Seawind 950 -- Sanctuary Cove Boat Show

On day one of the Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show, Seawind Catamarans unveiled its latest creation, the Seawind 950.

While many other manufacturers of cruising boats, both power and sail, have been working on the 'bigger is better' theory, Seawind has spotted a niche in the market -- an affordable, easy-to-handle coastal cruiser that can accommodate a cruising family or up to three couples.

The Seawind 950 has a 'modular' design which means that the cat can be broken down into its basic components and shipped in two 40ft containers to any destination in the world. According to Seawind the cat can then be put back together and the owners can enjoy new cruising grounds in their 950.

But one of the biggest plusses for the Seawind 950 is the price. The sail-away price for the Seawind 950 is $225,000 including GST and shipped to any port in Australia.

Seawind spokesman Brent Vaughan told BoatPoint that along with cruisers, the 950 should also prove popular among charter fleets: "Seawind has a good reputation with charter fleets and we’ve already had plenty of interest in the 950," he said.

The 950 can be ordered with either three double cabins or two. The two-cabin layout gets two bathrooms whereas the three-cabin has one of the bathrooms converted to double sleeping cabin.

There’s a good-sized galley in the starboard hull and a big saloon upstairs that opens out to the cockpit for an indoor/outdoor feel. The saloon dinette can convert into another double bed if necessary.

The Seawind comes standard with either an overlapping jib or self-tacking jib. The big, roachy main looks powerful and all the deck gear is top quality Harken.

Broad side decks lead to the bow where there is a huge locker for the storage of anchor gear or sails.

Power is supplied by two 9.9hp Yamaha four-stroke outboards.

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