Ridiculous Seawind 1160 Prices

[Strikhedonia]

I'm good about checking my facts, it is indeed a 1160 with a starting bid of $325K USD. Here is the posting: Catamarans and other Interesting Stuff Catamarans for Sale

[ausaviator]

Apologies I seem to have lost the edit button. Confusion with another vessel. If you are referring to CoolRunnings it is an 1160.

[Strikhedonia]

Originally Posted by ausaviator

Apologies I seem to have lost the edit button. Confusion with another vessel. If you are referring to CoolRunnings it is an 1160.

No worries mate! Cool Runnings was the one I was referring to.

[Barra]

Originally Posted by Capt Rottnest

I reckon housing prices has a lot to do with price of those cats. They are still high in oz, a Seawind looks to about the median price for a house in all capital cities, if only looking at suburbs remotely close to the coast they are roughly half those median prices. Thus retirees can afford them with just a proportion of their home's equity.
Wait for a drop in the real estate market and see used seawinds drop too.

Hey Capt Rottnest

You could be right but having just bought a block in mandurah where i see your from it seems there has already been some huge drops in real estate there since the GFC (bought a block for 350k off a poor bugger that paid 610k just 3 years ago and there were much bigger drops in the higher end blocks)

so on that logic the seawinds should have dropped already right?

[Barra]

Originally Posted by mnfish

Interesting development - Three 1160's below $400k in the US or Bahamas, including one at auction with a starting price of $325. Looks like, at least in North America, prices are falling faster than I expected.

Yep US and Europe are where the bargains are which is why a bunch of us aussies have been buying overseas. Personally i doubt the local aussie market will correct as much as we are seeing overseas (if it was going to happen it would have already just like property) So if its a seawind you want then look at the US ones. You will have to factor in delivery and import duties though which narrows the price gap considerably.

Also watch out for any significant drop in the aussie dollar (which will happen at some point) as that will send prices going back the other way in AUD terms.

[Strikhedonia]

Interesting recent events...

The Cool Runnings Seawind 1160 at auction failed to receive any bids at the starting price of $325K. This looked to be a well equipped boat in excellent condition.

Double-wide has either been sold or taken off the market (I think it was listed in early 2011) - it too was a nice boat (even better than Cool Runnings) and was last listed at $375k.

What will 2013 bring to Seawind prices???

[Tropic Cat]

Catamarans being sold in America have to compete with boats coming out of charter. That's a fact of life and is what did Performance Cruising in at the end, as these charter fleets have grown and now turn over a substantial amount of boats. Yes, you could argue that a Seawind is better than a Euro cat or an African cat, but those builders would argue the same thing.

In the end, these are expensive toys and everyone in the market is searching for a deal.

[jostalli]

What is the attraction to Seawind? Does it sail particularly well? I am in the market for a new catamaran and never considered a Seawind. At these prices I wonder why anyone would buy one.

[Tropic Cat]

Originally Posted by jostalli

What is the attraction to Seawind? Does it sail particularly well? I am in the market for a new catamaran and never considered a Seawind. At these prices I wonder why anyone would buy one.

I saw my first Seawind last year. It was a 1000. It was docked next to a Leopard 38. What struck me is how much lower in the water she sat when compared to the Leopard. A good 18" less free board than the African boat. Also, the owners were on board and we spoke for a bit, and I just couldn't get used to the lack of a rear bulkhead. The world can look in the boat when she's at the dock.

It's a fact they are well thought of boats. However, even if they sail circles around the competition this boat would take some getting used to.

[Strikhedonia]

There is a big difference between the Seawind 1000 and 1160. In regards to the 1160 some key features are:
1. Good sailing performance compared to other cats
2. Excellent visibility
3. Very open feeling with retractable salon doors
4. Solid design and quality manufacturing
5. The appearance is better than the mass produced look to Leopards and Lagoons

[1paulg]

I personally cant see the attraction in the Seawind boats - they seem expensive , look (to me )ugly , and dont think they would come under the performance category in any stretch of the imagination -in fact a beat to windward in 35 knots in a 1000 or 1160 isnt my idea of a good sail at all....
Having said that have never sailed on one .. and they are obviously popular - just cant understand why....
Shoot me down..... lol

[jostalli]

I won't shoot you down. I would say they are the Pontiac Aztek of catamarans.

[Barra]

man that is one ugly car!

ok in a nutshell you would buy a seawind because -

1. you are sailing it in australia and its designed for exactly those conditions (ie very little stern to berthing here so the open plan is a big advantage in hot climate with no privacy downside)
2. the 1160 sails really well compared to other similar cruising boats - it would indeed sail rings around the leopard (ive sailed both)
3.It is a quality built boat and just stepping onboard one after a lagoon or leapoard you can see it everywhere you look
4. there is a great community here built around the boats with plenty of regattas etc.
5. until the AUD rallied 25% it was a fairly priced unit. Not so much anymore but like i said thats a moving feast and will change again at some point

I reckon that damn car is closer to the Dean cat in the "raked mast" post in the beauty stakes....

[44'cruisingcat]

Originally Posted by 1paulg

-in fact a beat to windward in 35 knots in a 1000 or 1160 isnt my idea of a good sail at all....
Having said that have never sailed on one ..

A beat to windward in 35 knots doesn't sound like much fun in any boat.

Appearance is subjective, I think there are plenty of uglier boats, and definitely worse sailing boats, than Seawinds.

[David_Old_Jersey]

Originally Posted by jostalli

I won't shoot you down. I would say they are the Pontiac Aztek of catamarans.

Yer gotta wander what the earlier and rejected designs looked like . and what the fella who said about the final design "YES!, that's the one!!!" was drinking. or smoking .