Nimble sailboats for sale

Buying a used Nimble: one small yard, not a big brand

A used Nimble is a boat from one small Clearwater, Florida operation, not a marque with multiple builders or generations of ownership behind it. The company traces to a single founder, Jerry Koch, who started it in 1985 and worked almost exclusively with one designer, Ted Brewer, across the entire catalog. That narrows what a "used Nimble" search actually involves: rather than weighing competing builders or eras of corporate ownership, a buyer is choosing among a fairly small run of boats made by people who are, for the most part, no longer in business. Production fell off sharply after Koch's death in 2003, when a handful of his former suppliers - among them Ken McCleave - kept the operation going. Parts, records, and owner knowledge all trace back to that same small circle, which is worth weighing before falling for a particular hull.

Which era to target

The earliest Nimbles - the 20 and the 30, introduced within a year of each other - are the shoal-draft pocket cruisers that started the line; the 30 was raced successfully across the Atlantic early in the company's history. From there the lineup split into two directions: smaller boats like the 24 that followed the 20's template directly, and pilothouse motorsailers - the Arctic, then the Kodiak, introduced in 1993 as its direct successor - built for standing headroom and shelter rather than trailerable simplicity. The 32-foot Wanderer, the largest hull Nimble offered, came later still, among the last models built before Koch's 2003 death and the sharp drop-off in production that followed it. A boat from that final stretch is buying into the yard's last active years; a 20 or 30 is buying into its first.

Navigating the lineup

The practical split for a buyer runs along the same line as the company's own history: compact, trailerable pocket cruisers - the 20, 24, and 30 - built earlier in the run, against pilothouse motorsailers - Arctic, Kodiak, and Wanderer - that came later and represent the Koch-Brewer partnership at its most developed. A buyer prioritizing trailerability and simplicity should look toward the smaller, earlier boats; a buyer wanting standing headroom and shelter for extended cruising should look toward the Arctic, Kodiak, or Wanderer. The full model directory on this page breaks down the specifics of each.