seawind 1250 catamaran for sale

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Seawind 1250

Thanks so much to James and Peta for helping us out on this Seawind 1250 Owner’s Review. If you are thinking about buying any Seawind, but in particular the 1250 or 1260 this is a must read, there are some great insights here into the pros and cons of these catamarans and what to look out for in terms of options. You can follow James and Peta on their website:  SVSelkie.com  or follow them on Instagram at  @svselkie . All photos are reproduced with thanks from their website or Instagram feed. There are plenty more of those on their site.

Why Selkie? In Scottish mythology, Selkies, or “Seal Folks”, are mythological beings capable of morphing from seal to human form. I did not know that! Cool name, I love to learn at least one new thing every day.

Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your boat, Selkie1 We’re a youngish couple with a love for sailing, the ocean and everything it has to offer. We have owned other boats including a Fountaine Pajot Lipari 41 catamaran, but hadn’t planned on cruising full time until retirement. A health scare moved our plans forward which is when we bought our Seawind 1250 catamaran, Selkie. Selkie is a 41 foot catamaran designed and built by the Australian manufacturer Seawind.

Why did you choose the Seawind 1250? We have owned other boats including a Fountaine Pajot Lipari 41 and have been on numerous other catamarans, so we knew what we did and didn’t like. The big three production cat manufacturers (Fountaine Pajot, Lagoon and Leopard) while very comfortable and voluminous, do not sail as well as we like. The Seawind compromises on some volume and living space, but she sails beautifully in all conditions and still provides ample space and comfort for a couple or small family.

When was she launched? 2014

What’s the best thing about her? Sailing performance and comfort.

What would you change if anything? The cockpit needs a proper lounge area. This has been addressed in the newer 1260 model.

What are the “Must Have” Options to look for when looking at a Seawind 1250 in your opinion? eg electric winch genoa sheet, engine upgrade, folding props, watermaker, bowsprit, gennaker, inverter, solar, etc… The 1250s usually come well equipped with all of the above. Must have options for us include a good water maker and plenty of solar. Our boat came with both, including a 12V Spectra water maker which is fantastic, however we have since upgraded to 600 amp hour lithium batteries and increased our solar from the standard 630W to 1.1kW. A screecher is also essential for light wind conditions. We upgraded to 80m of 10mm short link chain and a 25 kg Rocna anchor.

What are the “Nice to Have Options”? Duel throttle control for both helms. Duel chart plotters, one for each helm. Air conditioning.

Which options are not worth bothering with? The Fischer Panda generator. Ours came with one and it caused endless trouble, with us removing it and swapping it for lithium batteries. This saved about 450 kg of weight including removal of the old AGM batteries.

How are the electrics, plumbing etc Excellent. Electricians have commented on how neat and well laid out the boat electrics are (both 12V and 240V). The plumbing has not caused any issues.

Is she easy to maintain? Servicing engines, standing rigging etc The boat is easy to maintain, similar to any other modern production catamaran. The engines are accessed internally and provide plenty of working room which is excellent.

Is she easy to sail short-handed? To shorten sail? Easy to reach the boom? The boat is designed for short handed sailing, with all lines leading to the cockpit and a self tacking jib. There is no need to go forward when under sail as the main sail can be reefed from the cockpit. The boom is readily accessible via a step up onto the roof. There are plenty of grab rails for safety.

What’s she like in heavy weather / a blow / big seas The 1250 does well in heavy weather. We have had her in sustained mid 40 knot winds and big swell, which she handled with no problem. The boat comes standard with three reefing points in the main which makes for very safe sailing in almost all conditions.

How is the helm position. Seawinds are famous for their protected helms, how is the visibility? When we first looked at Seawinds as an option, we were unsure about the visibility through the saloon. When we did a test sail however, the visibility turned out to be excellent. As stated, the helm is extremely protected from the elements and is very secure/safe. My wife was nearly washed off from the helm of our FP Lipari in very heavy seas but was fortunately tethered on. This would not have occurred in the Seawind.

How does she sail in light winds? We only ever motor for anchoring or when weaving through coral reef. In light winds we use the screecher.

