Our Reality of a Brand New Boat

Dear Billy & Sierra, Many thanks for posting this latest comment that will, I hope, help put this situation into some better perspective. I am posting this comment to you both but also for your many TES followers who of course are following here closely. Firstly, I want to publicly acknowledge and apologize for the frustration and inconvenience you have experienced with number of warranty issues of this new Seawind. Even though this was the first boat of a brand new model & design, this level of warranty issues is totally unacceptable for everyone including, and especially, ourselves. I personally test sailed this boat when first launched. The test sail was along 200 miles of unprotected coastal waters in 3 to 4 meter seas and with winds to over 30 knots. This test found a number of issues that needed attention, but none of these were structural issues. The boat sailed beautifully without even the slightest creak both upwind or downwind. I believe these characteristics are in accord with your extensive sailing experiences on Laurie Sue and we have seen your delight in sailing her through your channel, demonstrating good sailing performance and structural integrity. Despite your many frustrations, I was very pleased to know you still believe you have made the right choice with your description of “the best 40ft and under sailing catamaran out there in terms comfort, functionality and sailing ability”. As you know, 1170 Hull 1 was actually built for me personally but you both had waited long enough during covid 19 and I then made the decision to send this boat to you and then take a subsequent boat for myself. As I was involved in much of the testing of this boat to my satisfaction, I then felt this was a right thing to do. Obviously, I don’t think this now and I unreservedly apologize to you both. However, I want to reassure you and your audience of the following important points: • We will continue to provide full & total warranty support to ensure that “Laurie Sue” is as perfect as possible. This includes the deck non-slip which will be repaired to as new condition at a time convenient to you both. • This boat was the first of a brand new design & model. It was developed during an unbelievably difficult Covid time. It does not reflect what any subsequent SW1170 buyer should expect. • We have taken note of every issue and incorporated all the improvements into subsequent 1170s being built. We have re-surfaced the deck mold to ensure that subsequent SW1170’s are built to the same high standard that all Seawinds enjoy. The Seawind 1170, from hull 3 onwards, is being built in our brand new Seawind facility in Izmir, Turkiye and I am personally taking delivery of the first SW1170 from this new production line. I’ve done this to ensure that we can completely test and experience the boat from the new factory. SW1170-03 will be extensively tested over thousands of sailing miles before 1170-04 is delivered. This new boat, along with a new SW1370, will be exhibited in Cannes in September. Lastly, this experience has been of great concern to me and Seawind as a company. We are placing renewed importance on systems design & build quality for every aspect of every boat. We are strengthening our QA and inspection process, a process that starts on commencement of the production and proceeds through to every stage until launch. I give you & everyone out there my full assurance that Seawind will always stand behind its product. We won’t always be 100% perfect, but we will strive to be. With best regards to all Richard Ward - CEO Seawind Catamarans

There’s been quite a lot of negativity in the comments below and we think many people took what we were trying to say a bit too far. Our sole intent with this video was to let people know a bit of what our realty has been with this new boat and to hopefully inform future new boat owners of what they may want to expect so that they are not caught off guard with the shake down period of a new boat. No new boat is perfect and this is not the automobile industry with BILLIONS invested in manufacturing so it's not really a fair comparison because as good as production boat brands may get they will never be 100%. As many problems as there has been with our boat none of them have been major structural issues or anything that has prevented us from using the boat and going sailing. Seawind has been responsive in fixing the issues and paying for the expenses involved which is a whole lot more than some of the nightmare stories we have heard from most other production brands in the industry.  There are a number of reasons why we had so many fit-out and QC issues but at the end of the day we all know (Seawind included) that these are just excuses. Seawind promises to fix our last few remaining warranty items and have begun to plan proper nonskid panel replacements already. Additionally, future Seawind 1170's are being produced in Seawind's new 1170 factory in Turkey and we have high hopes that workmanship and QC will be greatly improved. Lastly, despite these warranty issues, we still love this boat and believe it is the best 40' and under sailing catamaran out there in terms of comfort, functionality, and sailing ability.

Are you joking? Y’all keep referring to these issues as ‘little’. A incorrect gasket material disintegrating and clogging the fuel system is not a little thing. You two are being very gracious and patient. As a two time new boat owner I feel your pain. Good luck in the future 👍

Ruby Rose 2 had had a bad time with their SeaWind too and they were at the factory the whole time.

