By Justin D. • March 17th, 2024
This is the Dolphin Nautilus CC. Is it still a smart value or lacking key features? While no longer including the coveted weekly timer, I am going to dive in and see if the Nautilus CC is still worth it.
Update: As of 2025, the Dolphin Nautilus CC no longer includes the Weekly Timer, which allows you to automate your pool cleaning. Instead, we recommend looking into the Dolphin Cayman
Dolphin Nautilus CC
Hey there and welcome back to the Pool Nerd. I’m Justin, your resident pool aficionado. If you haven't heard of us before, we review all the top pool products from robotic pool cleaners to UV disinfection. And today I’m talking about the Dolphin Nautilus CC from Maytronics.
This robot is one of the most popular budget models of Maytronics’ Nautilus line. With the Nautilus CC’s price starting at $599, it may seem like a great choice. But don’t be fooled. It lacks a ton of key features that pool owners need to have, especially in an in-ground pool.
Features and Limitations
The Nautilus CC comes with the standard fine filter, power supply, manual, and the unit itself. It is built for small pools up to 33ft in length. It was super easy to set up and get started. I just plugged it in, and it was ready to go.
No Weekly Timer
What was, is no more. Once a fan favorite, Dolphin has opted to no longer include the Weekly Timer with the Dolphin Nautilus CC. Why? We have no idea. But I loved this Weekly Timer functionality, so I am really sad to see it go.
Why do you want the weekly timer?
It's simple: Pool Cleaning Automation.
You won't have to start your robot daily, charge it, or anything else. With the press of a button, your robotic pool cleaner will clean every single day for you. Without having to lift a finger. Using a robot with a weekly timer is as simple as rinsing the basket once or twice a week. I love units with this timer and could not imagine a pool robot without one.
This weekly timer has been swapped for the single button power supply. Which turns on the robot for approximately 2 hours. After that, you'll have to go and restart it by hand every single day to run. While it isn't the end of the world, other Dolphin robots, such as the Dolphin Cayman, still include this timer in the same price range. So it is disappointing that Maytronics removed it from the Dolphin Nautilus CC.
Cleaning Performance
The Nautilus CC did a good job at cleaning the pool floors and the lower parts of the wall. It was lackluster on the upper part of the wall and doesn’t clean the waterline at all. While it does have wall climbing as a feature, it is missing the key feature of waterline scrubbing.
While a wall climbing cleaner like the Nautilus CC will reach the walls, it will not reach and scrub the waterline.
A robotic pool cleaner like the Dolphin Premier is a waterline cleaning pro, it’s the best waterline cleaner I’ve ever seen. Look as my Premier scrubs away at the waterline. The Nautilus CC will simply bounce off the waterline, if it even reaches it. This is where most of the bacteria, algae, and debris is in your pool. Waterline cleaning is a feature that the Nautilus CC really should have had at this price, and I’m disappointed to not see it.
Filter Basket Size
The Dolphin Nautilus CC's filter is smaller than the XXL MaxBin found on the Max-Series's Dolphin Quantum.
While it looks similar to the filter basket found on the Dolphin Quantum, it’s really not. The Quantum’s filter basket is significantly larger than the Nautilus CC. If you encounter a lot of dirt, debris, leaves, twigs, or even bugs, you’ll want the larger basket of the Quantum. Alongside the larger basket, the Quantum comes with another filter media option: the NanoFilter. This filter allows the Quantum to clean particles around 2 microns.
If you have a lot of leaves in your pool, I would recommend the Dolphin Premier. The Premier has multi-media filtration with 4 different filter options to choose from: the standard fine filter, the NanoFilter, the optional disposable debris bag, and my personal favorite, the oversized leaf bag. The leaf bag can hold a large amount of leaves, twigs, and debris. Here is the comparison of the Premier'sleaf bag vs the CC's filter basket.
Cord Tangling and Coverage
But without an anti-tangle swivel, I was left to manually untangle the cord after nearly every cleaning, which is a major hassle and nearly defeats the purpose of the weekly timer. The anti-tangle swivel is a feature found in units like the Dolphin Quantum and Dolphin Premier. While the units do cost a little more, I would much rather pay the premium so I don’t have to go out and untangle the cord after every cleaning, especially in my in-ground pool.
The coverage of the unit is average, and if your pool is large, the Nautilus CC won’t be able to cover all of the pool, so you’d be better off looking at other units. It vacuumed medium-sized particles and debris pretty well, but it doesn’t have the suction power that you'll find on other units such as the Dolphin Quantum and Dolphin Premier.
It climbs the walls well and is able to scale up with relative ease compared to other robotic pool cleaners I have tested in the past. However, it won't do just one thing: waterline cleaning
Critical to larger pools, the waterline is where the water meets the air. This can become a breeding spot for algae, bacteria, and more. So knowing your pool robot will clean this spot is important. However, the Nautilus CC won't clean this area - so you'll still have to scrub away at this area by hand with your pool brush.
Active Scrubbing Brush
One bright side of the Dolphin Nautilus is its Active Scrubbing Brush. Similar to the Dolphin Max-Series' HyperBrush, this brush scrubs twice as fast as the speed of the unit - allowing more power than even the Dolphin Nautilus CC Plus.
Final Verdict
Okay, so what’s my final Pool Nerd verdict on the Nautilus CC Plus from Maytronics?
It's a solid unit, but lacks the essentials like NanoFiltration and a Weekly Timer found in other Dolphin models like the new Max-Series or ProLine
If automating your pool cleaning routine or cleaning the waterline is important to you, then pass on this robot. If picking up large amounts of leaves is important to you, then pass on this robot.
If you’re investing in a cleaner pool, you’re better off paying a few hundred dollars more for a robotic pool cleaner with better features, multiple media types, and more. The Nautilus CC is a good unit, but you’re going to miss key features like the Weekly Timer, NanoFilters, and Waterline Cleaning you get in other pool robots.
With no waterline cleaning, you’ll still need to scrub the waterline of your pool. And with only one small filter option, you’re left with no options to ensure a deep clean because it’ll miss small particles and larger items such as leaves and twigs.
With a 2-year warranty, you’re missing out on a whole year of coverage that you may need when compared to the Dolphin Premier’s 3-year warranty. That is a 33% difference! If you have to buy a motor or power supply, you could be looking at $300-$400. A full extra year of warranty is worth at least $200 alone.
Conclusion
If you want to keep nerding out over your pool, check out the rest of our website, where we cover all the top pool products, guides on keeping your pool clean, and product comparisons. Until then, enjoy that pool and check back soon for more pool maintenance tips and insight.
Your resident pool aficionado.
For over 4+ years, The Pool Nerd has been a leading source in the swimming pool industry. With years of experince owning a swimming pool, our hope here is to guide and help making owning a swimming pool easier.
