What Boat, Nimbus 280 C?

[Farmer Piles]

Just bought a 1999 Irish build one owner low hours fresh water Aquador 32C very good survey and very good condition/v.f.m. I think knocking the Irish builds is simply the trendy thing to do and it keeps the prices down a bit so no problems here - a 20 year old boat would be showing build/quality problems by now if there was any substance to it.

Nimbus was on our short list BUT no side doors and very poor cluttered bathing platform unless you go for the larger ones - of which there are a couple about at the moment

Smaller Aquadors are generally on sterndrives which was a no for us..................

I looked at a 28C Aquador locally, lovely boat and I too really like the walk around but definitely like the simplicity of shaft drive too so the leg put me off a bit.
Call me fussy but an ideal would be a combo of a couple of boats. I prefer the side doors, etc but finding the right spec isn't easy

 

[Halsey]

I looked at a 28C Aquador locally, lovely boat and I too really like the walk around but definitely like the simplicity of shaft drive too so the leg put me off a bit.
Call me fussy but an ideal would be a combo of a couple of boats. I prefer the side doors, etc but finding the right spec isn't easy

The perfect boat doesn't exist - there is another thread on here following a £500k purchase and that search is full of compromise

Its important to identify a budget and stick to it and identify a short list (3 or 4 items) of non negotiable and then say 6 "would be nice" and see where that takes you

For example our non negotiable list was shaft, ease for dogs and safe side decks - which is why Nimbus and Aquador were the final contenders.

 

[Farmer Piles]

The perfect boat doesn't exist - there is another thread on here following a £500k purchase and that search is full of compromise

Its important to identify a budget and stick to it and identify a short list (3 or 4 items) of non negotiable and then say 6 "would be nice" and see where that takes you

For example our non negotiable list was shaft, ease for dogs and safe side decks - which is why Nimbus and Aquador were the final contenders.

Quite agree, compromise is inevitable. The 305 Nimbus offers the ideal compromise on everything but price! Price of £50-60K is my budget. Boats that fit the bill, ish - Nimbus 280 or 310, ACM 31 Elite.
I am thinking shaft drive and good sea keeping and given our climate, good protection but with some sunning options too. Not a flying bridge though, too cold for that in UK waters.

 

[Farmer Piles]

I am now on my third Nimbus , great reliable boats , in a rough sea I have always felt confident , I would opt for a Swedish boat over any American built boat any day .

Shaft driven diesel engine , very low running costs and maintenance

If interested join the nimbus owners club for £20.00 a lot of info and advice is then freely available !

Happy to give you any further info if you contact me direct .

Just one point that you may be able to answer, the performance of the 280 C engines - the TAMD and the D3. On the one hand I see touted, 18 knots flat out and cruise at 14-15. Then I am told that 15 flat out cruise at 12. Apart from anything else, I would have thought that 12kts would be the worst of all worlds in terms of hull speed and economy.
I am with you though, I too like Scandinavian boats, I currently have a Yamarin - great little boat.

 

[DrSpock]

........................... not "a simple fact" but all your opinion - to which you are entitled and which I respect

No it's a measurable fact. There's an article somewhere in MBM with a factory visit to Aquador after the change and the difference in quality control etc.

 

[Coaster]

Just one point that you may be able to answer, the performance of the 280 C engines - the TAMD and the D3. On the one hand I see touted, 18 knots flat out and cruise at 14-15. Then I am told that 15 flat out cruise at 12. Apart from anything else, I would have thought that 12kts would be the worst of all worlds in terms of hull speed and economy.
I am with you though, I too like Scandinavian boats, I currently have a Yamarin - great little boat.

Our 310C's performance is affected by weight. With only two people and relatively few stores on board we could get up to about 23 knots in a slight sea. A few weeks ago, heavily laden including 4 adults and 2 small chidren, we were down to about 18 knots. When under way for more than say half an hour we'll usually do 15 knots or thereabouts, at which speed the hull copes well with most conditions that we'd be out in.

I can't speak directly for the 280C but the same principles are likely to apply.

 

[Farmer Piles]

Thanks Coaster, just what I needed to know. It seems to me that the 280 might be under powered, especially with the TAMD 150hp, and especially if I am off to Scilly for example, full of fuel, water and stores. I am told that a realistic top speed is around 16kts. That puts cruising down to 12-14 which if you are not careful is going to be maximum displacement speed and very thirsty. Equally, 9 knts in a smallish boat, hard going on a run. I hate under-powered anything, much happier with spare capacity.
Call it simple arithmetic:
310 V 280
310 longer waterline - greater displacement hull speed
310 just over 25% heavier
310 in excess of 50% more power
Equals a win for the 310 in my book.
At 15kts, what sort of fuel usage would you expect? Litres per hour or nm.