Billy and Sierra y’all stand your ground. Document and take pictures of every single thing from the very smallest to the largest. Little problems if not remedied immediately can lead to bigger issues. I have always found even up to today, if you put off something being repaired that you have paid for, everyone takes advantage of you and a lot will say forget about you and move on to another job or taking someone else’s money on a new job. The boat should have never left the factory with any leaks whatsoever. Be polite always but be firm on getting fixed what should have never been broken in the first place. Keep records, dates and times of calls, conversations, personal meetings, etc. 👍😎🙏🏼😎✌️

I purchased a new Lagoon 400S2 catamaran and had no warranty issues at all. I believe that my dealer was the difference, the first 6 years was a wonderful honeymoon. Everything worked, nothing broke. All my pumps are now 10 years old and still going strong, I have 43,000 nautical miles and have just completed my first major refit.

A lifetime boater’s one piece of advice to me was, Never buy a brand new boat, always let somebody else figure out all the flaws. Boats unlike cars are built one at a time and at that pace there is very little chance that the builder can ever get good enough to build it flawless the first time. Love the Channel, give Jetty a hug for me. 💓

I love when Billy is talking and Sierra is just sitting there with her half smile or smirk. All I can think of is I’m Ricky Bobby and I’m not sure what to do with my hands but for her it’s her awesome grin!

Guys, you are both so positive, constructive and admirable!! We have been through a similar journey with our Seawind 1600 Womble (delivered in Miami) which we have been living aboard and ocean sailing for 3 years now. Our warranty work was carried out in various islands across the Pacific and in New Zealand. The most frustrating thing is the loss of time but Seawind have been and continue to be constantly supportive in supplying people (big shout out to Paul here!) or upgraded equipment when needed. However, Womble is now dialled in and is a very robust and reliable blue water cruiser, but it was a year plus journey to hone her into what she is today. I think your video is a really authentic view of the time it takes to bed in a new boat for live-aboard cruisers who intend to use their boats to explore and adventure. New Owners must ensure they are buying a brand that has a proven history of supporting their customers. We have met too many boat owners who have had a really tough time getting warranty work sorted out.

I never understood how people have to apologize for making videos complaining about the quality of their boat. The amount of money you guys paid for that new boat, everything should be perfect. The gelcoat problem is mind-blowing to me. That is going to be such a bigger problem in the future. In any case, stop apologizing and saying how lucky you are to be in that situation. You guys probably worked your asses off to get to that point and you deserve it.

You just save a lot people from a ton of grief.

I’m astonished that you are so tolerant of the Gelcoat issue, to me that’s completely unacceptable.

You do not come across as negative or unappreciative. I appreciate the straight talk. Love your videos. Keep up the good work. This one reminds me of houses I’ve owned, equipment I’ve bought for the company that I work for. The best fabricators in the world are not perfect. How they respond to the issues is what matters in the end.

I've done epoxy floors for over 20 years now.. what they are telling you is absolutely the truth.. its bad bonding. The worse part is that none of the patches will ever match..

The Gel Coat issue is very concerning. Recall all of the Blister Hulls in the late 60s and 70s so hope it gets resolved

Hi guys, its Gino and Carolyn on Dolce, a 2023 Seawind 1260. Sorry to hear of all your problems. Our experience has been very different, we’ve had almost no warranty issues (knock on wood). A big part of your problem we believe may be that you have one of the very first hulls of this new model. Its basically a prototype and you’re the beta testers. From speaking to owners of early 1260s, they were also plagued with warranty issues. I’m not convinced flying to Vietnam with the expense and huge carbon output is the best solution. People would be much better off buying a model from a company with a good track record (we think Seawind is good), a hull number at least above 10, and then inspect thoroughly before you sign off on the delivery. Just our two cents. Good luck with the repairs and we look forward to seeing you out there.

⛵⛵TRUTH IS NEVER NEGATIVE...you're calling as it is...good...bad...or other. Rock on!

There is nothing unreasonable about expecting a brand new boat (any new product!) to be in good working order. You are paying brand new price. Shame on the manufacturer for pushing a crap product out the door.

Hi Guys, Don't feel bad for bringing this up - it's important for people to know what will happen when they get a new boat. No one wants to talk about it really. We have a 1260 that was built during Covid, which we think led to most of the issues we experienced. The biggest things (other than replacing all the fixtures that were damaged during shipping when the boat froze), was a faulty electric winch/motor, the fact that the windows weren't completly installed before shipping and significant gel coat cracking. Most of it was repaired under warranty. Seawind and our Broker were fantastic to work with, but it did take like a year to get everything done. Sadly, the gel coat cracking continues in various places, although we did get a lot of it repaired under warranty. Like you guys, when we bought the new boat, we certainly didn't expect to have so much work to do after receiving it. Thanks for being open about your experience.

The small stuff adds up!! This was not negative at all it is just reality.