Nimbus Group announces a strategic alliance with Nautical Ventures Group in Florida adding EdgeWater points of sale in key boating markets.

In this distribution agreement, Nimbus Group’s North American brand EdgeWater Power Boats, is significantly enhancing its commitment to the Florida market. The strategic move is aimed at expanding its dealer network across the state of Florida. By strengthening its presence, EdgeWater Boats aims to better serve its customers and cater to the growing demand for high-quality, innovative boats in Florida. This initiative underscores the company’s dedication to growth and excellence within the highly competitive marine industry.

Nautical Ventures will offer the latest EdgeWater models out of four of their locations: their Fort Lauderdale flagship dealership and their Fort Lauderdale Marina, Palm Beach, and Apalachicola. Nautical Ventures is a long-standing and privately owned Florida dealership with a significant growth trajectory. With a highly trained and experienced staff and full-service marina, EdgeWater owners will benefit from this new partnership in the largest boat market in the world.

“We are excited to bring the EdgeWater brand, with its reputation for quality and high-end fishing design, into our Nautical Ventures portfolio,” says Nautical Ventures Group CEO, Roger Moore. “EdgeWater meets a niche that our dealerships need to fill. Our upscale fishing clientele, along with our sales staff, will welcome the opportunity that this brand brings to our markets.”

“Nautical Ventures Group has impressed us with their revised focus on some key strategic brands including EdgeWater Boats,” says Vice President of Nimbus Group USA, Justin Joyner. “The drive and passion behind the Nautical Ventures team makes me confident that this will be a future success story.”

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Overview

The 208CC was one of EdgeWater’s first and most successful center-consoles. Still popular and one of the strongest fishing boats in its class, EdgeWater’s designers decided it was time to update it to modern expectations with cutting-edge construction ­techniques, seriously ­competitive fishing features, and family ­cruising comforts previously not present or valued with the ­original design. The new model is called the 208CC Watchman, and it boasts all-composite construction, a fiberglass stringer system and transom, and a foam-filled unsinkable design. The standard black canvas T-top with textured black powder-­coated ­superstructure is matched to the leaning post, the finish more durable than paint. It’s this look—plus the black dash plate large enough for a 12-inch display and a matching black wheel that pays homage to the law enforcement and lighthouse keepers who were called “the Watchmen”—that tops off the aggressive dash.

Interior and Accessories

In the Watchman, bold design is balanced with comforts, such as the thickly padded front seats and the thickly padded helm seating with a pullout cooler beneath. The fold-down transom seat is an unexpected treat in a boat this size. Even the coaming pads feature accented vinyl. For more fun, the standard  JL Audio system features gray-accented speakers.

Still, fishing assumes top priority on this boat. A large livewell, eight rocket launchers between the leaning post and T-top, and four gunwale rod holders secure a full ­quiver of sticks. A large rigging station pops out of the leaning bar. EdgeWater has even ­designed the Watchman to carry an optional Power-Pole ($3,412). T-top spreader lights and cockpit courtesy lighting are standard.

Read Next: EdgeWater 325CC

Engine

We tested the 208CC on the inland waters in a windy chop that exercised the hull without shaking us up. We liked that the performance from Yamaha’s 200 hp outboard (a $12,531 upgrade brings electronic throttle, shift and steering) gave a rewarding, economical 3.6 mpg at 3,500 rpm.

The 208CC is ideal for big bays, inland striper fishing, and for salmon trolling in the Great Lakes. It’s ready to fish, beachcomb, or cruise with family and friends.

How We Tested

• Engine: Yamaha Inline Four 200 hp
• Drive/Prop: Outboard/SWS II 14.25″ x 17″ stainless-steel 3-blade
• Gear Ratio: 1.86:1 Fuel Load: 28 gal. Water on Board: 0 gal. Crew Weight: 600 lb.

High Points

• Standard features include T-top, raw and fresh water, battery switch, JL ­stereo, and livewell—all are usually options on the competition.
• With so many features for anglers, we were surprised to see so much ­c­omfortable seating for crew.
• An electronics box in the T-top is ­standard, and most 20-foot center-­consoles can’t fit a foldout transom seat like the one in the 208CC.

