Nimbus

Nimbus is the yard we ask for when the programme needs a Scandinavian-built, all-weather tender that works as hard at anchor as it does at speed. Founded in 1968 in Gothenburg, Sweden, and now part of Nimbus Group AB, the yard builds across three product families - day cruisers, coupés, and flybridge yachts - but the range most relevant to superyacht programmes is the dedicated Tender series, running from compact day-boat hulls up to the 12.7m T12.

Production sits primarily at the Lugnås facility outside Mariestad, in Västra Götaland, where Nimbus operates an environment-award-winning factory built around vacuum infusion technology. Hull and deck construction in a closed-mould system yields a lighter, stiffer laminate than conventional open lay-up, and every hull is type-certified by DNV (Det Norske Veritas) - a classification standard more commonly associated with commercial vessels and megayachts than production leisure boats of this size.

The current flagship of the Tender line, the T12, measures 12.7m LOA with a 3.46m beam, carries twelve guests under CE category C or ten under category B, and is available with twin Mercury V10 425 hp outboards for a manufacturer-stated speed capability above 45 knots. The air-lubricated twin-stepped hull, integrated solar panels on the T-top, and a fold-down starboard balcony make it a credible alternative to bespoke Italian chase programmes when the owner's budget and garage dimensions favour a volume-production hull. The T11, its immediate predecessor at 12.4m, is already listed as a chase tender by SuperYacht Times.

The Nimbus 495 Coupé won European Powerboat of the Year 2025, confirming that the yard's broader engineering credibility holds at the top of its range. We'd put the Tender line alongside Axopar and Saxdor for price-point comparison, with the DNV certification and vacuum-infused structure as the differentiators that justify a higher initial outlay.