“At dusk we cruised up the along the sheer limestone cliffs to where a small waterfall cascaded down the rock face,” Palmer recalls. As we motored through the gauntlet of anchored boats, people stood up and cheered our little Nomad.” But real enjoyment came with the Nomad tucked away in a peaceful anchorage. “On a July Fourth a couple of years ago, we were at the Lake of the Ozarks, where an estimated 1,000 boats were gathered in a secluded cove. Besides being practical, the Nomad has plenty of character, turning heads wherever it goes, Palmer says. The 2,450-pound displacement boat cruises at 5 to 7 knots, and fuel usage is about 1.5 gallons an hour at 7 knots it’s less than a gallon an hour at 5 knots. Boomer is powered by a 40-hp Honda 4-stroke mounted in an outboard well. Other additions include a barbecue grill, entertainment center and custom cabinetry. That includes air conditioning - “It gets hot in Mississippi,” Palmer says - a 2-gallon water heater and a hot-and-cold cockpit shower. Jim Palmer The Nomad’s standard layout is complete, but Palmer has added the amenities he and his wife wanted for cruising comfort. “I a proud owner and I haven’t regretted my choice.” “The people at Nimble treat you, before and after the sale, the way you would expect,” he says. A visit to the Nimble factory swayed them. With the company acting as broker, Palmer bought the boat from a private owner. As they narrowed their choices, the Nomad seemed to look better and better. “Plus, it had to have curb appeal and lend itself to easy modifications.” The couple searched for two years - online, boat shows, magazines, classified ads. “We started looking for a trailerable boat - rugged, comfortable, cheap on gas, with all the amenities of home,” Palmer says. After traveling the country in an RV, the two thought it might be fun to explore the nation’s waterways, but in their own boat. “So we get to enjoy new cruising waters.” And that’s just what the couple wanted to do. “It’s an easy matter to tow Boomer 400 miles in a single day and have her on the water by nightfall,” Palmer says. They’ve also enjoyed the waters of the Tennessee River near their home. In the three years that Palmer and his wife, Maggie, have owned it, they’ve trailer-cruised north to Lake of the Ozarks, Mo., and east to Pensacola Bay in the Florida Panhandle. The boat is a 1997 Nimble Nomad, a Ted Brewer designed pocket trawler from Nimble Boats in Tampa, Fla. “I now find the gentle, small and slower things more important than how fast I can get from one place to another,” says the 62-year-old Tupelo photographer, who founded L’il Angels Photography, which focuses on children’s photography. At 24 feet long, the Nimble Nomad is easy to trailer and economical to run.
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