Nimbus Boats: Factory Tour and Boat Review

Midsummer Dream

To understand why Nimbus designs and builds boats the way they do, you need to understand how the Swedes boat…and live.

I have no idea what time it is. Is it midnight? 2 a.m.?

The sun has barely set and I’m floating off the Swedish coast, but I’m not floating on a boat. I’m floating in the water.

The water is cold, but it’s actually quite comfortable. Nimbus Brand Manager Jonas Göthberg is floating nearby too. The sun is scudding right below the horizon. We can see its glow. No, our boat hasn’t sunk. It’s the summer solstice in Sweden and we’re celebrating the longest day of the year with a Midsummer night party, Sweden’s biggest holiday. Now, we’re taking a cold-water dip after a middle-of-the-night sauna.

I’ve come to Sweden at the invitation of the Nimbus Group, builders of Nimbus Boats, which is hosting a dozen North American yacht brokers to show off their latest model, the Nimbus W11.

I’d arrived in Gothenburg, Sweden’s second largest city, the day before the summer solstice and the next morning joined Nimbus America Vice President Justin Joyner. A three-hour bus ride brought us to the Nimbus factory in Lugnås, which sits in the Central Swedish lowland just south of lake Vänern, the largest in the European Union.

Nimbus was founded in 1968 in Långedrag, a suburb of Gothenburg, and built its first boats in Lugnås in 1969. The company was the brainchild of Harald Wiklund, then managing director of Volvo Penta, which still builds its engines in Varna near Lugnås. At the time, Volvo Penta was experiencing a lull in demand for its marine engines and Wiklund thought a new boat company could fix that problem. Nimbus’ first model, the Nimbus 26, an aft cabin design, was the perfect cottage on the water for middle class families. She was designed by Olympic sailor Pelle Petterson and won the European Boat of the Year award in 1970. In very little time, Nimbus became a Swedish powerhouse.

But despite selling well over 10,000 boats in Europe and being an early adopter of boatbuilding innovations—including vacuum injection technology in 1997, and the launch of its first electric-powered boat in 2009—Nimbus didn’t enter the U.S. market for almost 50 years.

In 2015, the company brought its 305 Coupé and 365 Coupé to the U.S., and in 2022, after finding the American market receptive, Nimbus opened a North American office in Annapolis, Maryland, and signed up more dealers to market its 14 models.

When we arrived at the Lugnås plant, Nimbus Chief Operating Officer Jakob Brandstedt pointed to a machine outside the factory that captures about 95 percent of VOCs, like acetone and styrene, and uses a catalytic combustion process to eliminate them before releasing the gas into the atmosphere. The equipment is mandated by the Swedish government, but Brandstedt explained that it will also be installed at factories in Finland and Poland—even though the company is not required to do so. It’s all part of a sustainability and environmental responsibility program that Nimbus has been engaged in for decades. Almost 25 years ago, the company switched to Forest Stewardship Council certified teak, and they continually inspect the ecological validity of all the materials they use. The company offers Torqeedo motors and BMW battery packs on two of its current models and has a clear vision for how its boats will give people increased freedom on the water, but not at the expense of the environment.

The Lugnås plant was recently expanded to accommodate the building of Nimbus’ new flagship, the 465 Coupé, its largest model ever, which will debut in Europe in 2024 and the U.S. in 2025. Stepping inside the first-completed 465 hull, Brandstedt showed how the stringer grid had been infused at the same time as the hull to create a stronger bond between the two.

At Nimbus’ Långedrag headquarters we boarded four Nimbus models: the new W11, powered by twin 400-hp Mercury V10s; a T11, powered by twin Volvo Penta inboards; a C8 powered by a 300-hp Mercury, and a T9 powered by a 400-hp Mercury. Niclas Augustin, technical sales support for Nimbus, took the lead on the T11 and led the flotilla on a high-speed scenic tour through the southern archipelago of Gothenberg.

The archipelago consists of more than a hundred islands, small and large, which are home to 5,000 permanent and 6,000 summer residents. In the Norse sagas, Gothenberg was called Elfarsker­—the river islets—and it is believed that during the Viking Age, the islands were used for holmgång—a duel with strict rules and a legally recognized way to settle disputes that would not end until someone was bleeding, and in its early days, until someone died. As we made our way west, Augustin took us by Brännö, which is the likely location of Breca and the Brondings in the Anglo-Saxon poems Widsith and Beowulf.

