# Seaward 32RK Opinions?



## mjgill1 (Nov 18, 2016)

Howdy,

I have been eyeballing these for a couple of years now since I saw one in in Dubuque, IA on the Mississippi. I never got to go aboard as the owner wasn't around but she sure had nice lines and looked like a well thought out fun to sail boat. At least from the dock.

There doesn't seem to be a lot of info either way on the net about these 32RK boats. There also doesn't seem to be too many for sale at one time. I'm thinking that either the current owners are really happy with them, or they didn't make a whole bunch of them. They do seem pretty proud of the boat if you know what I mean $$$.

Anyone on here ever been aboard, or better yet sailed aboard one? I would love to hear the good, bad and ugly of this boat.


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## mstern (May 26, 2002)

I've been on one many times at boat shows, and I've read most everything I could find about them on the interweb, including watching the videos of their design and construction. If I had the cash, I'd own one. It is my favorite boat in terms of design, looks and features. The build quality also looks to be very high. Most importantly, it fits with the way I sail now, and how I want to sail in the future. There are a number of sailing magazine reviews of the boat; I think most of them are linked to the company website. They are all very favorable, citing especially the variable draft retracting keel.

The only downside I see to buying one is the stability of the company. Hake Yachts (the owners and builders of the Seaward boats) has recently been unsettled. A couple of years ago, they announced that they were closing their manufacturing facility, and were henceforth going to be built at the Island Packet Yacht company factory. They cast the decision as good for both parties, as both had excess manufacturing capacity, and this would be economical for everyone. I saw it as neither were selling as many boats as they had been and needed to cut costs.

Within a short period of time, IPY closed its doors, and was headed for bankruptcy or some other dire fate. There were lots of rumors on the web that Seaward was going to buy IPY, but we were hanging for about a month I think before that announcement was made. I don't know about the financial health of the company at this point.

The ads I see in the national magazines for both IPY and Seaward each mention the other, but I definitely see fewer ads for the Seaward boats than the IPY boats. That may make sense as IPY has always been a bigger name than Seaward, but that may mean the Seaward line is less favored within the company.

Buying a boat from a financially distressed company is not necessarily a really bad thing. Lots of us own Oday's, Pearsons and other boats built by companys that no longer exist. Because of the internet, help and advice is more readily available than ever before. Of course, you want your new boat's warranty to be honored, but that's a risk you may be willing to take. And Seaward (at least a couple of years ago) wasn't selling through dealers; only factory direct. Which means that "factory service" was never going to be easy unless you were near their facility in Florida. I don't know if IPY dealers have become Seaward dealers as well.

For me, I'd buy the 32RK now anyway. I like the boat that much. And as we all must know, buying a boat is never a rational decision.


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## mjgill1 (Nov 18, 2016)

I recently spoke to a broker who was a dealer for Seaward and he said that indeed they were being built at the IP factory. He said that they were going to abandon the 46RK since they already will be building IP's and Blue Jacket. So now we have three boats manufactured in the same facility. The way he put it was that we should expect to see an improvement in the 32RK's build quality as the folks at IP are renowned for build quality/fit and finish. 

From what I have been able to glean from the internet and one owner I spoke with, the 32RK is a great boat. A little sterile on the interior compared with some of the blue water vessels out there, but outstanding for what it was built for. He reported that he could sail inside 38 degrees and the boat would do hull speed under power if needed. With swept spreaders, I think a furling code zero would be a great addition for downwind action. Wonder how much that would cost to add? I've been reading Sail Magazine and there always seems to be an add for these sitting near a beach in the Bahamas. 

The reason I am attracted to the boat other than it's pretty lines is that you get performance, can get into skinny waters and still have the comforts of a cruiser. It seems if you want performance, you have to sacrifice creature comforts and vice versa. We currently own a 2012 Macgregor 26M which is a fun boat and really great to start out in due to it's price point. With the family getting taller, I think the 32RK will be a nice fit until my wife and I can get out to the big blue. :ship-captain:


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