Ridiculous Seawind 1160 Prices

[Therapy]

Originally Posted by 44'cruisingcat

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.

[1paulg]

[QUOTE=44'cruisingcat;1137616]A beat to windward in 35 knots doesn't sound like much fun in any boat.

Certainly not what you go looking for ....but personally I want a boat that can do that(when it happens) in reasonable comfort without relying on a leeward motor to keep some sort of semblance of a reasonable wind angle in those conditions....

[Factor]

Originally Posted by 1paulg

Certainly not what you go looking for ....but personally I want a boat that can do that(when it happens) in reasonable comfort without relying on a leeward motor to keep some sort of semblance of a reasonable wind angle in those conditions....

Not all of us can afford to build a 45 foot Arber. And I do know how much they cost to build, I spent a bit of time at the Molle Rd yard when it and Swanning around were being built. I have sailed a few of Shawn's 9 and 10 metre boats, great boats, sailed better than mine, but even they struggle in 35 knots to windward. Its not the windspeed its the wave action that kinock shorter boats around. And I cant stand up in them. But really good boats, I have recommended them to a couple of clients.

Just to be really clear, Shawn Arber's boats are excellent, I am am not criticizing him or his boats, hell, I have used Shawn to survey boats that I was buying, thats how much I value his opinion, he is one of only two surveyors that I would use when its my money on the line. Mind you I don't think he is doing survey's much at the moment. (BTW Geoff Cruse is the other guy).

If I was building a custom it would probably be either an Arber or a Pescott.

But again to compare your boat to mine just isnt valid.

[1paulg]

[QUOTE=Factor;t.

But again to compare your boat to mine just isnt valid.[/QUOTE]

Sure...I may have drifted a bit-was never the intention to compare ...just observations...but agree totally..in a shorter boat hard on the wind conditions become a different ball game....not saying they are easy in my boat...but will get there...

Tell me ..what is Shawn doing these days? no building - still designing..?
Cheers

[smj]

We absolutely loved the open air salon on our Seawind 1000's. Not what I would consider a marina locked gin palace but a boat built for sailing and sitting at anchor. The 1160 has the best of both worlds with the fold down doors but the price, diesels and saildrives turn me of.

[tomfl]

Originally Posted by Tropic Cat

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.

My 1000 with three foot stern extensions is currently on a ball at Boot Key Marina. There are several other cats there and I, sometimes with a friend, take the dinky to the dock a couple of times a day often checking out the new cats. What struck me most about the Seawind was how much narrower the hulls were than the Leopards and most of the other cats. There is a Shuttleworth there and it has similar narrow hulls but it has less freeboard than the Seawind. There was a second Seawind here for a while and agreement that the Shuttlewort and the Seawind were the fastest boats there, at least till an Fboat showed up.

Your point about seeing inside the Seawind can be turned around, you can also see out in every direction so visibility is great. Mine has canvas in place of the doors the 1160 has so you can restrict visibility inside if you wish. One monohull guy I took sailing made the comment that looking at other cats from the stern was like looking at a brick wall while the Seawind had great visibility. Kinda double edge sword.

Of course the Leopards, Mantas, and similar cats may not keep up with the Seawind, but because the hulls probably have twice the beam of a Seawind there is a lot more room (and weight) which again can be a double edge sword.

Don't take this to mean a Seawind is the fastest cat around, or that is in the Fboat class in terms of living space. All boats are compromises. The trick is to pick one that suits your needs in terms of speed, living space, level of ease to sail, other things of interest, and price point.

I really like the fact that my Seawind has twin outboards in wells amidships. The down side is that in some conditions even with a long shaft the prop can lose contact with the water for a short time. Of course the upside is the lower cost to maintain and replace compared to an inboard.

For me this was a Seawind, but for others a different boat may suit them better.

[wvfamily]

I understood Seawind moved its building of the 1160 to Vietnam in order to save money. If I were a current owner and saw the new boats being offered for less then that could be major depreciation.
Seawind Catamarans

[Barra]

The devaluation has already happened from the offshore move and i reckon seawind deserves credit for protecting current owners to whatever degree they can. Name me one other production manufacturer that gives a hoot about how the cost of their new boats affects existing owners... I cant think of any? even Catana are devaluing their existing fleet as they try and maintain production these days let alone FP, Lagoon etc etc

Just adds to the quality of the brand IMHO

[cat man do]

Originally Posted by 1paulg

I personally cant see the attraction in the Seawind boats - they seem expensive , look (to me )ugly

deleted, I see factor and 44'cc are already taking you to task above (-;

[1paulg]

Originally Posted by cat man do

deleted, I see factor and 44'cc are already taking you to task above (-;

It could be said Factor has a vested interest....
All I was doing was reiterating what had already been mentioned....but hey...all boats are subjective to a target market and you have to respect a design that sells a lot of boats...they must hitting the right note with those people...
Just not my sort of boat if I was in that market..

[cat man do]

Originally Posted by 1paulg

It could be said Factor has a vested interest....

But I don't and I agree with him and 44cc

Just not my sort of boat if I was in that market..

Obviously not, you bought a boat quite a bit larger costing 2x most probably more.

[Ocean Girl]

My old neighbors have a seawind 1000, they are now cruising the Exumas. This started our curiosity about seawind. Researching this boat I found this great Seawind cruising blog Welcome to Siudzinski KatieKat. He talks, very intelligently, about cruising with outboards, having an open salon, sailing ability etc. What makes this blog so good to me is he updates a few cruising years later.

Sorry for the thread drift, I too wish cat prices would come down. Yes, the 1160 prices are crazy. But ( at the risk of dipping my toes into the frey) production Cats have just hit the mainstream, there really isn't that many of them compared to other production boats, plus you are buying two monohulls
Cheers, hope you find your deal
E

[1paulg]

Originally Posted by cat man do

But I don't and I agree with him and 44cc


Obviously not, you bought a boat quite a bit larger costing 2x most probably more.

Well the original point (not posted by me) was that the Seawinds seem quite expensive ...you would be hard pressed to convince me otherwise...

[cat man do]

Originally Posted by 1paulg

Well the original point (not posted by me) was that the Seawinds seem quite expensive

Compared to your boat?
I doubt that.

[1paulg]

Originally Posted by cat man do

Compared to your boat?
I doubt that.

Never compared the cost to my boat ..nor did the original poster for that matter ...even current owners seem to agree they are a little pricey....
Been smoking something too strong ...?