Low Points

• Bow seating is abbreviated to reserve more deck space for fishing.
• The EdgeWater’s trailer is optional.

Toughest Competitor

Robalo’s 202 Explorer takes aim with a Yamaha VF200XB and a length and beam nearly identical. Priced with hydraulic steering—not digital—a T-top, 9-inch Simrad display and custom ­trailer, it hits the register at under $80,000 plus tax. Raw and fresh water and a battery switch are among options not included.

Pricing and Specs

Speed, Efficiency, Operation

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Overview

Twenty-knot winds stirred the seas to a frenzy and the bay to a choppy froth rough enough to spill a Yeti—but not in this center-console. EdgeWater boasts a single-piece infusion hull system (SPI) that employs vacuum infusion to perfectly saturate fiberglass cloth with optimal resin and fuse it to the integrated deck and stringer system, which is then foam-filled. The result is a single-piece hull that serious weather can’t shake. The boat rode softly through chop on a 23-degree deadrise hull, turned smoothly in tight channels, and kept our crew comfortably confident all day. Yamaha power with Helm Master controls, a joystick and the Full Maneuverability integrated autopilot is a pleasure to operate. The autopilot will take you to your spot, slow down, and stand over the hole like a faithful steed while you set your lines.

Interior and Accessories

A three-panel tempered-glass windshield is set in sturdy, weight-saving fiberglass struts supporting a durable hardtop. The hardtop has an electronics box and a handy mesh compartment for life jackets. The dash holds dual 16-inch Garmin displays, and the hidden Icom black-box VHF exposed only the Command mic on the dash. “Keep it clean” is EdgeWater’s motto, and we think it did a good job of making sure everything on board is easy to see, use and maintain.

There are three livewells: two in the transom, one extra-large and long at the center, and another one on the port transom. There is also one available in the rigging station aft of the leaning post. All the wells are fed from a sea chest to maintain optimal flow and pressure while on the sometimes-rough voyage to the grounds. The expertly designed network of wells and pumps keeps baits lively, and allows different types to be carried separately and easily accessible.

Four shotgun rod holders, rigging-station rod holders, locking rod racks under both gunwales, and cup/rod holders line the gunwale from transom to bow. You can peg a rod with barely a glance.

Dual bucket seats pamper the skipper and mate. Stowable bow sun-pad cushions include forward and aft seatbacks to create an ­intimate seating circle on the bow deck. A cocktail table can turn the bow seating into a sun lounger. The double lounge on the ­console front adds even more comfort. Stow away the bow cushions and table for a clean battle deck ready to load the insulated fish boxes in the center foredeck and under the seats. The long livewell on the transom can also be used as a fish box if not needed for bait.

EdgeWater’s cockpit is roomy when the transom seat is stowed and converted to a leaning bolster. It is roomy enough for an angler and wireman to maneuver easily when billfishing, or for letting four or more crew handle lines for bottomfishing.

In the console is an electric head and ­freshwater sink. It’s a couple of steps down to it with hand grabs for support. The headroom is generous, and LEDs and natural light keep it cheery. The full circuit-breaker panel with battery switches is easy to see and use, and above it is a hatch to the back of the ­electronics “back office” rigging. There’s also convenient access to batteries and onboard chargers. EdgeWater builds its boats knowing that service going forward should be ­convenient and accessible.

Engines

It’s not hard to find a competitive 31-foot center-console in the bulging center-­console marketplace, and there’s one just down the street in New Smyrna Beach, Florida. ­Everglades makes a 315 CC ($522,409) that shares virtually the same footprint as the EdgeWater 325CC. The Everglades is coincidentally the brainchild of the same EdgeWater founder but differs in ­construction techniques. Rather than the SPI hull-­construction process, Everglades employs a process it calls RAMCAP, which molds high-density foam modules to fit the hollows ­between the stringers, hull and deck. The modules are fused into the deck under pressure until cured, and the result is a ­super-tough boat. The Everglades is 4 inches shorter than the EdgeWater but shares the same beam dimension. The Everglades outweighs the EdgeWater by 3,000 pounds and calls on dual Mercury V-10 400s to make over 56 mph, while the EdgeWater makes 55 mph with dual Yamaha F300s. The most visible feature boasted by Everglades is the popular side boarding door, a feature not found on the EdgeWater.

