Seaward Marine

Yes indeed a real shame. They were expensive boats, but certainly at mercury there are quite a number of 23 and 25's and thr owners all nice old boys. even found favour with Alan Titchmarsh! But their larger models you just don't see, those were the models I would image they needed to sell to make some money and make the business a saleable concern.
 
Hi Tim, that is a real shame. Great looking, solidly built boats - I thought they would always have orders rolling in. Lets hope someone else steps in and finds a way to keep it going.
 
Thats a shame - very nice people, and skilled. Boats were beautifully engineered and finished. Hope the owners enjoy some time on their barge if he still has it, haven't been there for 2/3 years.
 
Yes, sad news.

Barry Kimber, the MD, moved Seaward from Guernsey to the IoW because he couldn't get enough qualified staff/factory space to build at the volume demanded 10 years ago. They had a nice, steady niche in the market. This seems to have dried up, also the commercial boat market has ground to a halt.

As said above, well built boats and true all weather capabilities.

*Hi from a newbie.
 
Designs and fashions move on. No doubt amongst the best sea boats you could wish for and indeed wonderfully made but - even the smaller boats are twin engined which isnt the trend these days, relatively narrow and the smaller ones have a very small cabin and large, exposed cockpit unless you like a lot of canvas. I very nearly bought one and my pal has a 25 which handles like a dream but I can see why the demand dropped off. Very sad.
 
A good well founded boat , I had one finished by Seaward.

As they are hand built they are also very expensive for a 25, 29 or 35.

You can get an awfull lot more for your money for a new boat from a mass producer, but not as solid a boat or as well founded a boat, times move on.

The boating market is exceptionally competetive and sales are possibly 30% of what they were 6 years ago and from a retirement purchase point of view a pensions values are not as sure as they were.

In Seawards case it was probably a mixture of falling demand and a sucession/ purchaser problem.
 
The following two articles seem to set it out quite well.

See http://www.nelsonboatownersclub.co.uk/designers.php

Also see http://www.nelsonboatownersclub.co.uk/articles/a-nelson-by-any-other-name.pdf

The current Seaward range appear to be designed by TT Boat Designs Arthur Mursell.

John Askham worked for TT many years ago and was involved also in Halmatic 32, 34 42 and other designs, to complicate matters I had a Halmatic 34 moulded hull and superstructure by Halmatic and fitted out by Seaward, the only one to my knowledge and I currently have an Aquastar 48.
 
The seaward 35 is the closest thing I've seen to my Castlemain 35. She was designed by Askham as well, possibly a redesign of the Humber 34. I know mine was built by Guernsey Boat Builders but I don't know where the hull came from. It'd be great to find out more of her origins.
 
JSYmartini said:
The seaward 35 is the closest thing I've seen to my Castlemain 35. She was designed by Askham as well, possibly a redesign of the Humber 34. I know mine was built by Guernsey Boat Builders but I don't know where the hull came from. It'd be great to find out more of her origins.
Click to expand...

If the hull was not formed on Guernsey, chances are it's a Halmatic and fitted out at Guernsey.
 
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