Sailing Magazine : The Beauty of Sail

Catamarans are wonderful cruising platforms and it’s not surprising that many sailors fall in love with sailing on two hulls and decide they want to own a multihull of their own. For sailors who want to do serious cruising, the Seawind 1250 may be just the ticket.

This 41-foot cat is designed not just for comfort but also for seaworthiness and sturdiness, making ocean passages a realistic part of the plan. In fact, the first 1250 went on a 6,000-mile sea trial through the Bass Straight and Tasman Sea after its launch, taking it through 45-knot squalls, 15-foot seas and a variety of other conditions on a passage from Australia to New Zealand.

Modeled after the popular Seawind 1160, the 1250 adds waterline length, beam and height to the cat built at Seawind’s new facility in Wollongong, Australia.

Dual helms are raised slightly with double-wide seats for two people to sit and all control lines are led back for easy access by the helmsman. A wide saloon, the heart of a catamaran, can be completely opened up to the cockpit thanks to tri-fold doors that can be stored out of the way. A few layout options are available for owners to customize their boats, including galley-up or galley-down versions.

As on many cruising cats, the sailplan is set up for maximum efficiency and ease of use. The full-batten mainsail has an integrated lazy jack system and mainsail cover, and the headsail is self-tacking. There is a fair amount of redundancy built into the boat for safety, including independently linking the wheels to the steering system, twin 30-horsepower Yanmar engines and twin steering compasses. An electric windlass is stored in a locker to keep the deck clean and can be operated from a foot switch on the bow or at the helm station.

There are trade-offs in any sailboat design, but the Seawind 1250 minimizes them by providing a comfortable interior with true seaworthiness, so owners can go cruising well beyond the coast.

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Seawind 1250
LOA 41’; Beam 22’4”; Draft 3’8”; Displ. 18,164 lbs.; twin Yanmar 30-hp sail drives; Fuel 126 gal.; Water 185 gal.

Sailaway price: $568,483

Seawind USA
1050 Rosecrans St., Ste. 8
San Diego, California 92106
(619) 571-3513
www.seawindcats.com