Bigger and even better

New Boat: Seawind 1250

Caroline Strainig checks out the latest launching from the Seawind stable - the impressive Seawind 1250.

“Couldn’t you get the name any bigger?!” I jokingly exclaimed on boarding the new Seawind 1250, the latest from Australian boatbuilder Seawind. The name and model number — the “Seawind” in a cursive script and the number in a bold script, both bright blue — take up at least half of one side, proudly proclaiming to anyone within hundreds of metres just what this boat is.

Company founder Richard Ward and the team at Seawind are justifiably proud of their latest creation and the company’s achievements as a whole. The 27-year-long Seawind story is one of success against the odds in a country where manufacturing is increasingly under threat from imports from third-world countries or highly mechanised European production lines. Apart from a brief hiccup five years ago when the Australian Tax Office clamped down on charter boat tax deductions, Seawind has powered from strength to strength and the Seawind 1000, Seawind 1000XL and Seawind 1160 have become the benchmarks overseas imports are measured by.

The 1250 builds on the popular other models: “It’s a lot like the 1160, but bigger and even better in some ways,” Ward said of the 1250. “This new design is larger in length, beam, height, rig, sails, fuel tanks, storage lockers and head height and has some other
new features.”

On deck

Stepping aboard, a huge, slightly stepped hard top and large expanse of white deck and white trampolines for’ard with pulpit seats were the first things to catch my eye.

In the cockpit the twin helm seats have been enlarged so they now each seat two comfortably and the backrest reverses so when not sailing you can sit facing the cockpit and socialise. Small footrests to use when sitting can be flipped up out of the way when standing. There’s also a nifty ice-box under the port helm and stowage under the starboard.

The same innovative tri-folding saloon doors which lift up and stow under the hard top are there, but the hard top is higher with a generous headroom of 6’6”.

The windows between the cockpit and saloon slide up and down rather than just lift out — an even more user-friendly design. A Raymarine chartplotter lives on a swivel just inside the sliding window adjacent to an ICOM VHF radio with DSC so you can use both inside or out. Engine controls and Raymarine tri-data (speed, depth and log) and wind indicator are in front of the port helm and you can put optional repeaters on the starboard helm.

The rig is typical main-driven catamaran, with a large roached main with full battens, swept-back spreaders and 85-percent self-tacking headsail on Profurl furler. The basic sailaway price includes lazyjacks and a lazyjack bag. A bowsprit and screecher are optional extras. Sails are by Aussie maker Barracouta and
of a cruising laminate.

All sail controls — including three single-line reefing lines — come back to clutches of jammers on the deck immediately adjacent to either helm and two pairs of self-tailing Harken 46 and 40 winches. The traveller and mainsheet are up on the hard top out of harm’s way. The dinghy stows on davits fixed on the targa arch on the aft end of the hard top, with two solar panels fixed
on top of the targa.

Sail visibility is better than in the 1160, courtesy of clear sections in the hard top.

Two twin seats with a barbecue in the middle and a swimming ladder and hot and cold shower on one of the transoms complete features aft.

Just for’ard of the mast are three lockers; the central one is so large it could swallow a genset without noticing and has a dedicated gas bottle section that takes two large bottles.

As standard you get a 1000W Muir electric anchor winch with chain and gypsy, a 35lb plough and 50m of chain. A bridle and a second anchor are optional extras.

Two new small pulpit seats have been added, and the trampolines are larger so a tall person can lie on them lengthwise instead of just diagonally.

Fuel (480L) and water (700L) compartments are central, helping to keep weight central and reduce pitching.

Mast steps and steps on the side of the cabin top make it easy even for the vertically challenged to do all jobs on the boat.

Saloon and hulls

Stepping inside, you are greeted by the same 360-degree views as in the 1160 as you enter the saloon, but the two opening windows for’ard are larger, and there is a small chart table/desk just to port of the U-shaped settee and table. The settee has a day bed to port, so you can laze on it during the day to watch TV or snooze, or use it as another bed at night when required. Cleverly, the end of the bed doubles as a seat for the table and another section caters for wine bottle and wine glass storage. As in the 1160, the dining table swivels, so you can use it to sit down and eat around or smorgasbord-style for larger groups.

In a move other manufacturers would do well to take note of, Seawind has differentiated between the electrical switches you use frequently and those you use rarely, putting the former in a small panel just inside the entrance to the port hull and the latter out of the way under a seat. Life jackets stow under an adjacent section of the settee and two 200AH AGM house batteries and a cranking battery under a third. There is room behind the for’ard seat backs for ducting for
air-conditioning, which is available
as an optional extra.

Owner’s retreat

Four steps down to port and you are in the owner’s hull, a real home away from home, with a large head with separate shower aft, stowage midships and a queen-sized island berth athwartships and for’ard more stowage.

