want to give me some advice before I start trying to work out offers.

 

[Lloydroberts]

Don't know anything about the Skilso 975 infact id never heard of them til now.
There's one in Troon for less than £50k.

Nice looking boats.

 

[Whitelighter]

Skilso have no dealer presence in the UK, and historically its been ad-hoc. Nimbus however have been represented by the same importer for over 25 years (offshore powerboats in Lymington). Nimbus exhibit at both Sibs and Libs (the latter not so much recently) so the name and the brand feels much more familiar to UK buyers, which in turn instils confidence (misplaced or not) so the Nimbus boats are in higher demand.

All that doesn't detract from the Skilso or make it a bad boat but it does mean they are harder to shift. I had an oddball Swedish boat in the UK and in the end only sold it by advertising it in Sweden. My point is if you think you might want o get out in 2-5 years Id probably go for the Nimbus. It has other advantages such as the single engine which suits that size of boat and a very high quality fit out.

 

[Quandary]

Don't know anything about the Skilso 975 infact id never heard of them til now.
There's one in Troon for less than £50k.

Nice looking boats.

I have been down to look at it, it is owned by Euroyachts (part exchange for a new Merry Fisher) but very rough presentation bit of a project with lots of scuffs and bits which could have been fixed, hull an unusual shade of royal blue, so while the arrangement is fine I think there may be better examples. I am hoping to maintain enough energy to look further afield.
Whitelighter, what you say makes sense to me, but I like the Skilso fit out better, that is why I am hoping for help in making up my mind.

 

[superheat6k]

Nimbus in decent condition do command decent prices and would be a lot simpler to move on as Jed has said.

These boats also tend to be owned by older boaters and so are prone to Old Man Syndrome, otherwise known as severe neglect, which many vendors prefer not to acknowledge, and many brokers pretend is not there, but is often why they do not sell easily.

Thus there is no hard and fast rule on Asking Price -v- Actual Value. My Corvette 32, and indeed every one I looked at was suffering OMS, and were listed at prices no where close to what they were in reality worth, which is why they were and indeed most still are languishing for sale. Mine was filthy, but after the grime has been shifted I have actually found quite a gem hidden underneath. My purchase was ~50% of the AP, but I do not consider myself to have found a particular bargain, I simply paid what the boat was worth as I found it.

I have covered my method of valuation in prior threads, and have been sternly criticised for the approach I took, but I ended up with a decent boat, but at the price it was worth. If you want to know more I can provide a pointer to that thread. (I am also an ex raggie - welcome to the dark world of stinkpots).

 

[spannerman]

I would just mention that the Norwegian kroner is now the weakest its been for over 20 yrs, its 30% more expensive for me now when I visit my family in the UK and its wiped out any shopping advantage we used to enjoy when we are over. So this might work in your favour and give you a bigger choice.
Also the Nimbus has a better reputation and will be easier to resell when the time comes, running and servicing costs will be roughly half with a single installation, I have worked on all models of Nimbus and a quite a few Skilsos, and can confirm Skilsos are a nightmare to work on.

 

[Falling Star]

We've had our Skilso 975 Arctic for just over a year now. Very pleased with her and my only regret is that we didn't buy her sooner.

We did look at a few Nimbus 310 and 320's but they seemed quite expensive for what they were. The Skilsos, in my opinion, are at least as good if not better in quality and attention to detail. The only exception being the design of the side windows which although adequate, are not as good as the Nimbus. Apart from that, I think the actual layout of the Skilso is superior and, to us anyway, they feel to be a bigger boat although the actual dimensions are very similar.

We did get caught out in some nasty weather earlier this year and she coped very well with no drama. Reminded me at the time of driving a big old Volvo! Very solid.

We originally looked at twin engines but the access was not good so we settled on a single engine version. No regrets, and no real problems for access. I had to replace a manifold gasket which involved removing most of the bits on the starboard side of the engine to get to it. No big deal but would have been a very different story on a twin engine set up.

Our engine is a KAMD43P and seems well suited to the boat. We can touch 20 knots flat out but mostly cruise at 12 to 14 as the boat is comfortable and it's much cheaper!

I doubt if you'll be disappointed with a Skilso.

 

[LadyJ]

Don't know anything about the Skilso 975 infact id never heard of them til now.
There's one in Troon for less than £50k.

Nice looking boats.

I see the Troon Skilso is under offer, you taken the plunge?

 

[Quandary]

Not me LadyJ, the buyer is even older, I was tempted by the deal offered (it had been taken in trade in against an Antares so a direct sale) but I just could not take to this boat, it had a nice big newish Garmin plotter/radar but otherwise it was very grubby in all the cavities and one of the engines seemed to be almost completely inaccessible, Twin engines are great and the Skilso is a lovely boat when new but I could not reach the dipstick. I liked the name though.
The other issue is that most of these boats that are on for sale are not moving and this one seemed to have changed owners about every two years so I am back to looking at Nimbi which seem to stay with their owners longer. Less comfy but a safer buy? The Skilso had been listed all summer but the eventual buyer turned up as we were leaving so I had to make a quick decision.
Each expedition to the dreaded South costs us well over £500 so I am tempted to just employ a surveyor to look at them.