** I have not been advertising this boat for some months, but as she's about to go on the hardstand for a professional anti-foul there is a limited opportunity for buyers to see her out of the water. She will be hauled out on 11 September and returned to the mooring a week later. That means I can show her to interested buyers on the weekend of 14 and 15 September. **
The Nimble 30 is a Ted Brewer designed blue-water-capable cruising boat. Brewer is one of America's most famous designers with two America's cup winners to his name. In the 1980s he was known for the 'Brewer bite' - he talked many clients out of full keels for touring, and instead gave them the long fin keel and swept back rudder that the Nimble 30 also has. The first owner, who you can see featured in the old magazine ads I've included here, took the boat across the Atlantic twice and then across the Pacific - his orginal charts are still onboard. To see a review of this boat go to YouTube and search 'Captain Q Nimble 30'.
I bought this boat with a view to long-term cruising, but a year or so later my family life took a dramatic turn and it will now be some years until I can get away. 'Esprit' is on a mooring at Williamstown and rather than just let her sit there I have decided to sell.
She was professionally antifouled/prop-speeded in May 2022. She has an almost-new 15hp Yanmar engine. Electrics have been upgraded, including a new dedicated starter battery and separate top quality lithium house battery that automatically charges from solar or the engine when running. I used this configuration in order to bring the batteries in from the engine bay to make them more accessible and the dual-charge system has worked perfectly.
Many Nimble 30s are rigged as yawls, but this one is a cutter rig with a removable inner forestay. The headsail furler works well. I overhauled the reefing system for the main to make it easy to reef from the cockpit. All running rigging is in good order. Standing rigging was last replaced in 2014.
This is a really extraordinary amount of cruising yacht for the size and price - if you've seen the cramped conditions of the 'Free range sailing' boat on YouTube, they you'll appreciate that the Nimble has a lot more room below decks and a lot more storage. She sails very well with just the two sails, though as I'm a solo sailer I have not tried the full cutter rig or spinnaker. She also has a couple of storm jibs. The keel/rudder configuration makes her very maneuverable around moorings and the marina. She also has a custom made dodger though with Esprit being such a dry boat I have never used it.
The engine is easily accessible from inside the cabin or from above through the cockpit hatch, and with covers in place it is extremely quiet. The Nimble is a surprisingly fast boat - it is 25.7 feet at the waterline (compare that to a Cavalier 32, which is just 24 feet LWL) which gives it a hull speed of 6.8 knots. I have regularly sailed over 6 knots on Port Phillip Bay with only main and genoa.
This boat could be toured straight away, but would need a new GPS/chartplotter - the depthsounder works fine, but I pulled out the old nav gear and have only a small GPS at present.
The boat is equipped with all the usual gear - oversized anchor, kedging anchor, life jackets, VHF with mast-top aerial, galley, enclosed head with pump-out toilet and holding tank, huge water-tanks under settee berths, flares, solar panels on stern etc.
If you plan to tour soon, this boat really will require very little to get ready.
* The fishing kayak pictured on the foredeck is not included but can be negotiated if required.
Region
Victoria
Vessel Location
Melbourne Region Williamstown
Usage
Cruising
Launch Year
1986
Rego
TF740
Rego Expiry
01/12/2023
Designer
Ted Brewer
Builder
Nimble Boatworks, Florida US
Length
30' - 9.14m
Beam
2.84m
Draft
1.4m
Displacement
3000kg
Keel / Ballast
Encapsulated lead
Hull Material
Fibreglass/GRP
Deck Material
GRP
Engine Make
Yanmar
Engine
2ym15
Number Engines
1
Horsepower
15hp
Fuel Type
Diesel
Engine Hours
35 approx
Fuel Consumption
Very economical - about 1L/hr
Max Speed
6.8 knots
Cruise Speed
6 knots
Propulsion
Single prop
Thrusters
No
Genset
No, just alternator but linked to dual charger for house battery
Fuel
30L
Water
Approx 180L
Accommodation
Sleeps 4 - two settee berths and one double v-berth
Galley
Sink with salt and fresh footpumped water
Refrigeration
No
Stove
Basic camp stove - old gimballed gas over is still there and could be swapped out for a new one
Water Maker
No
Hotwater System
No
Shower
No
Toilet
Yes. Pump out marine toilet with holding tank
Entertainment
Bookshelf!
Air Conditioning
No
Covers
Hatch cover, winch covers
Ground Tackle
Oversized anchor, chain and rode. Kedging anchor and ground tackle at rear
Bilge Pumps
Whale hand pump; electric pump (not yet tested)
Epirb
Yes
Life Jackets
Six approx
Flares
Yes
Fire Protection
Yes
Electrics
150AH lithium house battery (high quality cylindrical structure kind); fully separate starter battery
Electronics
Depth finder - needs new GPS/chartplotter as I am not including the handheld GPS that's there at present (unless negotiated)
Sail Inventory
Main, genoa, spinnaker, storm jibs and two others
Mast / Rigging
Heavy duty mast and boom - i. E. Suited to offshore conditions. Stainless rigging with hand adjuster on backstay. Cutter rig inner stay has quick release. Running rigging mostly changed 2021
Deck Gear
Two heavy duty spinnaker poles mounted on cabin top