Seawind 1260: Review

Evolving from one of Australia’s best-selling catamarans, the new Seawind 1260 continues the brand’s long tradition of delivering a tough, bullet-proof cat for cruising in local coastal waters.

OVERVIEW
- Long-haul bluewater cruiser
Like her earlier sisters, the 1200 and 1250, the new Seawind 1260 is designed for long-haul bluewater sailing, so a cruise around the Pacific is not out of the question. However, the immediate attraction for many Seawind fans will be the extra space and speed this 41-foot model offers. At the same time, she remains a size that a couple, or solo a sailor, can handle.

Now built in Vietnam at the Corsair factory, the whole design approach at Seawind is somewhat different to the European-style cat. The Seawind hulls are noticeably slimmer and feature lower freeboard and quite streamlined cabin structure. There's still generous water clearance under the bridge deck, but the result is a cat that cuts more easily through waves with less tendency to hobby-horse.

Certainly, keen offshore sailors will approve of the way the Seawind 1260 sails well upwind and holds a much higher pointing angle than most higher volume cruising cats. This is one of its strengths.

However, the real clincher for many buyers is the Seawind 1260's suitability for cruising our warm northern waters. Key to all this is a superb indoor/outdoor living space created by the deck saloon and rear cockpit. A clever tri-fold door system allows the whole back end of the saloon to open up and form a seamless living space with the cockpit.

The Seawind also has front-opening saloon windows, so in hot weather you can have natural air flow through the main living area. So, all the pieces fall into place for that long-dreamt cruise north to the aquamarine waters of the Coral Coast.

Once in the tropics, her shallow keeled hulls make her safe to sail amongst reef studded waters and, when the time comes to beach her in ‘Careening Cove’ at low tide for a scrub, no problems.

Back on the track, the Seawind 1260’s good turn of speed will also give you more than a chance if you drop in on the Airlie and Hamilton Island Race Weeks. Catamarans are welcome to race and with a keen crew you will 'put a cat among the pigeons' especially off wind under a big gennaker!

Still, cruising is the main purpose of the Seawind 1260 and here she shines with sleeping accommodation for three couples in three separate double-berth cabins. The best choice is the owner's deluxe on-suite that takes up the whole port hull.

A Charter Version provides four double berth cabins, and it's interesting to note the test boat bound for charter work in the Whitsundays features the tri-cabin layout. Called No Regrets she is owned by Chris and Joanne Rose who are passionate scuba divers and intend to use their cat for exploring the Barrier Reef and beyond. That's when she's not being chartered out, of course!

PRICE AND EQUIPMENT
- Competitively priced and charter investment deals
The base price for a new Seawind 1260 landed is from $670,000, with standard auxiliary power comes from twin 29hp Yanmar Saildrive diesels.

As tested — that is, built to Charter Survey — out boat cost about $750,000. Seawind has some charter investment packages that can help make your boat a bona fide business and investment in more than just your lifestyle.

The as-tested pricing included a full set of working sails, anchor gear, electric windlass, mooring gear, Compasses, DSC VHF radio, antifouling and solar panels with 40amp regulator.

LAYOUT AND ACCOMMODATION
- Cockpit space is the big winner here
The star of the show has to be the rear cockpit with its deluxe rear lounge and outdoor-cooking space. The whole area is protected by a rigid awning and Targa so there's very effective sun protection, yet you are free to enjoy the 'outdoor' life-style' in comfort.

You can enjoy this space so many ways, as the lounge can be folded into a day bed, or you can open up the stow-away gas BBQ and enclosed sink for cooking. You can also add a dining table and draw up two roller cooler/seat boxes to create an instant al fresco dining setting for eight people.

With the tri-fold doors lifted out of the way by a sheet winch, the saloon becomes a large, light, airy living space. Here you can also have eight friends sit down for dinner around a large dining table.  The open 'serving area' off to starboard allows food to be passed directly up from the galley below.

The galley is a Master Chef’s delight — way bigger than you see on yachts this size because it's a galley-down location in the starboard hull.

This long galley design ensures loads of bench space finished in Polystone. Here you have a double-bowl sink, three-burner gas stove/oven and 130-litre front-opening fridge. The narrow passage makes it ideal for cooking at sea since you can wedge yourself in quite easily.

Stairways lead down into each hull and portside reveals the spacious owner on-suite with its glamour bathroom and oversize shower booth. The elevated island runs athwartships and while you have to step up to the berth it's a genuine Queen size.

