Sooner or later we all have to get our boats out of the water. Antifouling, inboard engine prop repairs, servicing plumbing, surveying a boat, whatever the reason it has to happen to all boats, and usually more than once. There are many ways starting with simply rolling the boat up the beach on logs in the fashion of Polynesian Vakas of days gone by or Wharrams currently. That process will still work on boats with extremely strong bottoms, and no keels but the reality is that government regulation has made that approach somewhat pointless at least in our part of the world. You can of course use a crane and simply lift the boat out, provided that it is constructed with that in mind. Indeed that is the way Seawind launches all its boats from the factory. With boats that are already rigged that…
There is no doubt that the last few years have seen a change in the Australian boating market, with the high Australian dollar proving a strong lure – grabbing the attention of buyers looking for a cheap imports from the USA and similar locations like the Caribbean. Of course, many discerning boat buyers are now becoming aware of the pitfalls of these grey imports, such as converting the electrical systems from 110 volt to 240 volt, refrigeration issues, plumbing, particularly blackwater holding issues and meeting Australian standards so they are covered by insurance. Other concerns include not having warranty or service support for many components in Australia, and the blue water insurance costs and risk with delivering a boat back across the Pacific Ocean, not to mention the wear and tear. Despite these risks and the concerning stories that have started to filter back…
The competitors in the Multihull Central Mega Multihull Regatta enjoyed strong to moderate winds on the flat waters of Botany Bay held over the Easter long weekend, as hosted by Kurnell Catamaran Club for the 17th year. Gusts reached up to 33 knots in race one on Saturday morning as a southerly front moved through the fleet, however the strong conditions didn’t dampen the spirits of racers as these big cats and tris stretched their legs and enjoyed some fast racing in testing winds. A Corsair Dash 750 trimaran was first across the line in each race as this pocket cruiser often reached speeds in excess of 20 knots to the exhilaration of her crew and onlookers, while it was the vintage designs that had success with the corrected times as a Seawind 24 “Drift Wood” skippered by Joseph Dagher took out the overall 1st position….
Meet your Local Service Team With a retired Aircraft Maintenance Engineer, mechanical engineer and chemist and all Seawind catamaran owners, the Multihull Central service team are possibly the most overqualified service crew on the harbour. Peter Backhouse, Tony Wainwright and Jim Tippit form Multihull Central’s new Service Team for the Sydney Area, offering an entire range of services for multihulls, from full management services to problem determination. Peter, who leads the service team, has been building and servicing multihulls all of his life, while also competing for many years at an international level on performance catamarans. Multihull Central also have an array of specialist service contacts, including shipwrights, marine mechanics, marine electricians, detailers etc and are backed by Australia’s largest sail boat manufacturer to provide all aspects of servicing. Though most servicing will be done at the Multihull Central Marina, the Service Team are also…
By Brent Vaughan Every year I help prepare and market dozens of pre-loved (and some pre-abused) cruising catamarans – over the past decade I have helped shape the resale market for the Seawind brand which, even in today’s volatile and soft market, continues to achieve strong resale prices above industry averages. Fortunately for me this has been greatly assisted by having a brilliant product to sell that is ideal for the Australian climate, however there are some simple things that can be done to achieve the best resale for any cruising catamaran and I’m going to share a few hints with you to make sure you have the best chance of recovering back as much of your floating asset as possible… The Three Ps that Prevent a sale I was once told by a very savvy real-estate agent who was selling my property at…
Boasting a brand new 16 berth Multihull marina built especially at Rozelle Bay in the heart of Sydney Harbour, the newly formed Multihull Central is to set a new standard for sales and service dedicated to all things with more than one hull. Multihull Central will not only offer a range of high quality production used catamarans and trimarans, but will now also exclusively distribute Australia’s number one cruising catamaran brand, Seawind Catamarans along with their sister company and world leading trimaran producer, Corsair Marine. Further to this, new brands will also be announced soon. With the first dedicated Multihull marina in the country, Multihull Central will also be rolling out specialized repair and maintenance services for large catamarans and trimarans including VIP warranty services for Seawinds catamaran and Corsair trimaran customers. Apart from an excellent marina facility, Multihull Central also boasts a sales…