Nimbus Sport Tender 42

Nimbus Sport Tender 42 Details

The Nimbus Sport Tender 42 is Nimbus’s new 42-foot premium walk-around sport tender, designed as a large, fast, social day boat with genuine overnight capability. It sits in Nimbus’s updated Sport Cruiser 42 series and is aimed at owners who want the boat itself to be the destination: swimming, lounging, cooking, socializing, carrying water toys, cruising quickly between bays, and spending weekends aboard. The 41-foot, 7-inch walk-around is perfect for full days on the water, with capacity for up to 12 people and sleeping accommodations for four in two cabins.

Stay tuned to Seattle Yachts social media channels for information about the new models coming from Nimbus. Seattle Yachts is the authorized Nimbus Boats dealer for the West Coast with locations throughout California and Washington State.

The design is recognizably Nimbus: clean Scandinavian lines, practical deck movement, a low but substantial profile, stainless detailing, sheltered helm ergonomics, and a layout that prioritizes how people actually use a boat during a full day. In the 42-series update, Nimbus has added a more distinctive exterior treatment, new custom helm seats, an extended swim platform, updated railings, improved lighting and serviceability, and, specifically for the Sport Tender 42, a wider and longer T-top with integrated solar panels and acrylic sun-block sections.

The boat’s defining feature is its open walk-around deck plan. Wide side decks connect the bow, cockpit, and aft deck so guests can move naturally around the boat without the deck ever feeling blocked. Nimbus describes the layout as a design discipline rather than just a styling choice: furniture, passageways, foredeck, aft deck, and transitions are all sized around real movement onboard. The result is a boat that can change from fast cruising mode to lunch mode, swim mode, sunbathing mode, or harbor-arrival mode without rearranging the whole day around one fixed seating plan.

Aft is the social center of the Sport Tender 42. The cockpit lounge uses three sofas and a large table, with seating, table, and canvas sun cover designed to reconfigure easily. In drive mode, the lounge can provide forward-facing seating for fast cruising. At anchor, the same area can become a long sun pad or a face-to-face dining and conversation space around the table. The canvas shade extends over a meaningful portion of the deck, rather than acting as a small decorative bimini, and folds away when owners want open light and sky.

A major new feature is the folding starboard-side balcony. When deployed at anchor, it opens the cockpit directly over the water and expands the aft social footprint; when folded away, it returns to the hull line for cruising. Together with the extended swim platform, the balcony makes the boat feel more like a waterside terrace than a conventional center-console day boat. The aft platform is structurally integrated with the hull, and Nimbus lists an optional hydraulic function that can lower it toward passerelle height for boarding from a quay, dinghy, or dock.

The outdoor galley is built for proper day use rather than just basic drinks service. It sits aft and includes drawers for cutlery and tableware, a sink with hot water, and space for either a gas stove or an electric grill. Refrigeration is a major part of the concept, allowing food, drinks, and frozen items to be separated for a full day aboard.

Storage is another strength. On the outboard configuration, Nimbus has excellent stowage capacity accessed through a hydraulic opening from the aft deck. That space is intended for the sort of equipment owners actually bring: stand-up paddleboards, wakeboards, SeaBobs, an inflatable tender, wetsuits, towels, and other water-sports gear. New aft side cushions can also turn storage areas into extra casual seating when more people are aboard.

Forward, the foredeck provides a quieter second lounge zone. Nimbus describes space for a divan and a sunbed, with the wide gunwale and new 40 mm stainless-steel railing allowing the foredeck to double as a seating area. A large loading hatch connects the foredeck directly to the forward cabin, making it easier to load provisions, bags, and gear below without carrying everything through the cockpit.

At the helm, the Sport Tender 42 is built around protected, high-speed cruising. Nimbus uses new custom helm seats with improved ergonomics and lateral support to reduce fatigue on longer passages. The updated Nimbus user interface is organized around the pages a driver reaches for most: engine data, interceptors, depth, charts, tank levels, batteries, shore power, charger status, and current draw. Standard equipment on the official product page includes a Simrad 12-inch NSX plotter for the outboard configuration, Nimbus Connect, bow thruster, Zipwake dynamic trim interceptors, shore power and charger, windshield wiper, compass, LED lighting, and battery monitoring equipment.

The hull is an air-lubricated twin-stepped design with a sharp bow section and low planing threshold. Nimbus describes it as built to run dry and stable in real conditions at 45+ knots, with a deep-V form tuned for Nordic waters and rougher weather. Close-quarters handling depends on configuration: Mercury outboard versions can be specified with Mercury Joystick Piloting and integrated bow thruster, while Volvo Penta inboard versions can use an assisted docking package with joystick control.

Engine information should be confirmed by market and build year, because Nimbus’s current official pages list the high-output Mercury V10 slightly differently in different places. The main Sport Tender 42 specification lists 2 × Mercury Verado V8 300 hp, 2 × Mercury Verado V10 400 hp, and 2 × Volvo Penta D4 DPI 320 hp as engine alternatives; the Sport Cruiser 42 overview and model copy also reference dual Mercury V10 425 hp for owners seeking more power.

Below deck, the Sport Tender 42 is more than a pure day boat. It has two separate cabins: a forward double cabin and a mid-cabin double, giving four berths in total. The bathroom is described as a proper compartment with standing height, a separate door, toilet, and shower. Nimbus also notes improved sound insulation and storage sized for a few nights aboard, which makes the boat suitable for weekend cruising as well as long days at anchor.

Standard equipment is extensive for a sport tender. Nimbus lists vacuum-infused sandwich laminate construction with Divinycell core, marine-varnished Nordic oak interior, cabin carpets and cushions, aft-deck cushions, a large teak aft-deck table, bathing ladder, self-bailing aft deck, anchor box with drainage, stainless-steel pulpits, bollards and grab rails, toilet and shower, electric pump-out, refrigerator, fresh-water system, full LED lighting including courtesy lights, Seafire automatic fire-fighting system, manual extinguisher, manual and electric bilge pumps, Nimbus cutlery and crockery for six, flagpole, toolkit, and first-aid kit.

Overall, the Nimbus Sport Tender 42 is best understood as a large luxury walk-around day boat with weekend-cruiser substance. It is sportier and more open than a coupé cruiser, but more practical, social, and sleep-capable than a simple center-console. Its strongest selling points are the open movement around the boat, large convertible aft lounge, starboard side balcony, extended swim platform, big aft storage, serious outdoor galley, two-cabin accommodation, and fast 45-knot-plus hull. For owners who want a premium Scandinavian boat for family days, entertaining, swimming, watersports, fast coastal runs, and occasional overnight stays, the Sport Tender 42 is designed to be a complete all-day platform rather than just a fast tender.