Considering a purchase of a Seafarer 29

jhnewsome17 · Mar 16, 2011

Answers about S29KB

dblakey said:
There's a Seafarer 29 swing keel listed on the Baltimore Craigslist. The pictures (if recent) show it to be in good condition, and it is described as being ready to sail, with a decent sail inventory and a decent outboard, and the price is compelling. It's a 5 hour drive away, so I'd like to know as much about the good/bad/ugly of these boats before committing to go for a look. It meets my general needs in terms of size, shoal draft, etc. I know swing keel designs are an inherent maintenance issue, regardless of manufacturer, but are the Seafarer swing keels any more problematic than others (e.g. Catalina)? If I do go for a look, are there any problems specific to this boat I should look for (exclusive of those things that all 70's boats are prone to)? Is this boat feasible to singlehand, for a reasonably experienced sailor? One other question: it is outboard powered, but the pictures show no transom bracket. Did these boats carry their outboard in a transom well. I read something on another Seafarer site about a Versatilt well (IIRC); would this boat be likely to have that?
I'd appreciate any insight any current owners would care to share. Any other comments on sailing characteristics, quality of construction, etc., would be welcome as well.
Thanks,

David B.

David,
I have a 1974 Seafarer 29 Model CB. To start with go to these 2 web sites. The first is my blog/web site and you can pick up a lot of info from the articles and especially from the side links. The second site is also listed on my site.
http://www.sailblogs.com/member/hugh17/
http://sailboatdata.com/VIEWRECORD_METRIC.ASP?CLASS_ID=752

#1 - Walk around the deck and look for soft spots. My boat does not have any soft spots but there are multiple reasons why this can happen. We can get into that later.
#2 - The swing keel is not a maintenance issue, at least it hasn't been on my boat. Since I am in salt water I switched from a stainless steel keel cable to kevlar years ago and I highly recommend it. I can explain in more detail later.
#3 - Singlehand - Yes, I often single hand ROMA. It would be a lot easier if the halyards were routed back to the cockpit, but so far I haven't made this conversion. As far as sailing the S29, one person who knows what they are doing can handle it. Just make sure you don't get in a situation where you need to reduce sail and have to leave the cockpit. You have to think ahead and anticipate conditions and stay ahead of bad weather/high winds.
#4 - The outboard is located in a Lazarette hatch at the stern of the boat. I have a Yamaha 20hp 4-stroke with electric start and remote control. If the boat you're looking at has an older motor then expect some issues. Don't waste time. Just pull it and take to an outboard mechanic to change the water pump impeller and tune it and completely check it out.
#5 - Overall the S29 is an excellent boat. It's more like an oversized 26' than a near 30' boat. Essentially the S26' and S29 are very similar but the S29 has a 3' lazarette hatch extended on the stern. The boat is very well balanced under full sail and points well. It's not a racer but it's not the slowest boat in the fleet either. It's solid as a rock with very think fiberglass hull. Depending on price it would be a very nice deal.

You are welcome to contact me directly by email jhnewsome17@bellsouth.net and I'll give you my cell number and we can talk if you're interested. I have copies of most of the original information on the S29 and can email to you if desired.