Along the way, Augustin nosed the T11 into a narrow cove where he instructed Vermilion Yacht Sales Owner Mike Moes to jump off the bow and tie a nylon strap to a metal eyelet in the granite rock. All the stainless railings on the Nimbus models are open at the bow—a handy feature for nosing up to docks and rocks to let crew on and off without having to perform acrobatics to clear the railing.

Augustin did not deploy the stern anchor. Instead, after Moes had hopped back aboard, he used the twin engines and bow thruster to rotate the 40-foot T11 in place. He performed this feat inside a cove barely more than 50 feet wide and then told Dave Stanulis of Ontario’s Pride Marine to hop onto the opposite ledge to secure a bowline to another eyelet. It was an impressive bit of boat handling on a lee shore, but Augustin—who fits stereotype of the tall, handsome, blond Swede—wore an ear-to-ear grin. He was having fun jockeying the fiberglass boat feet from the rocks.

The other boats had been on standby, waiting to raft up, but when Augustin decided the conditions inside the cove were too windy for cocktails, we headed for Donsö Island. We docked right in front of Hotel Isbolaget where we’d be spending the night and enjoyed a drink as the sun poked through the clouds.

Cocktail time gave me a chance to talk to Nimbus Chief Designer Joacim Gustavsson. I asked how a man with an M.A. in interior architecture got into boat design. “I was a boatbuilder first,” he said, then sharing how, among other jobs, he worked in CAD, and as a product developer for IKEA. I’d been aboard a T-11 previously and was impressed by the highly convertible cockpit seats that could be flipped forward, aft and sideways. Clearly, Gustavsson’s skills were not wasted. Nimbus boats makes clever use of confined spaces. The shower and head on the 11-series boats (the T11, C11 and the new W11) for example, are not separated, but the head features a well-designed cover to keep it completely dry during a shower. Like most Scandinavian designs, it looks good too.

Gustavsson joined Nimbus in 2007 and oversees all of its boat designs, which are done in-house. The hulls and some of the renderings are made in collaboration with a naval architecture firm to optimize performance and ensure safety, but Nimbus draws the lines.

While photographing the W11 from the T11, I’d been struck by T11’s stability. It uses Zipwake trim tabs and offers a Seakeeper option too. The T11, like the other 11-series models, is built on an air lubricated, twin-stepped hull. For a 40’8” LOA boat, it has a very narrow 11’5” beam. That width could lead to rolling, but not on the T11. She felt solid and steady at all speeds, despite some choppy conditions we’d encountered, and multiple high-speed crossings of the W11’s wake.

After the cocktail, we brought our bags to Hotel Isbolaget, a converted icehouse. Göthberg pointed out the shovel marks high up on the wooden walls where the fishermen used to shovel out the ice they used to keep their catch from spoiling.

Göthberg looks like Ernest Hemingway, but can be as jolly as Santa Claus, which makes him the perfect front man for Nimbus. His enthusiasm for fun and all things Swedish, including its customs, heritage and food, were infectious. Before sitting down to dinner, he insisted we see what we were going to eat. He led us down the waterfront, to a small fish shack where we encountered his friend, a local fisherman named Ola, who would be supplying the local crayfish (known as Kräfta) for our Midsummer night feast. Ola boiled the Kräfta right in front of us and even though crayfish are generally served cooled, Göthberg said they are best warm. Everyone gathered around to sample crayfish tails fresh out of the pot and washed them down with beer and wine.

Donsö, like all the islands in the archipelago, is completely free of cars. All transportation happens by bicycle, delivery moped, electric car, ferry or boat. After sampling his wares, Ola loaded two crates of freshly boiled crayfish on the front of his old-fashioned motorized tricycle and rode off to the hotel.

Göthberg then led his merry band of brokers back to the hotel dining room where a feast of freshly boiled crayfish, cheesy Västerbotten pie, hard-boiled eggs with tiny shrimp, and a Smörgåsbord of Swedish delicacies were consumed. The foreigners were taught how to sing Helan går, which means “you take it all,” a traditional Swedish drinking song about properly finishing off your shot of Aquavit. The Americans and Canadians had the drinking part down, but never really got the hang of the song, which meant it was sung over and over.

