For decades, the Scandinavians have used commuter boats to get to and from vacation homes or to work. But over the past 10 years, a different breed of Scandinavian commuter has taken the boating world by storm. Long, lean, fast and seaworthy, outboard-powered Nordic adventure boats from builders like Axopar, Nimbus and Saxdor have been showing up everywhere.

Builders in other countries have taken notice. They’ve recognized that these plumb-stemmed pilothouse boats with reverse windshields, low-freeboard and a good turn of speed are popular with buyers who have limited leisure time but want to cover a lot of ground. Wellcraft was one of the first American builders to introduce a new adventure series in 2022. Now, Brunswick Corporation enters the water with its Navan brand. The C30 pilothouse and its sibling, the S30 center console, made their U.S. debut at the 2024 Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show in October. These models previously launched at the Cannes boat show in 2023.

At FLIBS, Brunswick Boat Group Design Director John Barbier avoided the Scandinavian label to describe the Navans, but he acknowledged that the brand got its design influence from one of Europe’s colder countries. “[They are] minimal in styling as opposed to maybe a more traditional American-style boat,” he said. “But really, the goal for these boats was simplicity to appeal to a family market. If you look at this growing segment of boat right now, what you’re seeing are two options. You’ve got some brands that are very male- or action-oriented—stripped down, no-frills type of boat. On the other end of the spectrum you have ones that are a lot more comfort-oriented. We developed something that kind of threads the needle between the two; you can push it in either direction.”

The Navan C30 comes standard with almost all the basics to safely get on the water. Although a VHF is not among them, it does include some snazzy features, like a 12-inch Simrad MFD, Mercury Marine Active Trim, CZone digital switching and a single 400-hp Mercury outboard.

But if you want more, there are options galore, including a sliding glass roof, underwater lighting, an outside prep station with sink, icebox and electric grill, a 12-volt air conditioner/heater with a dedicated battery system and twin engines for a total of 600 horsepower.

You can keep it simple, or you can go pretty swank. Like Barbier said, “you can push it in either direction.”

The C30 pilothouse can be completely buttoned up when the weather turns foul or opened up when the sun comes out. It has offset port and starboard sliding doors and an aft window that opens to the cockpit for ventilation and for interaction with those hanging out on the stern. The optional sliding glass roof would improve ventilation even more. “You can easily convert it from a rainy inclement weather vessel to a sunny day out with your family and friends,” Barbier said.

If it gets really hot, the optional 12-volt air conditioner system with extra batteries can cool the pilothouse and forward cabin; when it gets cold, the heater can make it cozy. The forward cabin is open to the pilothouse but can be closed off with a curtain. It features a surprisingly spacious V-berth for two, with a separate head and sink. Neither the head, nor the forward cabin has standing headroom, but the head has ventilation, and the forward cabin has two long panorama hull windows that light up the interior and provide excellent views. A forward hatch above the bunk provides ventilation and can serve as an emergency escape route. In the pilothouse, the aft bench seat can be converted to an additional bunk large enough for one adult or two kids by flipping the back of the helm bench seat and dropping in filler pads.

Barbier explained that they put the helm to port so the joystick would end up at the centerline of the boat to allow the operator to see both sides of the vessel while docking. From inside the pilothouse the view through the single-piece windshield was good. The 360-degree views were good as well, although the cabin roof supports are beefy, which makes the boat feel less open than you might expect. The overall construction of the Navans felt very solid, although some of the finishes—especially the standard tabletop and its wobbly aluminum leg—did not look or feel like they were of the advertised premium quality.

The Brunswick team gave the Navan 30 a patented T-stepped hull for better fuel efficiency and speed. The design included a reverse-keel design at the aft third of the hull for better tracking, which should be particularly effective in high-speed turns. Barbier believes the hull should be one of the top reasons to buy the boat. “If you look at a traditional stepped hull, they tend to get a little squirrely,” Barbier said. “If you don’t know how to run the boat, the addition of this (reverse-keel) component creates a little bit more safety while under way.” The hull also features hard chines that start halfway up the bow and run aft to deflect water. A rubber
rubrail runs the length of the boat to protect the gelcoat when pulling up next to pilings or other boats.

Power options range from a single 400-hp Mercury outboard to twin 225s or twin 300s. With 600 ponies on the stern, top speed is just over 50 knots. Cruising speed is listed at 24 to 35 knots.

The C30 pilothouse and the S30 center console share the same hull, bow and stern layouts, forward cabin layout and helm station. But the S30 center console has a lower, open windshield, a separate seat for the mate, a lockable door on the forward cabin and a larger cockpit. Not surprisingly, the wide-open layout makes the S30 more amenable for socializing, both forward and aft, and provides more of an open-air experience than the C30.

The S30 has a cooking arrangement that is hidden beneath the second-row seats. Those seats are elevated, allowing the occupants to look over the heads of the folks at the helm when facing forward. The seats can be flipped backwards to face aft towards the people seated on the stern seat, putting the folks in the second row at the table, and simultaneously revealing the full prep station. Clever.

The Navans for the North American market are built in Merritt Island, Florida, in the same factory where Brunswick builds some of its Sea Ray models. For the European market and elsewhere, the
Navans are constructed in Poland, the same country where Axopar and many other Scandinavian builders make their adventure boats.

So, regardless of where you boat or where your boat was built, odds are you’ll soon see Navans buzzing alongside their Scandinavian cousins.

January 2025