Reproduced with permission of the Nimble Boat Works.
The Nimble 30 was designed for pleasure. Sailing pleasure, visual charm, human comfort and pride of ownership. This hedonistic approach left no quarter for plastic parts, cheap construction or the Madison Avenue advertising campaign that suggests you can accommodate the passengers of the Queen Mary on a 30 foot sailboat. The boat had to look right, feel good and sail well. These three requirements translate into a glorious boat topside, a modern underbody and a boat designed for the human body. There is no reason such a pleasurable boat cannot be competitively priced, and the Nimble 30 is.
The hull of the Nimble 30 reflects the latest thought process in cruising hull design. The parameters are that she must be strongly built yet light in weight with the ability of carrying a sufficient load of stores. One can load 2700 pounds and the boat will go down approximately 3 inches and still yield exciting sailing performance.
A canoe stern hull was chosen not only for its great beauty but it has been said that this is one of the safest designs as the stern will assist in parting the waves. The Nimble 30 has a graceful whale stripe which not only adds strength but allows for installation of a proper rub rail.
The Nimble 30 is hand laid up employing core contruction, state of the art biaxial and triaxial fiberglass. This allows light weight yet incredible strength. All structural bulkheads are glassed to the hull and followed with a mechanical fastening. Even the floors are individually fiberglassed to the full.
The rudder is built with a steel skeleton covered in glass and with a 1 1/2" stainless steel stock.
To keel or not to keel: the standard cruising keel is a NACA Type C keel which provides high lift with good directional stability. The keel is long enough to support the weight of the boat when drying out or in the event one goes aground. The centerboard version has a shaped board with the pennant attached above the water line. When the board is up she fits into a mated slot thus virtually eliminating turbulence. For those who insist upon poking into shallow waters, a lead shoe is offered.
The cockpit of a sailboat must serve a multitude of needs. Not only is that the control center of the boat but also the passageway for below decks, a place to sleep on warm nights and an eating and entertaining area. First and foremost the cockpit must be safe and project a secure feeling for all concerned.
We have attained this on the Nimble 30 with strong input of accomplished cruising sailors, our own experience and designer expertise. The cockpit has a safe foot well where one can brace oneself on that hard slog to weather, good strong coamings wide enough to sit comfortably, a bridge deck to keep the occasional wave from going below decks and real honest cockpit drains.
Mainsheet, jib sheet and mizzens are readily reached by the singlehanded sailor, either steering from the tiller or optional wheel. From a safety standpoint there is a liferaft locker and obvious thought has been paid to the built-in location of storage for lifejackets and safety equipment. In the event of a mishap all necessary equipment is at hand. The manual bilge pump can be operated while sailing the boat.
From a comfort standpoint the seats are 6'4" in length and slightly canted to allow sleeping while underway. We have chosen to build in two lockers which can accommodate a standard 48 quart ice chest. There are even two locations designed into the deck to hold a can of beer that always seemed to spill on the last tack. There is an optional table for those wonderful quiet dinners in the cockpit. All back supports are designed with comfort in mind. No matter where one chooses to step (or jump) nothing will break. There are no sharp edges, no protruding cleats in the middle of your back, not even anyplace to stub your toe.
The deck was designed with traditional appearance but with full regard to the need to safely perform all the varied requirements of a sailing vessel. A higher than normal level of attention was paid to details. The kind of details that prevent that all too common leak from forming six months after the bank says yes.
Details like: a self-draining anchor locker with recessed hinges and lock, a hatch cover over the forward berth, six bronze opening elliptical ports, an optional forward opening port, a skylight that opens, a proper sea hood over the companionway, a lazarette hatch, heavy duty bronze Herreshoff mooring cleats. It goes without saying that all major items are through-bolted with suitable backing plates.
The house sides are canted 5 degrees with the ports having a 10 degree spigot therefore no water enters when one opens the ports. There are optional bronze screens. The eyebrow is teak. The weather decks are built on a 24 foot radius to allow comfortable walking while still attaining proper drainage. Consistent with safety considerations, the non-skid on the coach roof is more aggressive than that of the weatherdecks.
The hull to deck joint is a mechanical fastening on five inch centers with the deck bonded in 5200 adhesive. The deck is a one piece mold with core. The toe rail is anodized aluminum, offering not only strength but infinite sheeting locations. Below that is a teak rub rail with an optional bronze cap. The rub rail is constructed in such a manner, that it is replaceable by the average boat owner and is designed in such a manner to prevent the water from running down the sides of the hull.