 

[Coaster]

At 15kts, what sort of fuel usage would you expect? Litres per hour or nm.

Overall we use about 1.8 litres per NM. For passage planning I reckon on 2 litres/M. That includes a small amount of diesel used in the warm air heating system.

Worst figure was 2.21 litres/M, over only 41NM. Best has been 1.66 litres/M.

 

[Coaster]

Overall we use about 1.8 litres per NM. For passage planning I reckon on 2 litres/M. That includes a small amount of diesel used in the warm air heating system.

Worst figure was 2.21 litres/M, over only 41NM. Best has been 1.66 litres/M.

Between say 9 and 18 knots speed doesn't seem to make much difference to fuel consumption.

 

[Farmer Piles]

Between say 9 and 18 knots speed doesn't seem to make much difference to fuel consumption.

The litres per hour V miles per hour. We did a similar calculation on my friend's 13.8m Antares on a cross Channel trip. Between 18 - 24 knots the litres per mile worked out the same. She was semi displacement too.
I currently own a Yamarin 59HT with a 115 on the back. Her sweet spot is about 18-20kts.

 

[moresparks]

Purely a personal observation and I accept I may well be wrong, but I was seriously considering replacing my 27 foot sports cruiser with a Nimbus 280.
I have doubts on a couple of points..
The Nimbus is nearly 1000kg (almost a third) lighter than my Cruiser, so I also wondered if it would be tender. (2500kg as opposed to 3500Kg)
The fuel Tank is only around 52 gallons... allowing for 20% fuel tank reserve and average consumption of 2.2 litres per mile – gives a range of less than 100 miles.
Using the same principle my Sports Cruise range is 150 miles (all things being equal!!).
It is really only a 3 berth cruiser.
That said I am still torn... There is a Nimbus 310C moored near me and it is quite high from the pontoon so I was querying how difficult it would be to berth single handed?

 

[Farmer Piles]

Ah, the search for the perfect boat. Trouble is, I doubt that we could get agreement as to what that is and what it comprises of. I agree that the Nimbus 310 is high, but you can usually find somebody to grab a rope..
In defence of the 280 briefly, I think that she weighs in at 3t and that part of the extra weight of yours is a bigger engine. I have heard nothing but praise for the Nimbus build quality.
I really like the look of the ACM Dufour 31 Elite. A good looking boat, same Yanmar engine as the 310 and a good layout plus a nice lounging foredeck. I understand that the build quality is good and they are cheaper than a Nimbus. Main problem is that I can only find them for sale in France. With Covid, getting there and back would be a mission or near impossible. Plus if you don't buy before the end of the year there is the very real chance of having to pay a 20% VAT surcharge to bring her back

 

[Ferris]

I know some time has passed on this but I was browsing today and came across a Saga 29 and thought it might suit

Saga 29 Hard Top Used Boat for Sale 2002 | TheYachtMarket

Always liked the 26 but the 29 has much better accommodation by the look of it. Ads mentions 20kts too

 

[Farmer Piles]

Hi Ferris, thanks for that. We actually drove up from Cornwall before Christmas and had a look at it and Harrier, the Nimbus 310, both in the same marina in Chichester.
We really liked the Nimbus but it would have been over our budget with the extra costs involved. We had a look at the Saga and on paper it is a great boat for our needs, but we just didn't feel the love for it. There was a lot going for it in many ways but lots of little things that let it down or niggled. For a 2002 boat it looked as though it had been built in the 1980s, especially the interior, the side windows don't open, the drawers and doors in the saloon and the plywood paneling were all cheap plastic or thin.
None of it major but enough to put us off. A shame as it is broadly a good boat at a good price.

 

[Ferris]

Sorry to hear that, I thought that they were better built than that. Happy hunting anyway.

 

[Farmer Piles]

I think that broadly they are but the cut corners a bit on the finish.

Cheers.

 

[DrSpock]

A friend is going to be selling his 310 soon if you're still looking. I doubt you'll find a nicer example either as he has OCD and spends more time cleaning it!

 

[Farmer Piles]

A friend is going to be selling his 310 soon if you're still looking. I doubt you'll find a nicer example either as he has OCD and spends more time cleaning it!

Very interested, thanks for thinking of me. What part of the country?

 

[Farmer Piles]

A friend is going to be selling his 310 soon if you're still looking. I doubt you'll find a nicer example either as he has OCD and spends more time cleaning it!

Just sent you a PM.