First let me say the SW1000 is a 33'
boat so we are comparing it to a boat that's 100K more expensive and a full 38'er. That tells you right there how good the Seawind 1000 is. We are talking apples to satsumas here, and the fact that many people make the comparison validates the SW's design. I'll like a decent apple, but a perfect satsuma is hard to beat! The SW beats the Lagoon hands down for me, here's why;
#1 is Beachability. I love the front ladder and walking down onto the beach in the early morning without having to load up in a wet
dinghy and crank the
motor.... spoils my mood... I enjoy placing my
anchor on dry sand.... allot.. If your an outdoor "beach" person the SW1000 is just the bomb.
#2 is the outboards. I love the simplicity and the pureness of sailing a boat that can actually BECOME a sailboat and not drag drive
gear through the
water all the time. If your into the "man stuff" like economy of motion and purity of use... you have to put another chip on the Seawind 1000's side. If an
outboard fails, unscrew it and spend $2,500 for the latest model and go again. It's a 10 year
motor.. easy. The
diesel snobs won't agree, but that's cool. Drag them props around man! Just because they cost more doesn't make them better. Will a
diesel last longer, usually... but I know of several volvos that bit the dust way before my Yamaha's will. You want to be a "real sailor".. real sailors use diesel engines you say... I beg to differ, to be a "real sailor" we would have to sail everywhere we go, without a motor!
#3 The above
deck living space is incredible for a meduim sized boat. The 1000 provides the possibilty of ENJOYING cruising without spending a quarter of a million dollars. The prouts and even the 105's don't come close to the Seawind's room and overall performance.
I personally would have to step up to a
Lagoon 440 to beat the above decks liveability of Seawinds 33'er. The 380, even the 410 try to do too much by dividing the living area and you end up with small areas that are cramped. Now the bedrooms are nice, but I don't want to stay in the
bed all day... The 380
deck design is sort of like wanting the amenities of a 4000 square foot house and putting it all into 1000 square feet. To make a nicely liveable divided indoor
salon with a nice outdoor
cockpit, it takes over a 40' boat, period (unless your under 5' tall and narrow).
The 380
sails well, I thought it would wash around bad in following seas because of the wide volumous sterns, it does a bit, but not bad. I thought the downwind would suffer because the shrouds are placed so far aft, the main hits them quickly, but the boat does fine downwind. I found it a better sailor than I expected, so I'm not throwing stones, but it weighs what.... twice as much as the 1000. If the 1000 didn't do what it does so well, a 380 would be a good choice, but remember, the Lagoon is an Apple... much more juice.. and it's often compared to a little 33'er! Would I rather have a closed salon, yes.. but not if it's too small with no floor space, you have to go to a whole new stratosphere to have a comfortable indoor salon with a nice
cockpit.
Some quick notes in conclusion:
While we
love the open backed salon, some consider it a big negative, sort of one step above a day sailor, not a "real" crusier. I think it's jealousy....lol
Seawind makes bigger boats too, they sail a little better than the Lagoons, (Probably much better in big seas) but they still don't do what a 1000 does because they try to stuff 10 pounds of potatoes into an 8# sack. The design for the size is just so right with the 1000. It's like choosing a fillet mignon intead of a big ole
rib eye. You'll just be happier with the better cut...
If the salon didn't make a huge
bed, the 1000 would be hard to choose over a 380 for a long term cruiser, but it DOES. Everything below is smaller on the 1000 except the
head. I like the shower/head in the 1000, it's huge for the boats size. Is the SW "conventional" no, and that's why I like it. If you want to park in a boat slip and use it like a condo like 90% of the owners do, the 380 is your guy. And I'll tell you, I'm not throwing sticks at the 380, it's a nice boat, but we are comparing a 33'er to a 38 here so who's the winner..... Would I
trade tomorrow if a guy offered the keys to his 380 on an even swap... that's easy.. nope. Well, that might be a stretch because I'm no fool. I'd
trade.. then sell the 380, buy me another SW 1000 and have the
money left over to
cruise free another whole year! Ain't life good!
The bottom line: to have the generous bedrooms you give up living area. In the Lagoon I also liked having a separate 
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