The below deck area of the Nimble 30 is in keeping with the traditional qualities found in any good cruising boat.
She has full standing head room with as much as 6'5" under her opening skylight. Ventilation is provided by 6 opening ports, two opening hatches as well as that of the companionway.
The Nimble 30 enjoys a warm interior from her traditional skylight to her teak and holly cabin sole. Real liveable berths are provided by a double in the fore peak, a convertible double in the main salon and a single to port.
The galley has generous working areas, a well insulated ice box, a sizable sink, a stove that can be ordered with an optional oven. There is ample storage space for dishes as well as provisions.
There is a hanging locker in addition to the foul weather gear locker. While the boat is underway there is a location below decks where one can sit and read and yet keep an eye on the person sailing the boat. Full running hand-hold also serve as a drip rail when the occasional wave comes through the open port. There are no sharp edges and all doors and lockers have substantial retaining devices.
The head, which faces fore and aft, has a molded-in shower pan and can be equipped with an optional shower.
The mast of the Nimble 30 is constructed out of 6000 series aluminum and is available in either sloop or optional yawl configuration. In either case it carries a Bermuda mainsail with a full hoist jib. The sloop configuration is primarily for those who require windvane self steering. On the sloop the boom is one foot longer than the yawl. In both configurations the single spreader main spar is stepped on the keel. The option of a tabernacle is available for those who require it. The standing rigging is 1 by 19 stainless steel with the forestay 1/4 inches in diameter. The mizzen is independent of the main.
The Nimble 30 is available with three distinct auxiliary power alternatives. The choice should be based on your sailing needs and budgetary requirements. The simplest and least expensive is an outboard located in a well in the aftermost portion of the cockpit. There is adequate room for cockpit fuel storage both port and starboard. We also offer a Yanmar 1 GM 10 single cylinder 10 horsepower inboard diesel engine. This is adequate in most areas and certainly economical to operate. For those whose sailing grounds necessitate a larger engine or who desire mechanical refrigeration and/or hot and cold pressure water, we recommend the Yanmar 2 GM 20 which is a 2 cylinder 18 horsepower inboard diesel.
The Nimble 30 is of sufficient size to allow documentation. The advantages of documentation are varied but perhaps the most relevant is that it allows for financing of the boat by out-of-state lending institutions and for a period of time up to 20 years.
The Nimble 30 was designed to be transportable. We fully realize that the Nimble 30 is too large to be easily trailed yet with a permit a 3/4 ton vehicle can easily transport this 6000 pound load. This allows, in areas such as the northeast, the ability of taking your boat home for the winter thus saving the cost of storage.
In areas of tight slip availability the Nimble 30 with centerboard can easily be dry sailed. On the optional trailer one can leave the boat fully rigged, launch her on Fridays, retrieve her on Sundays with the remainder of the week leaving her at your favorite sailing location.
| Base Boat | $79,950.00 |
| Centerboard: 2-Inch Lead Shoe, Self-Tailing Winch | 4,500.00 |
| Yawl Rig with Sail/Cover | 2,950.00 |
| Winch Upgrade: Two Speed, Self Tailing | 1,250.00 |
| Harken Roller Furling | 1,650.00 |
| Transport Trailer | 5,950.00 |
| Custom Work | P.O.A. |
| Specifications | |
| Length Overall: 33.2’ | Ballast: 2,450 lbs. |
| Length on Deck: 29.11’ | Sail Area: 450 sq. ft. |
| Length at Waterline: 25.8’ | Disp/Length: 185 |
| Beam: 9.4’ | S.A./Length: 19.7 |
| Draft: Keel 4.3’ Keel/CB 2.10/5.6 |
Construction: Core Fiberglass |
| Displacement: 7,000 lbs. | Spars: Aluminum |
| Designer: | Ted Brewer |
| Prices and Specifications Subject to Change Without Notice 9/95 | |
Nimble Boats
1005 Gunn Highway
Odessa, Florida 33556
(813) 926-0269
© 2008 Nimble Boat Owner’s Association. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without express written permission from the Nimble Boat Owner’s Association. All other trademarks or servicemarks appearing on this site are the marks of their respective owners.