New Nimbus 365 Coupe | BoatTEST Celebrates 20th Year - 03/20/20
BoatTEST Newsletter March 20, 2020
New Test Video
Nimbus 365 Coupe:
Cruiser Ready for the New Paradigm
The Nimbus 365 coupe is a highly functional asymmetrical cruiser that's designed to return us to the days of comfortable overnight cruising. The new 365 takes maximum advantage of available space in just 36’ (10.97 m) to accommodate a family on short or long cruises, and she’s well suited for couples. She has a bow master and a guest stateroom below, plus a salon settee that converts into yet another berth that kids will enjoy. The master has a private entrance to the single head, which has a separate shower stall and also functions as the day head. She has a standard diesel heater, A/C, and a Panda-Fisher generator.
Two 100-watt solar panels on the overhead help keep the batteries charged without excessive generator operation. Two electrically-operated sunroofs add natural light to that, provided by the large windows all around. A side door adjacent the helm allows the captain to assist with lines on docking. She performed well on a single 440-hp Volvo Penta diesel in our tests, reaching a top speed of 24.3 knots. Fuel use at lower speeds was consistent from 2400 up to 3000 rpm, settling in at 1.3 nmpg, allowing the skipper to select for most comfortable ride with little concern for range.
Nimbus is the largest boat brand in Sweden, and this boat was obviously designed for boaters in Northern Europe. Sweden has the highest density of boat ownership in the world per capita, with about one boat owned for every four households vs. 1 in 10 for the U.S., including Jon boats. With just three to four months of prime boating weather in the Baltic, Swedes make boating a family – and extended family – activity. Their boats double as a summer cabin. The single diesel in the Nimbus 365 makes for economical cruising, and the diesel heater keeps the boat snug on cold nights. The A/C provides utility for America’s southern boaters, and the sun roof and side door make operating this boat in the tropics comfortable. More...
BoatTEST Celebrates its 20th Year!
This was the BoatTEST.com home page when it went live on Sept. 15, 2000.
BoatTEST is entering its 20th year of service to boat buyers all over the world. Our mission from the beginning was to inform boat buyers on what they needed to know about specific boats before writing a check from tens of thousands to millions of dollars and help them find the right boat for their needs. That raison d’etre has never changed. We were the first website in the boating industry to stream video – we started with 100 in the days of dial-up – a full six years before the advent of YouTube.
Today, when consumers walk into a boat dealership, they usually know more about the boat than the sales person – that’s because of BoatTEST. People now go to boat shows simply to touch, feel, and get the boat show price – because their research was already done on BoatTEST. Educated consumers know what to look for in all boats and what constitutes “best practices” – thanks to BoatTEST. For 20 years, BoatTEST has been pointing out boats’ outstanding features, and gently nudging builders where improvements could be made.
Indeed, 88% of our members say that BoatTEST was the most helpful information source in making a buying decision. In these turbulent times, people will need BoatTEST more than ever to find the best buys on the market, not just the cheapest ones. Keep watching these pages.
Test Video
Regency 210 DL3:
Competitively-Priced Luxury-Grade Pontoon
The Regency 210 DL3 is built by the folks at White River Marine – the largest boat builder in terms of units in the world. This company was formerly called Tracker Marine. Because of that, Regency has all of the resources needed to build the highest-quality pontoon boat on the market, yet because of production numbers, can offer that quality at a competitive price. That combination provides extremely good value.
The 210 DL3 is a luxury-grade tri-toon in a relatively lightweight package of 5,450 lbs. (2,472 kg), making her suitable for trailering behind mid-size and larger vehicles. She has distinctive black powder-coated rails, gates and pontoons, built-in LED docking and running lights, and ultra-plush multi-density foam upholstery. The swim platform, covered in woven vinyl like the rest of the decking, extends all the way across the transom. A tow pylon raises the line above the outboard for tow sports.
The QuickLift Bimini is also standard. The helm is mounted on a platform to give the operator a better view forward, and the helm has a Lowrance HOOK2 7” (17.78 cm) sonar with GPS. The 26”-diameter (66 cm) pontoons add buoyancy and improve performance over smaller pontoons. With a 200-hp Mercury FourStroke, she had a top speed of 39.4 mph. More...
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Test Video
Sea Ray SDX 250 OB:
Asymmetrical Layout, Seating for 14
The Sea Ray SDX 250 OB is a deckboat with a wide topside flare forward providing added seating space — she can carry up to 14, something that is unusual in a 25’ (7.62 m) boat. She’s available in both sterndrive and outboard versions. We tested the OB model with a single 300-hp Mercury Verado outboard, which delivered a top speed of 46.9 mph. The outboard model has the advantage of added storage space aft in what is the engine compartment on the sterndrive model.
Her layout is asymmetrical, unlike many in the genre, with the walkthrough to the bow on the port side, giving space for a double bench seat at the helm. This seat has a reversible back so it can face the social area. The port walkthrough also gives space up front for two or three to sit facing forward adjacent the removable fiberglass table. The usual Sea Ray touches are all there, including hex-pattered and embroidered multi-tone upholstery and grass-cloth type decking. The tower and Bimini shown in the photo are part of the long options list. More...
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Boating Tips
How to Avoid Spin Outs
While powerboat spin outs can be exciting, they are also dangerous.
You can have a lot of exciting moments in a fast powerboat and all of a sudden, things do not go quite according to plan. One of the most dramatic is a spin out, where the boat turns end for end or at least 90 degrees in the blink of an eye. If you are lucky, you can walk away from it. If not, it can also lead to trouble. Learn how to avoid it. More...
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