Info on seafarer

[KenD]

I have looked at the website and all I found were specs whats the opinion of the experts of salt and sea Some claim that it''s bluewater capable but then so is a sealed wine bottle. They seem a little thin on the cabinitry, cheesy vinyl ply on bulkheads in head and v berth area other than that lot''s of bin type storage. Does anyone know what the ballast material is?

[DirtManly]

Hello Ken,
My last boat was a Seafarer and I loved it. For as much as I loved my boat I simply would never tell anyone it was a bluewater boat because it''s not. It does however sail extremely well in heavy air. I didn''t have to start thinking about the first reef until around twenty five mph winds. Because they perform well in heavy air some people think that qualifies them for blue water and it doesn''t. Mine was a latter model McCurry & Rhodes design. It had 38% lead ballast, a shallow draft and a skeg mounted rudder. As with any boat that sails well in heavy air light air is not it''s forte. These boats are wonderful coastal cruisers.
They were made with an interior liner as a seperate piece that was glassed together. There is styrofoam of some sort between the liner and the house top that sevres as pretty good insulation. The down side to that is it is hard to retro mount anything on the cabin top as a result. Also watch out for the lower rudder attachment. There are two kinds of Seafarer owners those who have fixed the rudder and those who are going to fix the rudder.
The old boy I sold my boat to sails it to the Bahama''s with some regularity.
Hope this helps
Dirt

[KenD]

More information on the lower rudder attachment needed what exactly does this malady look like is there a tattleltale to look for and how much to fix it when it happens? Really don''t race I just sail an try to enjoy life. The engine was made for light air days,if you really have to get somewhere.

[DirtManly]

Hello KenD,
The typical rudder problem is that electrolisis eats the lower bushing up. As to what it takes to repair it, i''m not certain, i didn''t have time to make the repair and paid the marina to do it. You might want to subscribe to the Seafarers email list here on Sailnet. This is a very active list and the folks there are most helpful. A lot of the guys on the list say they made the repair themselves.
I am curious to know which Seafarer your looking at.
Best Regards
Dirt

[KenD]

Sorry it took so long to get back to you.It is a 30 foot 1979.I don''t think its a swiftsure but then I dont know the hull number ends with 79L which is a 1979 boat what the L means is anybodys guess?

[jdkirkk]

Several years ago I had the opportunity to purchase “Wissahickon,” James McCurdy’s personal Intrepid 35, the last of five of these boats built by Cape Dory. I passed and bought a one ton instead, a mistake on my part, as it turned out. But I never forgot the lines of the boat and the common sense of the layout. It was a well thought out boat and appeared to be very well built. Now, 15 years later, I’m retired and looking for a Seafarer 30 (possibly 34) to sail just offshore in Lake Michigan. The Seafarer 30, a McCurdy & Rhodes design, looks to be a smaller version of the boat I so admired years ago. The problem is that I am unfamiliar with the boat or the manufacturer except for what little I can pick up on the net. I would like to chat with someone who presently, or in the past, has some personal experience with these boats. Anyone?

[jmedina]

John/Ken,

Look at my post under Seafarer 30.

Hope that helps,

Jamie