Seawind 850

[ASDF]

Hi. Any experience or opinions regarding Seawind 850 cat and its suitability for island hopping/coastal cruising in ex. Malaysia and Indonesia?

[Factor]

Great tough little boats. Won't sail to windward very well being that short and wide but ideal for that part off the world.

[Tin Tin]

Just an opinion. In that part of the world thunderstorms can be pretty vicious and regular. The 850 I believe has all round vinyl clears as the salon, these are vulnerable to bad weather, you could of course unzip them but that could be unpleasant. If it was me I would extend my search to include a hard top salon in a cat or a bigger monohull. for the same money.

[ASDF]

Thanks a lot for your replies. Decided to look at monos instead.

[Factor]

Originally Posted by Tin Tin

Just an opinion. In that part of the world thunderstorms can be pretty vicious and regular. The 850 I believe has all round vinyl clears as the salon, these are vulnerable to bad weather, you could of course unzip them but that could be unpleasant. If it was me I would extend my search to include a hard top salon in a cat or a bigger monohull. for the same money.

Hiow would a monohull be better for weather protection?
?

[Tupaia]

Would have thought a Seawind 850 would be an ideal small vessel in this area. Plodding along under engine in a mono when you could be sailing doesn't make sense.


There are lots of shallows and winds can be light so a cat is an excellent choice. Many of the marinas in Peninsula Malaysia are silted up and are inaccessible to even moderate draft monos. Malaka is a prime example as are passages through shallows like between Palau Kukup and the mainland.


Shallow draft will also give access to Borneo rivers such as Kuala Baram and Kinabatangan. Having a nice airy open cockpit is also a plus. Can't see thunderstorms being a issue, these tend to be intense but over very quickly and an hour later it's like they never happened.