How does she sail close hauled? We have sailed with numerous other production catamarans and have consistently pointed higher. With the self tacking jib, we can hold 30 degrees (AWA) in light to moderate seas. 35-40 degrees if seas are rough.

How about on a reach, heading down wind? Downwind sailing on the Seawind is dreamy, like with most other catamarans. We don’t have a spinnaker, but we do use the screecher to go dead downwind without any problems.

Typically, what’s your average speed on passage? Tough question to answer, but I’d say our average is 8 kts, although it could be anything between 7 and 10 kts depending on conditions and sail configuration. Our highest sustained speed is 13 kts.

What’s she like under power? Speed, manouevrability? With one engine running at 2400 RPM, we sit at about 5.6 kts in light to moderate conditions. We haven’t tried top speed (both engines at full RPM) but I’d guess it’s around 7 kts. Manoeuvrability is excellent as the boat has large rudders for a production catamaran. We have steerage at very slow speeds. We can turn on the spot using the engines, like any production catamaran.

Is she easy to dock, what’s the visibility like? Docking is easy thanks to the excellent visibility and manoeuvrability.

What is she like at anchor? We upgraded our chain (80m of 10mm) and anchor (25kg Rocna). With this combination we sleep well and in comfort.

Is she comfortable down below? Cabins/saloon/galley/heads. The boat is very comfortable. The cabins are roomy and airy, with large queen size island beds (double in the aft cabin). The main bathroom is better than the bathroom in our house, with an amazing shower. Both heads come with large holding tanks, which is great for when staying in a marine reserve or the marina.

Where’s your favourite spot on the boat? Up top? Aft In the saloon or the cockpit depending on the conditions.

How is the finish of the interior? Does she creak under sail? The finish is simple but elegant. The quality of materials and fittings is generally better than on other production boats that I have been on. Like any fibreglass boat, some creaking occurs when in moderate to rough conditions.

Is she good for hosting guests? Excellent. The galley is down below which is advantageous in that it allows for a larger galley (two large work surfaces) and for the mess to be out of sight when entertaining. The entertaining area is massive for a boat of this size. We have hosted 12 people without any difficulty.

What kind of modifications have you done and why? We recently did a big upgrade to our power system, adding more solar for a combined 1.1kW and upgrading from AGM batteries to 600 amp hour lithium iron phosphate. The whole setup is made by Victron. Lithium batteries on a boat are amazing and I would never go back to lead acid/AGM technology. We get to full power by mid morning, with excess solar being used to power our hot water system. We can also run the air conditioning directly off the batteries. We carry a portable generator as a backup, but have never come close to needing it, even after 8 consecutive days of heavy rain/no sun.

Any plans for further customisation? Possible upgrade to a newer chart plotter.

If you were to swap her for another boat, what would that be? Or maybe you wouldn’t swap her? I have provided this answer to many people: If I had to swap her for another boat, I would get the Seawind 1260 which is virtually identical to the 1250. If I won the lottery, I would buy the recently announced Seawind 1370.

How is the after sales service from Seawind? Or is all done through the dealer network? I have contacted Seawind with various technical questions. They have always responded promptly with appropriate answers.

Anything else you would add to help people thinking of buying a Seawind 1250 or 1260? All boats are a compromise. The Seawind compromises on some volume and space for the sake of being a better sailing vessel. It is still very comfortable, especially for a couple or small family. We like this mix of comfort and sailing performance. However, if you prefer the cavernous saloons and cockpits of the bigger volume cats, or don’t mind a slightly slower pace, then perhaps other options should be considered.

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Seawind 1250

• By Mark Pillsbury
• Updated: December 9, 2011

Introduced to the United States in 2007, the Seawind 1160 quickly won _ Cruising World_’s Boat of the Year honors for Best Catamaran. The new 1250 hasn’t yet made it to the States, but when it does, it will arrive with many of the same well-thought-out design details, but in a 41-foot package that’s 3 feet longer and about a foot wider than its predecessor. The result is a boat with a bit more powerful rig, higher water clearance, a little more speed through the water, and a roomier living space that comes with a revamped bimini over the aft deck and locates helm seats and two steering stations to either side of the cockpit ( see the complete photo gallery here ).

