Seamaster Sailer 815 Buyer's Guide
Shopping the used market for a Seamaster 815 means looking at a Holman & Pye–designed coastal cruiser built by Seamaster Ltd. between 1976 and 1981, with 136 completed hulls. These are small family cruisers of solid fiberglass construction and a modern profile for their day, offered mostly through brokerage in the United Kingdom and Germany rather than in high volume elsewhere.
Layouts on the Used Market
The 815 came as a masthead sloop with a saloon and forecabin sleeping four or five, a light and open interior, and about 5 feet 10 inches of headroom. The saloon table removes to free space and can drop lower to turn the port settee into a nominal double, wider forward than aft. Keel choice divides the fleet: a 4 foot 6 inch fin or a 2 foot 11 inch bilge-keel version that can dry out or enter shallow marinas. Most boats carry an 8 or 12 hp Yanmar, though some have a Volvo Penta diesel, with 14 gallons of fuel and 20 of water.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
On the used fleet, spinnakers and asymmetric spinnakers are commonly fitted, reflecting the boat's optional spinnaker heritage and light-air potential. Autopilots and chartplotters are also commonly seen, bringing navigation and short-handed control up to modern expectations. Often-seen additions include an inverter for shore-power convenience, a cockpit shower for temperate-weather swimming, and a life raft for offshore-minded owners. Buyers should view these as expected comforts rather than signs of heavy modification.
What to Inspect
With the builder long closed, verifying the engine installation matters most. The usual original unit was an 8 hp Yanmar, and some boats had this replaced by a 12 hp Yanmar YSB12 anchor, so confirm the actual make, model, and mount condition. Check the iron fin or bilge keels for corrosion at the hull joint, and inspect the transom-hung rudder and its pintles. The solid fiberglass hull and deck should be surveyed for earlier repairs, and the removable saloon table hardware checked for wear from repeated reconfiguration.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
The Seamaster 815 appears in the United Kingdom and Germany as a modestly available classic coastal cruiser. For a shopper, the short checklist is: confirm keel type and iron-keel condition, verify engine model and replacement history, test the removable berth conversion, and ensure any commonly fitted electronics are functioning. A tidy bilge-keel example opens shallow-water cruising; a fin-keel boat favors sailing performance.
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Seamaster Sailer 815. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 7 rows
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 25 | 1 | $5,710 | — |
| Oct 25 | 2 | $3,535 | -38.1% |
| Nov 25 | 1 | $8,090 | +128.9% |
| Apr 26 | 1 | $5,779 | -28.6% |
| Jun 26 | 1 | $1,360 | -76.5% |
| Jul 26 | 1 | $8,090 | +494.9% |
| Aug 26 | 1 | $9,178 | +13.4% |
Where they're listed
Seamaster Sailer 815 listings appear across 2 countries. United Kingdom has the most listings with 7 (87.5%), followed by Germany.
Country view
8 listings · 2 countries| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | $6,730 | 7 | 3 | 87.5% |
| Germany | $5,710 | 1 | 0 | 12.5% |
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
3 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Catalina 315 | 31.92' | $ 155,000 | 25 | 7 |
| Seamaster Sailer 815You are here | — | $ 6,253 | 8 | 3 |
| MacWester 26 | 26' | $ 4,758 | 6 | 1 |