Seaward 32RK Opinions?

[mjgill1]

Howdy,

I have been eyeballing these for a couple of years now since I saw one in in Dubuque, IA on the Mississippi. I never got to go aboard as the owner wasn't around but she sure had nice lines and looked like a well thought out fun to sail boat. At least from the dock.

There doesn't seem to be a lot of info either way on the net about these 32RK boats. There also doesn't seem to be too many for sale at one time. I'm thinking that either the current owners are really happy with them, or they didn't make a whole bunch of them. They do seem pretty proud of the boat if you know what I mean $$$.

Anyone on here ever been aboard, or better yet sailed aboard one? I would love to hear the good, bad and ugly of this boat.

[sesmith]

Nice boat. We've been on them at a couple of boat shows, but have never sailed one. We're pretty familiar with the Seaward line, as we own a Seaward 25. They are well made, but as you noticed, pricing is up there. It all depends on what you want / need in a boat. The Seward 32rk is high on our list of future boats, but it all depends on how important transportable over the road is to us by then, and whether we want to deal with getting permits every time we want to haul the boat. You could get into a comparable sized Catalina for less money.

You will find that the Seaward line has a very loyal following among its owners.

[UNCIVILIZED]

Sometimes one can get some good resources, info, & tips by talking to a boat's designer. Perhaps that'll help? Especially if you can find someone who's been at the company for a while, & get a good rapport going with'em on the phone. That technique seems to work better than does email in my experience. Though if a subject's important, it doesn't hurt to email as well as do the phone thing.
Please let us know what you find out!!!

[mjgill1]

Originally Posted by UNCIVILIZED

Sometimes one can get some good resources, info, & tips by talking to a boat's designer. Perhaps that'll help? Especially if you can find someone who's been at the company for a while, & get a good rapport going with'em on the phone. That technique seems to work better than does email in my experience. Though if a subject's important, it doesn't hurt to email as well as do the phone thing.
Please let us know what you find out!!!

I agree and am thinking that any information from the manufacturer is going to be biased vs someone who knows someone that owns one, or someone who is a current owner. We currently have a Macgregor 26M. I could tell you the good, bad and ugly of the boat depending on what you wanted to know.

[mjgill1]

Originally Posted by sesmith

Nice boat. We've been on them at a couple of boat shows, but have never sailed one. We're pretty familiar with the Seaward line, as we own a Seaward 25. They are well made, but as you noticed, pricing is up there. It all depends on what you want / need in a boat. The Seward 32rk is high on our list of future boats, but it all depends on how important transportable over the road is to us by then, and whether we want to deal with getting permits every time we want to haul the boat. You could get into a comparable sized Catalina for less money.

You will find that the Seaward line has a very loyal following among its owners.

I agree that you could get a Catalina for considerably less money. I saw a 34' down south for sale that had a trailer going for $40k. Of course, it had less systems, no retractable keel etc. As far as owners goes, that is exactly who I am wanting to talk to. I got a really good report from one guy on Facebook. As with anything I do, I do a lot of research prior to making a decision and this is part of the process.
You wouldn't happen to have a link to an owner's forum or place I might get some additional first hand information would you?
Thanks,
Mike

[sesmith]

[QUOTE=mjgill1;2445615
You wouldn't happen to have a link to an owner's forum or place I might get some additional first hand information would you?
Thanks,
Mike[/QUOTE]


The link for all things Seaward:

Seaward

There aren't a whole lot of 32 owners on the forum, but there are a few.

[mjgill1]

Originally Posted by sesmith

The link for all things Seaward:

Seaward

There aren't a whole lot of 32 owners on the forum, but there are a few.

HAHA. I already read all the posts on that forum. Thank you though! It's the thought that counts...

[sesmith]

Did you try putting a post on that forum with any questions you might have on the 32? The 32 owners will come out of the woodwork when prompted.

[mjgill1]

Originally Posted by sesmith

Did you try putting a post on that forum with any questions you might have on the 32? The 32 owners will come out of the woodwork when prompted.

I didn't, but that's a great idea. I will do it. Thanks so much!