The starboard hull features a double aft, galley midships, fore-aft queen-sized berth and combined head-shower for’ard.

Notable features include the innovative pull-out freezer in the galley, which pulls out to the side from under the counter top, giving you full working space on top without having to constantly move things to get something out of the freezer.

The two 29hp Yanmar saildrives are accessed from the port hull via a door in the shower and in the starboard from under a bunk. The port engine is the one that heats your hot water system and the one you would use at night to avoid disturbing anyone sleeping in the starboard aft cabin.

As standard you get a two-blade folding prop, with a three-blade folding Gori an optional extra. An Open Ocean engine-driven watermaker was another optional extra on the test boat.

The port head is manual and starboard electric, with 130L and 110L rotomoulded holding tanks respectively.

A galley-up layout with the galley on the starboard side of the saloon is available but I preferred the test boat’s galley-down layout. All you gain for cramping the saloon is a little bit of extra stowage in the hull, and in the galley-down layout the chef/dishwasher can still hear everything that is going on in the saloon and have their two bobs’ worth.

Under sail

“Who said multihulls can’t point!”

The genuine pleasure in the helmsman’s voice was undeniable as the Seawind 1250 zipped along, pointing as well as many of the monohulls on Pittwater and outpacing some.

Under sail in 15 knots true pointing about just over 40 degrees we achieved 8.8 knots of boat speed, and that climbed when the wind increased, in direct proportion to the yahoos from the crew. Unfortunately, before my turn on the helm, the skipper decided to reef and just after tensioning the halyard again the headboard gave way, which meant we had to sail under just headsail until we stopped for lunch, when someone retrieved the halyard from the top of the mast and we rigged a line to another eye on the headboard. Whether the breakage was due to overzealous use of the optional electric winch or the headboard needs strengthening is something the builder and sailmaker will have to determine — all part of
the shakedown of a new model.

Coming back and running late, I steered for a short time downwind, and found the cable steering direct and responsive. You could see the headsail telltales if you craned your neck through the clear in the hard top, although visibility was better sitting to the side. Clears on the side of the hard top are available as an optional extra to protect the helmsman in bad weather.

Raising, reefing and dousing sail were relatively easy, although the roachy main with full battens did mean you had to keep a keen eye out above because the battens tended to catch on the topping lift and lazyjacks on the way past.

Under motor we achieved 8.7 knots into a nor’easter at comfortable cruising revs.

Bridgedeck clearance is an impressive 85cm (10cm over the minimum height some experts recommend), so combined with the fact that Seawind has worked hard to keep fuel and water and stowage as central as possible, one would imagine this boat would handle big seas well, provided of course you did not overload her.

Construction

The Seawind is constructed using standard modern, hand-laid fibreglass methods and resin infusion technology in a dedicated humidity-controlled lamination bay. There are five major moulds including one deck mould, one hull mould and three internal furniture moulds, which subsequently have bulkheads built into them, adding to the structural integrity.

Warranties are five years on hull and deck and as per individual manufacturer’s on fixtures and fittings.

Summary

This is the latest in the continuing success story that is Seawind, and all credit to Richard Ward and his team. Sales of the 1160 are now up to 98 and seven 1250s have already been ordered. The only question will be when, rather than if, this new model surpasses the magic 100 mark. Well done, Seawind.

SPECIFICATIONS

LOA 12.45

Beam 6.8m

Draught 1.16m

Displacement 8 tonnes

Underwing clearance 0.85m

Engines 2 x 29hp Yanmar diesel saildrives

Fuel 480L

Fresh water 700L

Distributor/builder: Seawind Catamarans, ph (02) 4285 9985 or 0418 670 751,

www.seawindcats.com,

email brent@sewawindcats.com

The sailaway package ($697,595) includes a fair few extras, but as always you will need to “option up”. Seawind has packed the extras into four packages: Harbour (costing $26,287), Coastal ($47,343), Bluewater $108,367 and Charter ($79,109).

Extras on the test boat included:

Cockpit refrigeration: $542

Cockpit targa cushions: $1,082

Winch Harken 46 electric

upgrade x 1: $5,665

Battery charger 60A (110-240V) and

15m shore lead: $1,436

Battery charter/inverter Victron

3000: $5,290.

Solar panels (125W x 2): $3,458

Stereo/TV/DVD/CD 19” wide-screen LCD HD entertainment system: $3,866

Raymarine SPX-10 autopilot: $8,397

Raymarine C90W 9” wide colour display, world charts and GPS: $5,824

Raymarine ST60W: $2,046

Watermaker Open Ocean E70: $11,853

Dinghy davits: $1,286