Full disclosure: Dave Patnaude, the new head of United States operations for Nimbus Group, is among my longest-standing marine industry friends. Perhaps because we both have young-adult daughters, we are very close. We’ve bonded over a lot of things during the years, shared plenty of highs and more than a few lows. Yet nothing ever beat bragging to one another about our baby girls.
We met in the mid-1990s through our mutual friend, Bob Christie, then the owner of Typhoon Marine in Toms River, N.J. Patnaude was the leading Donzi and Baja dealership’s general manager. He also was the president of the successful New Jersey Performance Powerboat Club and one of the main men behind the Shore Dreams For Kids event, both of which are gone now.
Based in Sweden, the Nimbus Group has the Alukin, Aquador, Bella, EdgeWater (where Patnaude started with the company), Falcon, Flipper, Paragon Yachts and of course Nimbus Yachts, the company’s flagship brand, under its umbrella. Of course, none of these brands fall into the high-performance category But Patnaude has always possessed a passion for just being on the water that transcended whatever boat—and he own a slew of vessels from a 37-foot Outerlimits sportboat to a 36-foot Concept center console—he happened to be on.
That passion makes a big-time asset for any marine company he helps lead, as he will in the U.S. with the Nimbus Group.
“Nimbus has a rich heritage of Scandinavian design, quality, and performance,” he wrote in a text message last weekend. “My focus will be on strengthening our dealer network, aligning our U.S. strategy with market realities, and building sustainable, long-term growth.
“I look forward to working closely with our team and partners to elevate the Nimbus and EdgeWater brands across the United States,” he added. “I’m honored to be part of it.”
When Patnaude says he’s honored, he means it. He’s charming as hell, but he does not suck up.
But from my admittedly biased perspective? The honor is all the Nimbus Group’s.