What remains unchanged is an open interior that flows aft to the cockpit thanks to a clever tri-fold door that folds up and stores under the bimini, a galley-up or a galley-down design (the latter of which creates immense space in the saloon but still lets the chef remain a part of the action), and a three- or four-cabin layout that you choose depending on your sailing plans.

Seawind is Australia’s largest catamaran builder, and its owner, Richard Ward, builds boats to suit local conditions that can be quite boisterous at times, such as when a southerly buster delivers 40-knot gusts and the consequent impressive waves. Luckily, we avoided those in our two-day test sail through the Whitsundays, but still we found conditions varying enough to give a good inkling of how the 1250 holds up in a squall and keeps moving when the breeze drops to near nothing. The boat is intended by the builder to be a true bluewater cruiser.

With the boat under power, Seawind’s director of sales, Brent Vaughan, used the twin 29-horsepower Yanmar diesels and saildrives to deftly move us off a tight dock and out into the waters off Hamilton Island. With sails soon set—the main was spun up effortlessly from its boom pouch using a self-tending electric winch near the port wheel—we sailed along quite comfortably at 7 knots or better in a breeze that hovered in the mid teens. When a front passed through later in the afternoon and sent gusts into the 20s, we picked up a knot or better of boat speed, but the ride remained smooth as could be. The little tacking we did do was simplified thanks to the self-tending jib set on a roller furler. Twin wheels mean you can steer from where the visibility’s the best, and the location of the wheels allows you to sit outboard on either hull, where you can enjoy both the breeze and see the telltales. Windows forward of the wheels can be removed, which means you can also stay under the bimini and out of the weather but still have good sight lines forward.

Evening found us anchored in an open cove in which swells rounding the point had nearby monohulls rolling, though we sat flat and calm and took advantage of the Aussie-style barbecue that’s incorporated into the stern rail and seats that span the transom.

Our boat was a four-cabin model from Charter Yachts Australia. The two aft cabins and an athwartship forward double to port all shared a head and shower amidships in the port hull. The galley, with natural light pouring in through the hull ports, was amidships to starboard, with a fore-and-aft double and en suite head and shower forward.

In the saloon, a versatile—and nicely finished—wood table can be rotated to accommodate crews of various sizes, or it can be dropped down to provide a huge lounging area, double berth, or comfortable place to spend a night watch. Large, opening windows provide fresh air when the boat’s anchored. A daybed just to port of the table is a comfortable place to escape the sun.

Seawinds are built in a new plant in Wollongong. Hulls are sandwiches fashioned from resin-infused glass and Divinycell, which means that weight and strength can be closely monitored. Divinycell is also used in the deck and other components for weight savings. The finish throughout the boat we sailed was clean and well crafted. And the attention to detail, both below and on deck, was well evident. Few builders these days offer triple lifelines, but with Seawind, safety is clearly paramount.

Seawinds aren’t the least-expensive catamarans on the market—the French will likely stake this claim for the time being—but still, the company is hedging for the future. It recently bought Corsair, and Ward has outlined his plans to begin taking advantage of certain cost savings by manufacturing at least some Seawind components at the Corsair facility in Vietnam. In the meantime, Seawinds dominate Australian waters, a good proving ground for bluewater cats that can roam the globe.

• More: 2011+ , 41 - 50 ft , catamaran , Coastal Cruising , multihull , Sailboat Reviews , Sailboats , seawind catamarans
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Used Seawind 1250 available for fast sale!

Been looking for a 1250 but just haven’t been able to find the right boat? Look no further. The used Seawind 1250 Northstar, formally featured on some of our posts of catamaran sailing in South East Asia has now become available for immediate sale.

The former owner is upgrading to Seawinds new 52′ model, the Seawind 1600 and a quick sale on the 18 month old 1250 is now available. At an asking price of just $435,000 USD this is a killer deal for anybody looking to pick up a near new fully equipped 1250 out of Sydney.

For more information on Northstar CLICK HERE

To make an inquiry contact us at [email protected]

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Seawind 1250 Boats For Sale in Australia

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Seawind 1250 (2014 Owner's Version)

After 6 years and over 20,000 miles of sailing the Australian coast, we have made the hard ...

• 41' 0" / 12.50m
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