Nice rig noelm
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Nice rig noelm
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Boat: Seafarer Vagabond
Live: Great South East....love Moreton Bay fishing
It was pretty flash in it's day, twin 55's, they had a heap of trouble with the 55's, they blew up quite regularly, I never had a problem with mine, but plenty of my mates did, OMC replaced the powerheads on them, one of my mates had the same boat as mine and did 3 motors, and another mate did 2, so even back then, "things" happened.
Forgot to post a pic of her when I bought her home I think.
Sweet mate. Gotta love these hulls.
Cheers
Boat: Seafarer Vagabond
Live: Great South East....love Moreton Bay fishing
This thread has been quiet for a while - I have been looking into Seafarers a bit lately in the hopes of finding my first 5.5 - 6m boat
There seem to be a few good looking Victory 6.0's around that look pretty good for their age.
I do have a few questions I hope some owners/past owners could help with!
I guess with any boats, age is an enemy - how do the Victory's hold up?, Wondering how they go for needing floor/transom repairs over time? - I haven't seen anything looking through forums so far.
Were there any changes around the 1998-2002 period with the maximum engine size on them?, 225 looks to be the max on 2000 year ones onwards, but, not sure if it was the same earlier?
Would anyone know how long the cabin is? - Wondering if I can fit in for a rest (176cm)
I also wonder if anyone has missed the ability to walk around the cabin outside?, or is getting a windlass / winch the go?
Many thanks in advance!
Seppo
Hi Seppo,
i just bought a 2005 model victory. It came with a 225 etec. Mine only had 125 hours on it and so far everything is quite solid so no need to think about flooring, hopefully for a long time.
I think 1999 was the 5.9M victory and from 2000 onwards was the 6M victory. Maybe that is when the HP changed but I am not sure. Someone else here will probably confirm that.
You will fit in the cabin. The cabin is 194cm
i don't care about the walk around. There is a slight edge if you have good balance! Mine came with a Muir winch from factory and so far works really well. Much better than bringing up an anchor yourself.
You serious? I go to all the boat shows along the east coast and I have never ever seen a New Seafarer!
I asked the Haines Group about it last year and they said they don't showcase those boats.
Maybe tommo has some inside info. Regardless, the cynic in me suggests that they didn't buy the brand to better it, rather remove some competition and allow them to steer any potential customers towards their own products.
Bremic
I suspect you would find that when Haines bought Seafarer John Haines senior had big plans for it to continue as a big successful brand, so much so that Lindsay Fry was employed to assist Haines to further develop it. However after the John Snr passed away Haines moved into caravans etc etc. Not at all surprised to hear Oceanic Daves comments as it reflects what happened after Jonh Snr passed away.
Haines actions have resulted in the market now paying a premium for the the Lindsay Fry built Seafarers.
Cheers
Chimo
Seppo, the current model 6.0 Victory was introduced in 1997 by Lindsay Fry. They have always been rated to 225HP, except some (like mine) that are rated to 250 (only ever sold to experienced owners). Some of the facts above are not correct. I worked for Seafarer for 5years and had been around that factory since I was knee high. The 1993 - 2007 generation were and still are the best production trailer boat we produced in Australia for quality. A couple of comments on build;
- The floors and transoms are overbuilt. Go into any brand factory and have a look at the gap between the stringers and hull - sadly they are usually bogged, foam filled and sold to the unwary customer- on a Seafarer you couldn't get a cigarette wrapper under them, and if you could, the boat wouldn't leave the factory.
- Glass work was both woven roving and matting. Every hull was weighed as it left the mould. Lindsay had a reputation for sacking people who didn't understand what perfection meant.
- Have a look at the transom and the quality of the moulding. Completely sealed with no screwed in alloy for water to penetrate. The transoms were heavily layed up with glass panelling anyway i.e multiple layers - bloody strong and built to last. I had a well known shipwright repair one for a mate whose boat came off the trailer on the Gateway Bridge - cosmetic repairs and he was astounded on how well built they were.
- The floors are fully glassed and before that, everything was flow coated - have a look even under the cabin panels.
- Rex Hunt wouldn't accept free boats from other brands - he ripped the bow rail off another so called top of the range glass boat when tied up. He has personally paid market rate for 3 Victorys for him and his boys and that says something. These were late 90's builds.
- The cabin bunks are designed for 180cm adults.
The best information you will get on these boats is from those who worked on them during the Lindsay Fry era. There are quite a "few" perceived experts that know nothing about them, and I'd hate to be behind the wheel with some of these guys.
Seppo, you contacted me on the weekend about the Victory I have for sale on ebay at the minute - selling for a mate who isn't in great shape health wise. I personally own a 2005 Victory that has every imaginable option on it (not for sale) and so you can have a look and see the indifference on the two. Its cheap and a great boat with plenty of interest this week - owner is keen to move it on.
Another rebadged Traveller?
To be frank, buy one built before 2007 - when they were built properly by a boatbuilder.