Read Next: Boating On Board: EdgeWater 340CC

Clearly, the EdgeWater 325CC ranks as a top-shelf model with abundant creature comforts to seat and pamper large crews. It’s superb fishability comes from a combination of its seakeeping capabilities and well-placed rod holders, rigging accommodations, and foldaway seating in the cockpit. What’s more, it is all packaged together with so much gracious style, the 325CC will turn heads at the sandbar, or waterfront restaurant, or while plying the Gulf Stream for trophies.

How We Tested

• Engines: Twin Yamaha F300s
• Drive/Props: Outboard/Yamaha SWS II 14.25″ x 18″ 3-blade stainless steel
• Gear Ratio: 1.75:1 Fuel Load: 150 gal. Water on Board: 0 gal. Crew Weight: 450 lb.

High Points

• Ample access to electrical and mechanical systems through generous hatches in the cockpit and head compartment.
• High-capacity livewells let you carry plenty of bait.
• Plentiful, comfortable seating for cruising or moving between fishing spots.

Low Points

• Gunwale entry door is not available, but its absence allows for more undergunwale rod storage.
• Livewell lids are not clear acrylic for bait inspection, a feature we miss.
• Larger hatch to access the electronics suite would ease service when needed.

Pricing and Specs

Speed, Efficiency, Operation

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Join us as we walk ‘on board’ EdgeWater’s 2024 340CC at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show. 

Walkthrough Summary

The 2024 EdgeWater 340CC is luxurious, built to fish, and easy to maintain. This boat is equipped with an adjustable upper station, the Seakeeper 2, double wide helm and console seats, flush switches, a bonded glass windshield, Yamaha Helm Master control system, and more. See why this beautifully built boat is a great choice for your fishing adventures. 

Key Features

• Adjustable upper station
• Seakeeper 2
• Double wide helm and console seats
• Yamaha Helm Master control system

Quick Specifications

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Build Your 325CC in Minutes.

The EdgeWater 325CC stands as a testament to superior craftsmanship and thoughtful design. It all starts with Single-Piece Infusion, a closed-molded vacuum resin infusion process that combines foam composite structural stringers, engineer knitted fiberglass, and vinylester resins to create a perfect glass-to-resin ratio and optimize the strength, weight, and flexibility of the hull. It’s powered with white, twin 300hp Yamaha engines and outfitted with DES and Lumitec underwater lighting.

This boat boasts a standard 66-gallon transom livewell and a remarkable 300-gallon fuel capacity, ensuring extended journeys without interruption. The extra wide helm features flush mounted Garmins and a dash that is easy to clean after a long day of fishing. Even the helm seats are extra wide with flip-down arm rests and bolsters for added comfort.

The entire cockpit is surrounded with thick, padded bolsters. Toe rails and raw water washdowns under the gunnels keep a safe and clear deck, while freshwater sink and shower heads can be found at the rigging station. The EdgeWater 325CC presents itself as a compelling option for those seeking a boating experience that stands out in its class.

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Build Your 262CC in Minutes.

The EdgeWater 262CC is a state-of-the-art center console boat that seamlessly blends innovation with functionality. With a plethora of integrated features, this boat guarantees a one-stop shop for all your boating needs. It’s powered by white, twin 200hp Yamaha engines and includes Lumitec underwater lighting for both aesthetic charm and practicality. One of its latest enhancements is the Seakeeper Ride, and it’s a standard inclusion. This novel upgrade automatically reduces up to 70% of underway pitch and roll for an even more comfortable ride.

This boat features an extra wide helm, one of the biggest in its class sitting at 9’3”, with flush-mounted Garmins and a dash that is easy to clean after a long day of fishing. Even the helm seats are extra wide with flip-down arm rests and bolsters for added comfort. The premium stereo, coupled with 7.7 speakers, ensures top-tier sound quality for onboard entertainment and the circuit breaker panel and battery switches are conveniently placed below the wheel.