Once we were amply fortified, Nimbus America Marketing Manager Jane Moede provided a professional-caliber musical performance, singing and playing her guitar. Yachting Solutions Broker Bob Bauer accompanied on a pink $139 electric guitar that Göthberg had purchased for the occasion. Gustavsson added percussion, playing a large, stainless-steel pan he had procured from the kitchen.

After Moede ran through a repertoire that included The Steve Miller Band’s The Joker and Fleetwood Mac’s Dreams, Göthberg announced it was time for the sauna, which is how I ended up floating around in Donso’s harbor sometime well after midnight.

Mere hours later, I met Göthberg, and over breakfast we watched from the dining room as a businessman in a gray suit pulled his commuter boat up to the dock, tied off, hopped out briefcase in hand and a half hour later departed with another well-suited businessman.

Göthberg had told me that Donsö continues to be an important fishing and ship-owning community and, despite its sleepy vacation appearance, serves as headquarters for at least a dozen major maritime companies whose oil tankers roam the planet and whose large commercial fishing vessels call the island home. The only way for these businessmen to get to and fro is by boat. There is no airport, so a fast boat that can handle rough seas and a pilothouse that keeps Armani suits dry year-round is just one reason why Nimbus makes its commuter models. The other reason is to build serious all-weather craft for recreational boaters.

At 7:30 a.m., with the sun already high, Göthberg took the helm of the W11 while Augustin and I hopped aboard the T9 so I could photograph Nimbus’ newest and largest Weekender model. Göthberg ran the company’s newest steed through her paces, and he was not shy about showing her speed. The T9 with its 400-hp Mercury is no slouch, but she was no match for the W11 and her twin 400 Mercs, which can propel the W11 to over 50 knots.

After almost an hour of running around Donsö, we switched boats. I took the wheel of the W11, and she didn’t disappoint. Whether I pushed the throttles forward slowly or quickly, there was no perceptible bow rise. Visibility over the bow was excellent, although I wasn’t crazy about the height of the windshield, whose cap rail seemed to be at the exact height where my eyeballs sit in my head. I told Augustin I preferred the visibility from the helm of the C11 with its enclosed cabin and all-round windows, but the Swede, who was well over 6 feet tall could easily look over the top of the windshield. By adjusting the tilt on the steering wheel, placing my feet a little forward and putting my rear-end firmly against the bolster, I improved my sightlines and found the W11 to be a beautiful machine.

Regardless of speed, the boat trimmed herself. Augustin explained that Nimbus is keen on making the driver experience as uncomplicated as possible and that was the case. The W11 is easy to operate, comfortable and well-built. (Every Nimbus is not just built to CE and ABYC standards, but is tested and certified by Det Norske Veritas, which is one of the most renowned marine certification agencies in the world.) She may have been designed by Swedes, but with her folding side balconies and all the seating and sunpads, she’ll make a great platform for entertaining a crowd in the U.S., or with her two spacious berths, allow for a weekend aboard. Whereas the C11 has already attracted buyers in North America with her enclosed pilothouse, the W11 with the air moving below her Targa or through her optional sunroof, should be very attractive to buyers in America’s warmer climes.

We took the W11 around the island at various speeds, slowing down for an older gentleman who was putt-putting in his classic tender, and admiring the traditional red homes that dotted the surrounding islands. When we returned to Donsö’s harbor, Gustavsson was standing on the dock with his briefcase strapped to his back. He needed to go back to work in Långedrag and the W11 needed to return to the Nimbus technicians who would put the final touches on their new baby.

Augustin nosed the W11 to the dock without tying up. Gustavsson hopped on, Augustin and I hopped off and Gustavsson sped off for the mainland.

Beautiful islands, good food and drink, midnight saunas, cold dips and excellent company. I’d only been hanging with these Swedes for 24 hours, but if this is how they boat, please count me in.

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This article originally appeared in the November 2023 issue of Power & Motoryacht magazine.

Source: https://www.powerandmotoryacht.com/outboard/nimbus-boats-factory-tour-and-boat-review