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Nimbus Mk II

Posted: 20 Oct 2004, 18:15
by dgarr75456
Has anyone built or sailed a Nimbus Mk II from Bantock? Is it primarily a light air boat? Any suggestions on building one?

Nimbus Plans

Posted: 28 Oct 2004, 12:59
by ChrisJ
The Nimbus Mk1 was commissioned from Graham Bantock by Marine Modelling magazine in 1997 as a replacement for the Ragtime design.
The plan was well detailed with building information and directed at the relative newcomer wanting to build a first IOM in timber planking for local club sailing at a modest budget.
Two years ago the plan was updated with revised body sections to reflect Graham Bantock's latest VPP studies and the currently available plan, MAR 2566, is a single sheet plan which contiues to sell well.
Many examples have been built worldwide and as you would expect for a set of GJB lines the model handles light to moderate winds very well.

Posted: 28 Oct 2004, 20:12
by dgarr75456
Thanks for the information. I have the plans, but a local sailor said the boat was suited for windspeeds of 5 knts. and under conditions only. Based on your comments, I assume it will do well in winds over that range. By the way, I seem to notice a trend to narrower beam boats, away from the wide skiff hulls. Is that true?

Posted: 29 Mar 2006, 19:19
by Gyula
In the 2005 SAILSetc catalog there is a Nimbus MKIII. It says updated version. Does anybody knows what are the differences?

Posted: 31 Mar 2006, 04:34
by cfwahl
dgarr75456 wrote:Thanks for the information. I have the plans, but a local sailor said the boat was suited for windspeeds of 5 knts. and under conditions only. Based on your comments, I assume it will do well in winds over that range. By the way, I seem to notice a trend to narrower beam boats, away from the wide skiff hulls. Is that true?
That seems to be the distinct direction things are headed. Problem with narrow hulls, especially those on the extreme end, is that they tend to be more stall-prone; i.e.: harder for those with lesser skills to sail effectively. My opinion only, and not an expert one, at that. But you can say the same for skinny foils, keels with little chord, skinny pointy bulbs, etc.

So, design "development" favors the better skippers, and widens the gap between them and the less fortunate. Another opinion: that's the major reason why nobody's sailing Marbleheads seriously anymore! In the USA, it's still one of the largest classes in terms of registration, but the number of regattas held each year is small, by comparison. The class has developed itself into competitive non-existence. The boats are fast but cranky.