A smooth, no-rattle dive door with a conveniently placed freshwater washdown station makes life easy for families. Similarly, the large, accessible head provides ample storage for all the fun equipment needed for outings. The EdgeWater 262CC is a remarkable choice for an unparalleled on-water expedition.

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”Nimbus Group has a clear growth strategy where expansion in the important North American market comprise one of the cornerstones. The acquisition of EdgeWater adds a strong and successful brand to our House of Brands. The market for powerboats in the US is the single largest in the world and to support Nimbus Group’s expansion in the US and increases our presence in the North American market EdgeWater Power Boats adds an important experienced local organization and production capacity in the US”, says Jan-Erik Lindström, President and CEO of Nimbus Group.

Every brand has a story. EdgeWater Power Boats’ story just added a new chapter to its long history in the boating world.

EdgeWater Power Boats’ story started in 1992 with a vision from the legendary engineer, Bob Dougherty, that wanted to build boats with integrally stable hulls. This was the foundation of what was to come — Single-Piece Infusion (SPI). EdgeWater pioneered this game-changing boatbuilding process. Beyond the build of the boat, EdgeWater prides itself on the luxury, family mindset that it designs into the bones of every boat.

“With this collaborative partnership, we will set a strong standard for boatbuilding,” says Jennifer Butera, President, and CEO of EdgeWater Power Boats. “Our companies share the same sensibilities geared towards providing sincere commitment to our customers and their families. The Nimbus Group is aimed at growth, and it seems limitless.”

With luxury and family in mind, Nimbus Group is the perfect partner with EdgeWater Power Boats. Nimbus Group was founded in 1968 by brothers Lars and Hans Wiklund with their first Nimbus 26 and went on to created Scandinavia’s leading boat building company and one of the most recognized brands on the market. Nimbus Group today is comprised of 7 brands and approximately 70 different models with manufacturing facilities in 9 locations throughout Sweden, Finland, and Poland. Nimbus Group creates a Scandinavian thoughtful design for the conscious customer by designing, producing, and deliver leisure boats for the global market.

This agreement brings together two iconic companies in the marine industry, both established and readied for the future boating market. This partnership will give the ability to better share resources and technologies that will push their products to the next level and the future of boating.

About EdgeWater Power Boats

EdgeWater Power Boats produces luxury-driven, utility boats that include center console and dual console boats made for families and anglers. 

EdgeWater Boats

About Nimbus Group

Nimbus Group produces and markets powerboats which includes the brands Alukin, Aquador, Bella, Falcon, Flipper, Nimbus and Paragon Yachts.

Nimbus Group

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Overview

Remember the 50/50 bars you got from the ice cream truck? Vanilla ice cream on the inside and orange popsicle on the outside, they were the perfect treat on a hot day.

EdgeWater’s new 340CC hearkens back to the 50/50 with an artful blend of fishing features and cruising. It doesn’t seem to sacrifice either, striking a balance that makes the 340CC an easy sell to families looking for satisfying tastes of both.

Interior and Accessories

For example, some family-centric center-consoles offer only a modicum of bait capacity, but the 340CC features a pressurized 32-gallon transom well in the starboard quarter, plus an optional built-in pressurized 38-gallon livewell ($3,873) abaft the helm seating that includes a full-height aquarium-style viewing window. Our test boat, however, had the optional Super Leaning Post Package ($3,230) with a sink and freshwater faucet, a basin for stashing rigged trolling baits, three drawers of tackle stowage and an Isotherm fridge. The standard leaning post includes adjustable helm seats with flip-up bolsters, a 48-quart cooler, pull-out shower with sink, and cutting board. A pair of insulated in-sole fish lockers flanked the aft deck, and two more are tucked under the 23-inch-wide walkway aside the console.

