# Seafarer 30



## Jotun (May 4, 2006)

I looked at a very nice Seafarer 30 over the weekend. Does anyone have any thoughts or comments about this boat. Before seeing it, I had never even heard of them.


----------



## Jotun (May 4, 2006)

Does anyone know anything about these boats?


----------



## Faster (Sep 13, 2005)

Judging by the lack of response, apparently not, Jotun. Ive heard of them, and have seen drawings, but think there are so few around that there's no real consensus on their quality or characteristics. Sorry.


----------



## MoontideC30 (Jun 1, 2006)

I believe that each previously owned boat should be viewed as an individual case. The only thing that certain models truly have in common are the original design. After that many things happen to the boat regarding upgrades and or the lack of maintenance. 

I would strongly suggest that you get a copy of Don Casey's Sailboat Maintenance Manual and follow his guidelines for doing your own personal survey. Then if the boat still fits your needs and looks good for the price, hire a good surveyor to look it over.


----------



## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

I'd also recommend getting your hands on the Practical Sailor two-volume boat buying guide. It has the specifications for the boats, as well as owner interviews and known pros and cons specific to the various boats.


----------



## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

I don't have any personal experience owning a 30 foot Seafarer yet, but I owned a 1983 Seafarer 23 that was a McCurdy and Rhodes design. We absolutely loved that boat. It was very stable reasonably fast and well layed out to our thinking. The construction seemed pretty good compaired to most of the production boats that I work on. 
They made three completely different 30 models, the most common is the McCurdy and Rhodes designed Swiftsure. They were apparently made from the mid seventies until they stopped production in 85. As near as I can remember the other popular boat from the sixties was a Bill Tripp design and was a good sailor, well built and stunning Eye Candy to my way of thinking. The other was the 30R I am not sure who designed it, but it looks like a little different Tripp design to me. I am told that the R stood for racing version although I haven't been able to confirm that information. I spent the day on one of these several years ago and was pretty impressed with how well it was put together.
I just sold my Morgan and am currently looking for a late model Seafarer, although we haven't decided whether we want a 26 or a 30. I want the smaller boat for ease of handling and the wife wants the bigger boat for more room.
Assuming that you are looking at one of the later model thirties, make certain that you take a close look at the rudder. The bracket at the bottom ofthe rudder is bad about breaking due to electrolisis. The only other thing is that they have an interior liner that makes it a bit tough to mount anythying on the deck and make rewiring something of a pain. The other side of that is that it is a breeze to keep clean.
Good luck on your search
Dirt


----------



## Jotun (May 4, 2006)

DirtManly said:


> The bracket at the bottom ofthe rudder is bad about breaking due to electrolisis.


Thanks for the info, Dirt. Would this be something hard to fix? Would other parts be hard to come by, or can you retrofit most parts that you would need for this boat? I discovered that Good Old Boat magazine reviewed the Seafarer 30 in their April 2006 issue, so I ordered a copy. We'll see what they have to say.


----------



## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

The fix isn't the end of the world type thing. I heard one guy say that he had a boat yard fix his and it cost about $ 850.00. You may want to consider joining the Seafarer email list that is available on this site. They are a lively bunch and are a wealth of information about this kind of thing. The last time that I heard them reference the this fix, they were discussing having several of the pieces in question made up and selling them at cost to other Seafarer owners as we are all in the same boat more or less.
Again this is not a reason to turn the boat down, but it is unquestionably something that needs to be looked at. It may well be that the current owner has already done the fix. 
Regards
Dirt


----------

