Looking at a Seidelmann 299

[david k]

Can anybody help? I,m looking for any info on the seidelmann 299. My family and i are looking for a cruising boat that will handle easily and accommodate a growing family. Speed is not as important as stability. With the 11 foot beam i,m thinking that the seidelmann 299 would be a little on the stiff side. I am trying to keep my wife interested in sailing she currently hangs on for dear life in our venture 25. We sail mainly on the bays in NJ.

[Jeff_H]

Given your use the Seidelman 299 has two real strikes against it, first of all they were pretty poorly constructed. There was a good string on the 299 that should still be in the archives. The other was that they had a pretty narrow waterline beam and a pretty high center of gravity and so were not expecially stiff as 30 footers go. Of course, all of these things are relative and in that sense they would certainly seem more stable than the 25 foot trailerable that you are used to.

Respectfully,
Jeff

[david k]

Thanks for your insight.I really appreciate it. What would you recommend for a family that has been sailing for only about two years and would meets our needs as far as stability and single handed sailing but with an interior that would accomodate weekend sails or trips? our budget is about $10,000.
or slightly highter. Older or needing some TLC is not a problem. Thanks for your help

[halyardz]

If you added a few grand to your budget you
might like a Tartan 30. Older models trade in
the low teens but often need some work.

[Mousse]

Hi,

I know this post is very old, but I wanted to share my experience with the Seidelmann 299. I owned a 1979 Seidelmann 299 for 5 years and loved it. I looked for a 30 footer during six month before narrowing it down to the S299. With a $16,000 budget, it was the best compromise between performance and confort. There are very few 30 footers that have such a spacious inside with pressure water, shower, 6' headroom... I wanted a boat that could take us on confortable cruises and one that I would still have fun racing with.
I don't really understand the comment about those boats being poorly built. Out of all the similar boats I saw at the time, the S299 was definitely one of the best. Most boats from the 70's and early 80's had soft spots, needed work in the interior... Overall, this was a great boat with plenty of room to take for 4-5 people for a week and to get on the podium racing PHRF. It performs very well in light air despite its weight and after reducing sails, it's very stable in heavier winds. We don't live by the water anymore and really miss our S299. I was actually looking for potential owners interested in renting us his S99 for a week this summer when I found this post.
Enjoy sailing!

[Hansonmarine]

I have a 79 299 that will be in Marinette WI that will be for charter to Door County, WI in 2010. We are not set up yet but I hope to have a charter fleet ready for next year. Bill

[boat dude]

David,
I have owned 4 other boats before and now i have just purchased my seidelman 299. I buy distressed boats at rock bottom price and refurbish them. I do all my own work. Bimini, rebuild engine, fiberglass work, 2 part polyurithanes, upholstery, plumbing, electrical. EVERYTHING! 3 years ago the old owner pirated some parts off of the deck of this boat and sold it to the marina. It leaked in there all that time. Sometime after there was 6 inches of water in the boat and the marina here drilled a hole in the bottom. 2 months ago I looked at it and decided to buy it. I filled the holes with silicone and came by to open the hatch to let out moisture whenever I had time. This is an incredibly well built boat. My wood loss was minimal. ( Teak veneer flooring and 2 wood panels on the back. Also the cushions) I had the Yanmar diesel running in about 2 hours. and clean up to quite a bit longer of course. This is now a really nice boat that I have decided to keep. As far as designs go, you can see the that this man really knew what he was doing. This was the second bad review of this boat I have seen by people that know absolutely nothing about this boat. The first one talked about the deep draft. It is actually 4'2. Anyway, you should have gotten this boat. I really think the whole family would have loved it.