“We’ve never seen anything like it,” says Mike Rees, Seawind Catamarans’ sales and marketing manager. He’s referring to the popular appeal of their new model, the Seawind 1370 that sold 90 hulls before the first one even launched. “It’s absolutely the right product for our brand at the right time.”
The new 45-footer designed by Richard Ward launched in 2023 and quickly gathered a community of prospective and current owners on WhatsApp, Rees says, “and they all talk to each other about upgrades and modifications and say, ‘I want what they have!’ ’’
The boat is indeed proving irresistible, and for good reasons. First, she has the same cocoon feel as other Seawinds, which gives the impression of instant safety aboard. Nothing’s too high, too exposed, or too unwieldy to handle. Second, Seawind brought the galley-up concept from their 1600 model, which is more familiar and less polarizing than the galley-down layouts on their smaller designs. And finally, she sails like a witch, deftly and easily tracking on twin mini-keels rather than daggerboards. All of these factors are fundamental to Seawind’s design philosophy of making shorthanded bluewater multihull cruising safely doable and as uncomplicated and unintimidating as possible, while still providing “real sailboat” performance.
These boats are built in Seawind’s big facility in Vietnam, where the company has been building boats since it purchased Corsair in 2010. The vinylester infusion over a PVC foam core is reinforced with carbon and Kevlar, and the whole layup is rather lean, coming in at just 27,000 pounds of displacement. She’s built to be agile yet able to carry a load of cruising gear.
The aluminum mast has an air draft of nearly 71 feet and is set farther aft, which reduces pitching but also creates a longer foredeck with a smaller cockpit. The 1,250-square-foot sailplan offers a more powerful jib and a better-balanced ride. Sharp reverse bows create a fine entry, and hard chines increase volume in the cabins below. The cabinhouse and the boom are low, keeping the center of gravity close to the waterline and providing easy access to the sail bag even for those who aren’t tall.
The vast foredeck is dotted with non-toe-stubbing flush hatches, hard surfaces for surefooted maneuvering during anchoring, and twin small trampolines for lounging. The composite sprit holds the downwind sail tack, and all lines are led aft to the cockpit to optional Harken electric winches, so you never have to leave shelter no matter what’s happening on the outside.
The trifold door separating the salon from the cockpit is snugged up under the bimini with the help of a winch. Seawind considers this arrangement one of its signature features, and for this boat the load has been lightened with some strategic use of carbon in the door hinge. A grill and sink are tucked into the transom structure. The helm seats are wide enough for two, and the backrests swing forward to create aft-facing seating for social hour.
There’s much to be said for single-level living. There are no steps between the cockpit, salon, and galley, so moving around even in a hurry is safer. The U-shaped galley is in the aft starboard corner with a three-burner stove and Bosch oven, Vitrifrigo drawer refrigeration, and enough countertop space for two cooks to work simultaneously. Turning out meals underway won’t be a problem in this snug kitchen with its many bracing points.
Oddly, the TV is tucked into an indentation in the aft port bulkhead at the top of the stairs leading to the owner’s suite. It’s a bit exposed to passing foot traffic so damage from a wayward backpack or tools may be possible. A forward-facing nav desk is in the starboard forward corner, and kudos to Seawind for realizing that distance cruisers need a place dedicated to ship’s business because navigation is not simply done on plotters.
Throughout, the wood trim, including the lovely birdseye maple on the nav desk, is beautifully done, contributing to the bright interior and providing a traditional feel one doesn’t get on most multihulls—an upmarket quality in this detail that stands out in this class of boats.
The three-cabin layout dedicates the port hull to the owner’s suite, with an elevated athwartships bed forward, a vanity amidships, and a large head aft. To starboard, our test boat had two cabins with a shared head.
CZone digital switching is available, although some cruisers opt for standard analog systems that are still more intuitive for many.
During our test sail of the Seawind 1370 after the Annapolis Sailboat Show last fall, the boat sailed well even when we weren’t actually quite ready to sail it. With the mainsail safely tucked into the bag, we hoisted the gennaker, but it initially snagged in the sock about three-quarters of the way up. Nevertheless, the boat slipped along at 7.2 knots in 9.2 true wind on a beam reach, which is 78% of the speed of the wind. Not bad for an involuntarily reefed asymmetrical and no main. When we cracked off to 125 degrees in 12 knots of wind, we sailed at 8.3 knots.
When the square top main did make an appearance, we nosed up to 38 degrees apparent wind angle and still held on to 6.4 knots, busting the myth that catamarans with fixed mini-keels rather than daggerboards won’t sail to weather. The self-tacking jib on the curved foredeck track made upwind progress a snap, and the helms were completely responsive, answering immediately to the slightest touch of the Carbonautica wheels that always feel great in the hand.
The wheels are mounted on the aft bulkheads of the cabinhouse and are protected by both the hardtop above and the salon ahead. Overhead skylights provide a clear view of the mainsail, and sitting outboard on the coaming shows the jib telltales. The bulkhead windows drop providing sightlines through the salon all the way to the bow.
Visibility aft is good when docking, but at night, the view forward may be compromised by the reflection of interior lights on the forward windows as is often the case with dodgers. These will be the times to lean out and put your face in the breeze to double check what’s ahead in the dark. A quick nip into the galley when on watch will be blissfully easy because everything is on the same level.
Hull No. 6 was upgraded with twin 57-hp Yanmar diesels with GORI folding propellers and standard saildrives. Engine throttles and B&G 12-inch plotters were at both port and starboard helms. We found an easy cruise at 1,800 rpm where we made good 6.8 knots. On the flat waters of Chesapeake Bay, there wasn’t the chance to motor into a heavy seaway, but the 1370’s 2-foot, 9-inch bridgedeck clearance should minimize pounding when going to weather.
Seawind left out the genset with its expense and weight. However, this 24-volt model incorporates high output alternators, and with four Mastervolt lithium batteries providing 920 aH of storage and up to 1,930 watts of solar available on the hardtop, you can delight in air conditioning all night and still have juice in the morning.
The base price of the Seawind 1370 is $820,000, and as tested, it was closer to $1.15 million. That’s not nothing, but it’s right in the ballpark of its competitors.
The company positions this model as “the perfect balance of performance and lifestyle” and I’d say they nailed it given that they’re booking out to 2028 on this design. This boat does everything it should and nothing it shouldn’t. It won’t scare the bejesus out of shorthanded couples like other nervous thoroughbred designs, but it will leave most production cats in its wake. It’s a practical and straightforward design, and now with the galley-up layout, Seawind dialed in a solution that distance cruisers are already finding hard to resist.
Seawind 1370 Specifications
LOA 45’
Beam 24’11”
Bridgedeck clearance 2’9”
Draft 4’3”
Air draft 70’10”
Displacement 27,100 pounds (light)
Sail Area 1,248 sq ft (upwind)
Engines 40-hp Yanmar/Saildrives (2)
Price as tested $1.15 million
March 2025