Looking for comfort? Gaze forward, where the optional Bow Comfort Package ($3,495) includes backrests that turn the wraparound seating into a pair of inviting loungers. A cantilever-style pedestal table lets you serve a mean charcuterie, while recessed drink holders keep beverages secure. Lose the table and seat upholstery, and anglers have a great place to fish off the bow or man the anchor line that deploys from an in-stem anchor roller and retrieves using an electric windlass.

Ready to relax again? Settle into the lounge for two on the forward console. Underneath resides a cavernous step-down garage that include racks for scuba tanks, six fishing rods, and room for a pair of 5-gallon buckets.

In the stern, a foldout transom bench offers a seat bottom that extends far enough to offer good thigh support. It quickly folds away to clear the deck and get to fishin’ using the five rod holders that line the transom. The aft cockpit deck measures more than 9 feet wide by 6 feet long, giving you room to dance, be it with a significant other or a leaping sailfish.

A standard inward-opening portside dive door eases the embarking process, and the removable boarding ladder offers a graceful means of reboarding after swimming, snorkeling or scuba diving. A transom gate in the starboard quarter provides another way to embark.

The 340CC’s fiberglass hardtop, full-height glass windshield and center console integrate seamlessly. An electric vent at the top of windshield allows a cooling breeze. A built-in hardtop hatch offers easy access aloft in case you add a tower. A pair of high-back helm seats offer comfort, with footrests at the base of the console to brace yourself.

EdgeWater has engineered a standard visibility step that folds out from the seat base to add 4½ inches of elevation to the helm pad for those who can’t see over the console.

The 42-inch-wide dash panel on our test boat was filled with a pair of optional flush-mounted Garmin 8616 multifunction displays ($22,114), a Yamaha CL7 engine monitor, a standard Fusion stereo (controlling eight JL speakers, including two subwoofers), and Yamaha’s Helm Master joystick as part of the twin Yamaha 425 XTO propulsion package (a $64,894 upgrade). Twin Yamaha F300s are standard.

A tray atop the dash and another under the switch panel are handy for stashing mobile phones. An overhead electronics box housed a Garmin Reactor autopilot control ($4,538). There’s a redundant switch panel on the port side of the leaning-post module for the livewell pumps, washdown systems and fish-locker pump-outs.

Inside the step-down console interior, accessible from the portside companionway, is an impressive panel to control the onboard electrical system, as well as a sink, freshwater pull-out shower and electric-flush head.

Looking for a comparison boat? Look at Scout’s 330 LXF ($406,469 base with twin Yamaha 425 XTOs and Helm Master), which is similarly sized, but has a step-hull and a greater emphasis on cruising luxury.

The 340CC is built with composite and foam structural stringers with knitted fiberglass and vinylester resins in a closed-vacuum process that EdgeWater calls Single-Piece Infusion. That pays off in a solid-feeling boat that’s free of creaks and rattles.

Engine

The deep-V running surface knifes smoothly through rough seas, and corners at high speed with confidence-inspiring precision. The twin Yamaha 425 hp outboards on our test boat propelled the 340CC to plane in a head-snapping 3 seconds, reaching 30 mph in just 6 seconds. Top speed was 59 mph at 6,000 rpm.

They say a good compromise leaves all parties unhappy, but the EdgeWater 340CC seems to has achieved just the opposite. Both sides of its nature—the fishy part and family part—meld into a pleasing combination that will put a smile on everyone’s face. Just like a 50/50 bar.

How We Tested

• Engines: Twin 425 hp Yamaha 425 XTO V-8
• Drive/Prop: Outboard/Yamaha XTO 16 3/8″ x 20″ 3-blade stainless steel
• Gear Ratio: 1.79:1 Fuel Load: 200 gal. Crew Weight: 400 lb.

High Points

• Fold-down visibility step offers 4 inches of extra elevation at the helm.
• Enjoy 70 gallons of livewell capacity, with the aquarium well optioned in the rigging center.
• Abundant seating in the bow will please the socialites among family and friends.

Low Points

• Visibility step creates a tripping point if you don’t fold it back up.
• Gap at the bottom of the windshield drains the console top, but it can also let water in.

