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Review of Nimbus 42


Basic specs.

sail specifications
The Nimbus 42 is a large sailboat designed by the American maritime architect bureau Kaufman & Ladd in the early eighties. The Nimbus 42 is built by the Swedish yard Albin Marin AB.

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Hull
Both the hull and the deck is made of fibreglass. Generally, a hull made of fibreglass requires only a minimum of maintenance during the sailing season.

Interior
The headroom is above average

Keel

The Nimbus 42 is equipped with a fin keel. The fin keel is the most common keel and provides splendid manoeuvrability. The downside is that it has less directional stability than a long keel.

The boat can enter most marinas as the draft is just about 1.77 - 1.87 meter (5.81 - 6.11 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.


Engine

The boat is typically equipped with a Pathfinder diesel engine at 50.0 hp (37 kW), which gives a max speed about 6.6 knots.

The fuel tank has a capacity of 227.0 liters (59 US gallons, 49 imperial gallons).


Sailing characteristics

This section covers widely used rules of thumb to describe the sailing characteristics. Please note that even though the calculations are correct, the interpretation of the results might not be valid for extreme boats.

Stability and Safety

What is Capsize Screening Formula (CSF)?

The capsize screening value for Nimbus 42 is 1.80, indicating that this boat could - if evaluated by this formula alone - be accepted to participate in ocean races.


Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed

What is Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed?

The theoretical maximal speed of a displacement boat of this length is 7.8 knots. The term "Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed" is widely used even though a boat can sail faster. The term shall be interpreted as above the theoretical speed a great additional power is necessary for a small gain in speed.


Immersion rate

The immersion rate is defined as the weight required to sink the boat a certain level. The immersion rate for Nimbus 42 is about 265 kg/cm, alternatively 1489 lbs/inch.
Meaning: if you load 265 kg cargo on the boat then it will sink 1 cm. Alternatively, if you load 1489 lbs cargo on the boat it will sink 1 inch.


Sailing statistics

This section is statistical comparison with similar boats of the same category. The basis of the following statistical computations is our unique database with more than 26,000 different boat types and 350,000 data points.

Motion Comfort Ratio

What is Motion Comfort Ratio (MCR)?

The Motion Comfort Ratio for Nimbus 42 is 31.4.

Low High 58% 0 50 100
Comparing this ratio with similar sailboats show that it is more comfortable than 58% of all similar sailboat designs. This comfort value is just above average.


L/B (Length Beam Ratio)

What is L/B (Length Beam Ratio)?

The l/b ratio for Nimbus 42 is 3.32.

Slim Wide 50% 0 50 100
Compared with other similar sailboats it is more spacy than 50% of all other designs. It seems that the designer has chosen an average hull design.


Ballast Ratio

What is a Ballast Ratio?

The ballast ratio for Nimbus 42 is 47%.

Low High 88% 0 50 100
This ballast ratio shows a righting moment that is higher than 88% of all similar sailboat designs. A righting moment (ability to resist heeling) significantly above average.


D/L (Displacement Length Ratio)

What is Displacement Length Ratio?

The DL-ratio for Nimbus 42 is 240 which categorizes this boat among 'light crusers & offshore racers'.

Heavy Light 50% 0 50 100
50% of all similar sailboat designs are categorized as heavier. This boat has a precise average ratio between displacement and length!


SA/D (Sail Area Displacement ratio)

What is SA/D (Sail Area Displacement ratio)?

The SA/D for Nimbus 42 with ISO 8666 reference sail is 17.7, with a 135% genua the SA/D is 21.2.

Low High 54% 0 50 100
The SA/D ratio indicates that it is faster than 54% of all similar sailboat designs in light wind.


Over- / underrigged

Low High 46% 0 50 100
The Nimbus 42 has more rig than 46% of all similar sailboats, which indicates that the boat is slightly underrigged.


Maintenance

Bottom Paint

When buying anti-fouling bottom paint, it's nice to know how much to buy. The surface of the wet bottom is about 44m2 (473 ft2).
Based on this, your favourite maritime shop can tell you the quantity you need.

Note: If you use a paint roller you will need more paint than if you use a paintbrush.


Rig

Dimensions of sail.

mainsail specifications headsail specifications

Are your sails worn out? You might find your next sail here: Sails for Sale



If you need to renew parts of your running rig and is not quite sure of the dimensions, you may find the estimates computed below useful.



Guiding dimensions of running rig
UsageLengthDiameter
Mainsail halyard 38.6 m(126.8 feet)12 mm(1/2 inch)
Jib/genoa halyard38.6 m(126.8 feet)12 mm(1/2 inch)
Spinnaker halyard38.6 m(126.8 feet)12 mm(1/2 inch)
Jib sheet 12.7 m(41.5 feet)14 mm(0.55 inch)
Genoa sheet12.7 m(41.5 feet)14 mm(0.55 inch)
Mainsheet 31.6 m(103.8 feet)14 mm(0.55 inch)
Spinnaker sheet27.8 m(91.3 feet)14 mm(0.55 inch)
Cunningham4.6 m(15.0 feet)12 mm(1/2 inch)
Kickingstrap9.1 m(30.0 feet)12 mm(1/2 inch)
Clew-outhaul9.1 m(30.0 feet)12 mm(1/2 inch)

Boat owner's ideas

This section shown boat owner's changes, improvements, etc. Here you might find inspiration for your boat.

Do you have changes/improvements you would like to share? Upload a photo and describe what to look for.



Finally

We are always looking for new photos. If you can contribute with photos for Nimbus 42 it would be a great help.

If you have any comments to the review, improvement suggestions, or the like, feel free to contact us. Criticism helps us to improve.



References