Bilge keel, Sea Dog

[oldmonsty]

I have briefly ducked in here and out again, mostly concerning moorings and suitable boats for a returnee to lumpy water. Having spent almost a year looking on line and briefly at reality (why do brokers the world over always lie?) as well as reading all I can, I have thought that a bilge keel Sea Dog would suit my purposes very well.
They seem very expensive for what they are although price almost certainly won't be the arbiter here. I have contacted the owners club and I am astonished by their prompt response and I am off to the Hamble next Saturday to visit a Sea Dog in the flesh. Any thoughts or pointers will be welcome.

 

[duncanmack]

Talk to L'Escargot - he's got one. Based on IoW.

 

[seadog30]

Seadog 30

Hi

We took over Soyakaze (hull number 104) 18 months ago. Best decission we ever made, it suits the two of us, is stable sails well for cruising (we don't want to race).

We are based in Keyhaven (West Solent), If you would like to look at another you are welcome. Just PM us or contact us via the owners site.

Good luck

 

[Bru]

During our, in the end abortive, planning to sell up and bugger off for a world cruise of a few years ago, the DLW and I looked at a lot of possible options and the Seadog 30 was, we decided, our boat of choice. I'm not sure we'd make the same choice now. Had we actually gone ahead (we got as far as agreeing the sale of the house when circs changed and we aborted the project!) I don't know whether we would have actually bought one as there were other possibilities that may have won us over in the end

Solid, reliable, seaworthy and steady. I particularly liked one description describing them as the "Landrover" of the sea (being a fan of Landys!). However, slow, cramped and lacking in comfort space would also be harsh but arguably fair descriptors (much depends on what you want and your perceptions of space) - hmm, definitely like a Landrover then

I believe one problem area is the aft cockpit/aft cabin bulkhead which can be prone to rot and also that the bilge keel water tanks can get pretty furry inside (they can, however, be removed, refurbished and reinstalled and there is a web site somewhere describing the process)

They do command a premium price to say the least - there are many very good boats of a similar vintage that cost half as much in similar condition.

I would certainly consider a Seadog again for long term bluewater cruising. Had we had the money and not wanted something that could, at a pinch, be towed on a trailer, I might have considered one right now although the small cockpit would not be ideal for coastal cruising in our spare time

One thing for sure - Seadog owners love their boats and are a very helpful bunch. Several owners offered us advice on what to look out for and trial sails (although we never did get the chance to take those offers up unfortunately). If my research is anything to go by, if a Seadog is the boat for you and suits your needs, I don't think it'll let you down

HTH
Bru