Pricing and Specs

Speed, Efficiency, Operation

EdgeWater Boats – Edgewater, Florida; 386-426-5457; ewboats.com

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There seems to be no end to the demand for dual consoles or, as EdgeWater calls its model, a crossover. It is the SUV of salt water, bringing the spacious seating of a bowrider to the fishability of a center-console EdgeWater’s Crossover 230CX is a bull’s-eye in that market both for its size and the features packed into it.

For creature comforts, there is ample seating forward with fold-down armrests. Cockpit seating wraps around from the port side to the starboard-side transom door. Adding more versatility is the sliding seatback that will convert the portside lounge from a back-to-back seat to a full-length lounge—just lay the seatback forward for that bonus arrangement.

The hardtop is standard on the 230CX, and it brings shade, a spot to hang some rocking stereo speakers, plus an overhead dashboard to hold the VHF and stereo head unit. At the helm, there is room for a factory-rigged Garmin chart plotter. Both the dash on the hardtop and the helm are trimmed in glossy black acrylic. ­Electrical switches for all systems are stretched across the dash, and the stainless-steel buttons are LED-trimmed for easy identification.

The captain’s chair is adjustable with a flip-up bolster and foldaway armrests. Just aft of it is a ­cockpit galley with a freshwater sink and a slide-away cooler ­below it.

But all that comfort doesn’t cut into fishability. There are two livewells: one on the transom and one under the aft seat. That way, you can carry crustaceans and mud minnows ­separately, or you can carry frozen cut bait in one and let it drain overboard. Four rod holders on the aft gunwales and a pair up front are well-placed. Lower the cocktail table for a beam-to-beam casting deck.

On plane, the boat was most comfortable near 30 mph. It possesses plenty of deadrise and a sharp stem to knock down seas. We tested it with 1,000 pounds of crew and a half-full fuel tank, netting about 42 mph—only losing 1 mph over a standard two-man test crew.

High Points

• Nonskid deck is textured for traction but slick enough for easy cleaning.
• Even with our large crew, the boat planed off quickly without tabs.
• Large compartment in the port console holds a head compartment.

Low Points

• At lower speeds, the 230 was tender and required tabs to level the ride.

Toughest Competitor The Boston Whaler 230 Vantage ($128,370 base with Mercury 250, hardtop and blue side colors) broke new ground, and we would characterize it as 60/40 family over fish, while the EdgeWater proves somewhat fishier.

Price: $127,600 (with test power)

Available Power: Outboard

How We Tested Engine: Yamaha 250 Drive/Prop: Outboard/Yamaha SDS 15″ x 16″ 3-blade stainless steel Gear Ratio: 1.75:1 Fuel Load: 40 gal. Crew Weight: 400 lb.

EdgeWater Boats – Edgewater, Florida; 386-426-5457; ewboats.com

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EdgeWater Powerboats has announced their brand new 230CX into their Crossover fleet for the upcoming 2019 Miami International Boat Show.

This new center console crossover is a single-piece-infused chameleon when it comes to all the uses it holds.

“The act of boating is about unlimited options,” said Edgewater Powerboats’ President and CEO Jennifer Butera. “We made a boat that delivers on all of them. With its integrated swim platforms and retractable bow table to the insulated fishbox and 12-gallon, LED-lit baitwell, it’s the perfect combo of fishability and family fun.”

In addition, the 230CX brings a new take to the industry on standard features.

“What some boat manufacturers call luxury or custom, we call standard,” said Butera. “There’s a need for all these features, why make that a special request? We want our customers to be more than satisfied the first time they take their boat on the water.”

The new 230CX standard features include:

• Gelcoat Hull Color
• Retractable Ski Pylon
• Powder Coated Package
• Integrated Swim Platform w/ Ladder
• Integrated Swim Platform w/ Anchor Storage, Bow Table, Bow Filler Cushion, Freshwater Washdown, Raw Water Washdown, Underwater Lights, Fully Finished Portside Head

See the new 230CX and EdgeWater’s Lineup at the 2019 Miami International Boat Show // Pier 5 Booth #575-578, 580, 582, 584, 586, 588

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