Nimbus C11

Let’s imagine your home port is on the western shore of Lake Michigan, say Milwaukee, and you’d like to take your family to lunch in Michigan.

The Nimbus C11 will get you there and back safely, in comfort and style.

The versatile 40-foot, 7-inch C11 is what Nimbus calls a Commuter — a boat intended for all-weather no-excuses transportation on its home waters, Sweden’s chilly North Atlantic coast. In North America, its enclosed salon, or pilothouse, is perfectly suited to three-season adventure on the Great Lakes.

The very upright lines of the house and a somewhat plumb stem hint that at Nimbus, form will never supersede function — much like a classic Volvo station wagon. The C11 is not as intentionally quirky-looking as the Axopar 37 XC nor does it have the very traditional lines of a boat like the MJM 35. The look of the C11 is just different enough to be interesting, and we find that perfectly appealing.

Options abound

Apart from some new options, the C11 model has been unchanged since its 2020 introduction. Construction, accomplished in Poland, is all composite. The running surface is ventilated by a pair of steps and the bow has a modest flair. Base power is a pair of Mercury V8 Verado 300 outboards. Our test boat was powered by the optional twin V10 Verado 400 outboards with Joystick Piloting for Outboards (JPO). If you’d prefer sterndrive power, the only option is a pair of 320-hp diesel Volvo Penta Aquamatic D4-DPI.

One benefit of sterndrive power is a wide- open transom area. On our outboard-powered C11, the transom must accommodate two large outboards and a motorwell. There are 32-inch deep platforms port and starboard with an 11-inch passway forward the motors. A swim ladder with grabrails and a rinsing shower are located on the starboard platform. Baskets for six large fenders forward of the motorwell and deep compartments in the port and starboard gunwales for lines keep docking gear handy.

The bonus of outboard power is a huge stowage compartment — approximately 5 feet by 6 feet and 28 inches deep — below the aft deck where sterndrive engines would otherwise lie. Flip up a hatch to stow your biggest coolers and bulky gear or raise the entire deck for service access. The bottom of the compartment is covered with non-skid aluminum, while rigging is concealed behind lift-out panels.

Step inside

When conditions warrant, the C11 salon can be fully enclosed, but its expansive side glass, curved windshield and optional glass roof hatches always keep the interior bright. Available heat and air conditioning control the climate. When the weather is pleasant, open the wide sliding side and aft doors and the forward roof hatches and gain all the fresh air you desire. Sliding blinds can shade aft sections of roof glass so it’s possible to completely control the interior environment. Indirect lighting casts a warm glow after the sun sets.

Seating for six to seven guests is wrapped around a convertible table in the aft starboard corner of the salon. A pivoting backrest on the forward seat allows guests to face forward, which many find more comfortable when underway.

A highlight at the helm is an optional pair of fully adjustable suspension seats on which you’ll float when conditions are rough. The helm surfaces are dark and non-reflective. Our boat featured a pair of 12-inch Simrad NSX displays (one comes standard), plus a 5-inch Mercury VesselView display. This boat was also equipped with Simrad HALO24 radar with a Simrad RS40 VHF located in a cubby to starboard. There are a couple of open pockets for small items to the left of the helm, one with a charging outlet. There are no wireless chargers on the boat.

The port and starboard sliding doors are directly adjacent to the helm area for very easy access to the walkways, especially handy when docking single-handed. Wipers keep the port and starboard side glass at the helm clear of spray. An optional JL Audio system powers eight speakers arrayed around the boat, plus a subwoofer in the salon.

A sliding hatch to the left of the helm provides access to the cabin, with an optional galley module (sink, two-burner electric range top and 75-liter Vitrifrigo refrigerator) to the left at the base of the steps. To the right is an expansive and bright head compartment with an enclosed shower and 6 feet of headroom. Headroom in the rest of the cabin is approximately 5 feet, 9 inches. The forward V-berth is 6 feet, 5 inches long, and more than 5 feet wide. The midcabin area has its own door for privacy, a small settee and a full-size berth extending below the helm with good headroom.

Wide walkways surround the house from transom to bow, with depth from the deck to gunwale tops ranging from 30 inches midships to 15 inches forward, offering great security for all passengers and enhanced by grabrails that seem to always be in reach. The 1.5-inch diameter deck rails are works of art executed in polished stainless steel, rivaled only by massive 12-inch polished cleats.

Our boat was fitted with an optional sunpad over the foredeck (no backrest provision) and cushions on a settee at the forward point of the foredeck. Snap off the bottom cushion of the settee to reveal a large hatch that opens directly to the cabin below, intended to make it easier to hand down gear and provisions. From the foredeck, it’s an easy reach to the top of the house, which is equipped with crossbars for securing a paddleboard or small kayak. Heavy stainless steel hatches in the walkway decks cover fuel and water fills, as well as the pump-out port.

Put to the test

Our host for a sea trial of the Nimbus C11, Joe Moede of CenterPointe Yacht Services in Milwaukee, has actually made a Lake Michigan crossing with his young family in another C11, and reports that everyone was confident and comfortable despite 4- to 5-foot seas.

A small craft advisory on Lake Michigan for our sea trial proved to be ideal conditions for putting this all-weather boat to the test, and it did not disappoint. The Zipwake interceptors were not yet programmed for our trial, but the C11 still planed in about 6 seconds with absolutely no bow rise. The hull thumped a bit through the chop but maintained a steady heading.

Turning this boat is a dramatic experience — it heels over sharply but even in aggressive maneuvers did not buck or bob in the rough water and tracked with precision. Turning 21-pitch Mercury Revolution X props, we recorded a top speed of about 53 mph at 6060 RPM. Cruising at 4000 RPM delivered a brisk speed of 32 mph and 1.14 mpg, for a conservative range of about 230 miles.

The C11 combines a feeling of expert, solid construction with a sense of quiet Scandinavian luxury. Few people actually enjoy a daily commute to work or school by boat, but if you need to get across the water in rain or snow or sunshine, the Nimbus C11 would transport you in comfort. It’s also ideal for a run across Lake Michigan for lunch.