NIMBUS 365
BUILT 2015 PRICE £249,950
We’re heavy on sportscruisers this month for two reasons. Firstly, pickings are slim on the used boat market, you take what you can find to some extent, and secondly because I like them and I’m choosing them. However in a bid to provide balance and choice, I’ve found a very practical (or ‘super’ practical, as modern vernacular irritatingly has it) deck saloon boat, hailing, as these things often do, from Scandinavia.
INTERIOR
Function, function and function, says the Swedish builder’s website, and it’s fair to say that we’re now about as far away from the Superhawk 43 of preceding pages as it’s possible to get. But the 365 is indeed incredibly functional. The deck saloon offers great one-level living, being a step-less stroll from the cockpit and housing the galley as well as a large dinette and the helm. In fact the only reason to visit the lower deck is to use the heads or to sleep in one of the two double cabins (there’s a master cabin in the bow and a second cabin that extends back under the deck saloon).
Sliding overhead glass hatches add light and a side door next to the helm open this area to the elements or can be closed to banish them as required.
EXTERIOR
Wide side decks and high rails make this an easy boat to work, as does that side access door at the helm. Back aft, the cockpit is deep and sheltered, with an L-shaped run of seating and a demountable table.
LOA 35ft 9in (11.0m) BEAM 11ft 3in (3.5m) DRAUGHT 3ft 8in (1.2m) DISPLACEMENT 6.2 tonnes FUEL CAPACITY 700 litres
ENGINE Volvo Penta D6-435 435hp diesel engine
FOR SALE Offshore Powerboats www.offshorepowerboats.co.uk
PERFORMANCE
A vee drive gives the benefits of shaft drive while keeping the engine well aft. Single Volvo Penta D6 330 and D6 370 engines were offered at launch, with this boat upgraded to the D6-435, which should improve upon the 24.5 knot v-max when we tested this model with a D6-370.
SEAKEEPING
That vee drive results in less responsive but steadier handling than an outdrive. Close-quarter handling is a challenge, but the bow and stern thrusters fitted make amends. Offshore, we said: ‘Nimbus romped over everything, treating us to a soft landing and only the slightest of shudders.’