At 16:21 20 August 2018, Alex wrote:
We had a Nimbus 3D in our club.

Rigging is fairly easy, but time consuming because of the number of
parts
a=
nd control connections. The inner wing weighs roughly 85kg, which is
fairly=
heavy but it is at least not very big.

The Nimbus surely is not a beginners glider but really nothing to be
afraid=
of. Control responsiveness is slow but effective. Stick forces are
normal
=
and not particularly heavy (as in the single-seater Nimbus 3). Landing
flap=
s and effective spoilers allow for good approach control (better than
you
w=
ould expect from such a large glider).

There are some quirks: In landing flap configuration the aileron
effectiven=
ess is reduced. Especially in cross wind conditions you better land in
ther=
malling flaps (which works absolutely fine). With full water ballast the
wi=
ngs loose some ground clearance. On aerotows keeping the wings
level
requi=
res some attention. Also on landing I came across some club members
who
had=
consistent difficulties keeping the wings level.

Winch launching without water was never an issue and common
practice at
our=
club. But, you really don't want to drop a wing!

The series of structural failures with Nimbus are all(?) related to high
al=
titude high speed flying. I would not worry too much unless you plan
to go
=
booming around Africa, Australia or western US.

Maintenance scales with the glider. Lot's of parts and fittings which
will
=
wear and need your attention sooner or later. Especially on used
gliders
th=
e small issues have often started to pile up and keep you busy.

From a design perspective the Nimbus is pretty robust. The tailplane is
the=
mediocre Schempp-Hirth design and the water ballast will start
leaking
soo=
ner or later (as in most gliders). The outer spoiler cables tend to break
o=
r lose their adjustment. Other than that the Nimbus is just a bigger
Janus/=
Duo Discus, which are both proven and popular designs.



You might want to consider an ASH 25 instead - one of the biggest
sellers in open class.