On starboard, there's a guest double berth cabin aft behind the galley and a second guest cabin for'ard with another queen-size bed. These cabins share a second bathroom situated in the fore part of the hull with plenty of light coming from the fixed side windows, plus nice ventilation from overhead hatches.

On longer trips you can use the saloon navigation table as a study or office. Here you can also swivel-mount a large GPS chart-plotter so you can view it inside the cabin, or from the helm.

You can also explore further with 700-litre water tankage and 480-litres of fuel.

HULL AND ENGINEERING
- Composite build, shallow keels and Yanmar power
Our new test boat featured the latest modular composite construction. The vinylester-infused fibreglass hull has modular furniture units that greatly increase hull stiffness and strength. She is further strengthened by composite bulkheads being fully fibre-glassed into the hull and deck structures. She also meets Australian survey and European CE Certification.

The shallow keels naturally protect the hull and there are spade rudders under each stern to provide better steering at speed. The steering wheels are independently linked to the steering system as a back-up safety feature.

The rig has a deck-stepped alloy mast supported by gunwale-mounted shrouds and a diamond-stay system. Having the steering wheels located at the cockpit sides allows the helmsman to view the sails and also work the winches at the same time.

Standard auxiliary power comes from twin 29hp Yanmar Saildrive diesels that deliver a decent turn of speed (7-8 knots) and provide great response in reverse, which helps when backing into a marina berth.

Talking of standard inventory on deck, you get two bow pulpit seats, several large lockers for mooring gear and a remote-controlled electric windlass and 45lb CQR anchor and chain within an anchor launcher.

The Seawind 1260 also comes standard with three-line, 70cm life-rails that meet survey/charter requirements.

UNDER SAIL    
- Light airs test, but she moved along    
Our Sydney test served up a very light westerly so we weren't able to experience the Seawind in full flight. However, we did get to see how well the 1260 sails in lighter winds.

Where most big cruising cats would virtually stop, the Seawind 1260 kept moving along doing 3.5-4 knots sailing upwind in no more than 5 knots. It's a pretty impressive effort and bodes well for sailing on those long passages where you don't always want to be resorting to the motor.

The Seawind's modern, high-aspect rig certainly puts sparkle into her sailing performance. It's all pretty easy to set sail with a boom drop bag and lazy-jacks on the mainsail and furler on the headsail. There's also roller-bearing bat cars up the mast track for easy hoisting of the full-battened mainsail.

Our test boat had the standard self-tailing (40ST and 46ST) winches, but electric winches are also an option. I also like the drop bins alongside the helm to keep all the ropes ship-shape.

Overall, the Seawind 1260 feels responsive and easy to sail. I can only imagine the pleasure of sailing aboard in the tropical north with the wind up, sun going and Pina Colada in hand!

A self-tacking jib and halyards leading aft to the twin helm stations
also help with short-handed sailing, even if that's due to the cocktail. The helm positions either side are
shaded by hardtops, offer good vision, and have sunroofs that let you
see the main'sail above.

The twin helms on this 1260 are an advantage over a single
central helm station.

VERDICT
- A local favourite with a long life
The Seawind brand has enjoyed a strong following in Australia for decades so I expect this will continue with the new model even as the brand expands internationally.

Many buyers will be the traditional bluewater sailing type, however, I see buyers also coming from the ranks of the investor/owner. That's because cats like the Seawind 1260 are perfectly suited to the charter world.

There is plenty of room to relax on deck and loads of inside accommodation to suit group charters. The way the Seawind sails in a level manner, without heeling, also makes her way more appealing to the less experienced 'holiday' sailors.

In places like the Whitsunday Islands, the big Seawind 1260 will just scoot along before a fresh south-east trade wind providing her guests with a fast, fun yet comfortable ride. So, I expect a quite a few Seawind 1260 will weave their way to those warm, beautiful waters. Will you be following them?

LIKE
>> The tri-fold doors making for great indoor/outdoor space
>> Rear lounge and stow-away BBQ are brilliant features
>> Master Chef size galley on lower level

NOT SO MUCH
>> Having to take steps up to master berth
>> Navigation table is a wee small
>> No drink holder at the helm

LOA: 12.45m
Beam:  6.80m
Displacement: 8200kg
Underwing clearance: 0.80m
Steering: Twin wheels
Auxiliary Power: 2 x Yanmar 29hp
Working Sail Area: 85sq m
Fuel Tankage: 480lt
Water Tankage: 700lt
Sleeping: 6+1

Supplied by:
Multihull Central,
Rozelle Bay, Sydney
Phone: 02 9810 5014 or email info@multihullcentral.com
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Multihull Central.