10 posts
Hello all,
I have a few questions that you learned folks may be able to help me with:
1) Anyone out there a Seawind 850 owner? Although I haven't sailed an 850 , they look like a very tidy, simply laid-out cat for a first time owner like me. I have sailed a few SW 1000's and really liked them, but they're a bit out of my budget. I would one day like to to sail the Kimberleys - would an 850 be big enough for the stores/water/fuel necessary for a 3 month trip? I have seen ne advertised with an inboard diesel - would this have been an after market extra?
2) Does anyone have an opinion regarding long-distance cruising and outboards? Is fuel economy a potential issue? What about safe storage of extra fuel - is there a danger from rear-mounted BBQ's?
3) Could any Kimberley veterans let me know if they had a watermaker with them? I have read that fresh water is available at a number of locations (which would require purification I presume), so is a watermaker necessary?
Any help greatly appreciated,
jim
NSW
86 posts
hi there desertjim i have a seawind 960 on lake maquarie and love the overall package that seawind has produced ,the 960 is a 850 with longer bows ,I know a guy in pittwater who bought a 850 new in 1993 and has sailed throughout the kimberly extensively also the east coast and lord howe island and still owns the boat now ,he absolutly loves it ,it is powered by a yamaha 9.9 hithrust 4 stroke as is almost all 850"s and they do a great job ,my boat motor sailing does one liter per hour at 3500rpm and motoring at 4200rpm does 1.5 liters per hour so they are very economical,if you keep your fuel tanks ,hoses and conectors in good condition it will be very safe for any voyages you will likely do ,as for fresh water we have a hard top with guttering for catching rain water ,and two 120lt water tanks under the rear bunks ,you can also buy hand operated desalinators at a reasonable cost,I have read 2 stories of 9-10 meter catamarans that have done circumnavigations powered by yamaha 9.9 hithrust motors,hope this helps your thoughts ray
10 posts
Hi Radar,
Thanks very much for taking the time to reply, and for your information and advice.
I have another query that you might be able to help me with - I have never sailed a cruising cat with tiller steering...does this steering setup allow you to watch instruments (plotter/GPS/compass etc) whilst sailing? This might seem a stupid question, but I must admit wheel steering with the instruments laid out is very convenient. Do you have any thoughts on this?
Thanks again for helping me out,
jim
SA
564 posts
A big advantage of wheel(s) vs tillers on cats, is that you can have one of them, not two, which (1) enables you to put your instruments all in one place and (2) save room in the cockpit. (That said, for some reason the larger Seawinds have two wheels, which certainly makes sense on a keel boat that is constantly heeling over, but seems far less useful on a cat.) The other consideration for cruising is having decent shelter at the helm. While you want great visibility, you also want protection from the elements.
PS I have a Lightwave 38 (11.3m) and I absolutely love its single wheel and elevated helm.
NSW
86 posts
hey there jim our seawind was originally tiller steer but has been converted to hydraulic wheel steering which I like ,I have three freinds with 850,s and they all have tillers which they also like ,they have mounted there sounder combos just inside there compaion ways on a bracket that hinges in and out of that area so they can see it whilst at the tiller, the 850,s also came with two steering compasses one in each hull bulkhead in front of each tiller,I have one wheel on the stb side and have all gauges and gps mounted behind the wheel ,the tie bar between the two tillers is the only thing I find anoying on the 850,s as it takes up space across the rear of the cockpit, my tie bar runs behind the back alloy crossbeam out of the way,there are four 850,s for sale at the moment ,I know of two which sold just last week
10 posts
Hey Radar and Scruzin,
Thanks very much for your help - really useful information and advice for a newbie like me. I appreciate your time.
Regards,
jim
