Seafarer taken over by Haines

[whichway]

Hi

I don't know if I missed an earlier thread re this, but I see that Seafarer have been taken over by Haines (Sig not Hunter).

Any thoughts

Whichway

[Spaniard_King]

yeh,,, ya missed it

[Jabba_]

It will stay the same. Lindsay Fry will still be a the helm.. Lindsay will also be mremodeling some of the boats in the range.... The Seafarer will still be constructed and finished the way they have been done for years.

[Outsider1]

I was reading the latest issue of F & B this afternoon and came across a boat test on a Seafarer V'sea. The test boat was powered by a 90hp Suk, as they now will be under the tie up with Haines Sig.

I was bemused to read that the V'sea transom is rated to 90hp and/or maximum 168kg motor weight. The (current) 90hp Suk weighs 189kgs, well over that maximum weight rating. First time I have seen an and/or on the transom rating!

Now the new Suzuki 70/80/90 due out here later this year will weigh around 155 kgs apparently, so this is somewhat academic in the longer term, but you have to wonder about the legitimacy of some transom ratings to suit commercial realities!??!

Do we place too much emphasis on these ratings?? Yes, I know voiding insurance cover is a biggie, but if you can get a Surveyor to sign it off is it really an issue to go over the manufacturers' ratings by 10% or so?? It seems at least one manufacturer does not seem to think it is a big issue!

I did dig a little further and looked around for some other tests. I came across some test of the current Viva which is the same hull as the V'sea as far as I am aware??. It was/is rated to 115hp apparently.

Now don't get me wrong, I reckon Seafarers are beaut and I have no issue with Suzukis outboards either, and I think it is great that Haines Sig is ensuring the future of Seafarer. I just bemuses me that a manufacturer can be apparently so easy going on a issue we seem to agonise over with motor selection!!

Cheers

Dave

[gofishin]

Yes Dave, very strange. Normally a manufacturer would never publicly promote a boat-motor combination that is outside their own spec limits, especially when they are both from the same source. That would definitely open the flood gates!

Possibly a mix-up with specs, or maybe they have been updated, but not their web specs? Wouldn't be the first time a manufacturer's published specs are not correct!
cheers

[Ocean_Spirit]

Dave,

The reason the boats have a limit on weight was not due to the boat being able to handle the weight (get under the transom and have a look at the amount of raw material and support in there - probably the same amount of many 6Mtr's +), but moreso, the rating to my knowledge wound be based around how the boat performed with the bigger, heavier engines on the back.

I have run around in a number of Seafarer 5.0Mtrs (we had one for 4Yrs), together with a range of other local 5.0Mtr boats, with different engines, and the ride changed considerably with each engine set-up. The best engine I thought for them in the end was the Evinrude 90 (3-Cylinder) followed by the Evinrude 115 (V4) for more performance boating. I never ran one with a new age Honda 90 V-TEC or the soon to be released Suzuki 90, but the lighter weight would be a much better fit.

A lot of people buying V-Sea's do a lot of bar work and the weight of say a 115 Four-Stroke on the back of one of those boats really changes the handling characteristics completely. The hulls were originally designed around the 70HP Johnson / Evinrude 3-Cylinder Carby. Four-Strokes came on the scene, and people immediately banged these on the back, not taking into account what the hull was designed for or would handle best. Every boat is designed differently, and in the case of Seafarer, stick to what the recommended engine weight is, to get the best out of the hull. The heavier engines change the ride completely. I'm sure the new lighter Suzuki Four-Stroke will suit this hull well.

When Modern Boating and others tested and awarded these boats back in the 90's with a plethora of commendations, (with the right engines all set-up properly) they rated the hulls the best 5.0Mtr hull in the world! There hasn't really been a huge influx of great 16" hulls since introduced in fibreglass since these came on the scene (many of the current crop of boats were around then), and I would argue that they are the best for their size, for build and finish. I think Nichols' Bros. build a good 5.0Mtr hull too. A very big call, but when you think of where most people take their V-Sea's, you rarely see other 16" boats out that wide on rough days.

[Ocean_Spirit]

Sorry mate, that was a little out of the context of the original post, but I think it is important if you are going to buy a boat, to hear an owner's perspective.

I saw some photos of one of the new 08's, and they look great, with a few styling changes. Having John Haines and Lindsay Fry working under the same banner, two of the last true Aussie trailerboat building legends, will only be a great thing for the boating public. I think Australia builds the best hulls in the world, and these mergers will only make Aussie builders more competitive.