seaward 23, S2 7.9 or hunter 27

[daleh9]

We are interested in starting to sail and looking at 3 different boats. A 1984
S2 7.9 $11,500 that has 3 new head sails and a rebuilt main sail. It has a repaired hull from 1991 from hitting a log (does not leak).
The seaward 23 is 1995 $12,500 very good condition, only has main and head sail. Has roller furling (Both of these boats have good trailers).
Then a 1995 Hunter 27' $22,000. very low use, no trailer, sails in good shape with roller furling. Has inboard diesel.
We would like any information on all of these boats that anyone can supply good or bad. The boat would mostly be used either in the Missouri River or possibly up in the Lake Superior/Apostle Islands area.

[sailingfool]

You short list is a bit of a hodgepoge - you might look a while longer to get a better idea of what you actually want.

IMHO the S-2 7.9 is a sweet boat, and I'd recommend it highly. My preference for Lake Superior would be a keel version, but a daggerboard for the River, although either works fine. The condition and value of any boat is unique - be sure ot get a good survey. The money for the Hunter seems way out of line, Hunter is a lesser quality boat than the S-2, the following link gives you some ideas on quality: http://yachtsurvey.com/boatreviews/hunter28.htm

As an illustration of how these boats vary, the S-2 is a quick boat (PHRFNE of 168), the Hunter 27 is slow (219) and the Seaward may be too slow to rate...

Good luck.

[Valdare]

The S2 7.9 is a great boat. I had an 1983 until 1999. I kept it in the water some years, dry sailed it others and trailered it all over the place. AT 6,800 lbs and the dagger board she is stable and fast. You must however learn how to sail her. Do it correctly and you fly do it wrong and it's like throwing an anchor out. We were the pickle boat in our fleet, not serious racers. Once out of our fleet however we did very well. We had ours (purchased new) pretty well loaded for weekending, table, enclosed head, etc. We sailed in Saginaw Bay, Lake Huron, Lake Erie and Lake St.Clair. I never worried about the weather. She was strong and sure footed. We now have a Morgan 384, we compare the two as a luxury car vs a sports car. Everything on the boat is first class in my opinion. Plus a pretty active association that keeps the resale up. http://www.sailingsource.com/s279/
Good Luck,

John

[Faster]

I'd agree with Sailingfool, your list seems a bit scattered. Usually one decides what they want in a boat and then find a selection that suits the criteria. Your list is all over the map - a quick racer/weekend cruiser, a character cruising trailerable, and the hunter - all very different boats in concept and execution.

Your first step should be to narrow down your wants, needs and preferences. Then find a range of boats that fit, then find the best example that fits your budget and go from there.

[daleh9]

Thank you for all of your responses. I understand we are looking at 3 completely different types of boats but from a beginner's standpoint, all of the boats could work for what we want. Take the Hunter out of the picture as has gotten poor reviews everywhere we have looked and the other two boats are trailerable and do fit what we need at this point.Our expectations are only that we get a good quality boat that will fill our needs of weekends and vacation time. We do not plan on taking the boat for any long distance trips at this point, We just want the ability to sleep on the boat and cruise around during the day. Everything we have heard about the S2 is that it is a great boat...Does anyone have any opinions or know any pros or cons about the seaward 23. The current owner purchased this over an S2 because he felt it was a better built boat. He is selling it because he crews for and cares for other peoples boats and doesn't feel he needs to have his own any longer.