Design and Construction
Hake’s shallow-draft philosophy is apparent throughout the hull. The nearly plumb bow extends the waterline to 23 feet, while subtle tumblehome low in the topsides widens the waterline beam, gives the boat a salty look, and contributes form stability. Hake describes the shape as a “spherical tumblehome,” with soft chines and bilges rather than the flatter sections common elsewhere.
Forward, the boat carries a fair amount of freeboard. A short bowsprit serves as both a traditional accent and a practical anchoring platform. The springy stern carries an outboard rudder assembly, and a useful rubrail runs about a foot below the deckline.
The hull is solid fiberglass, with 3/4-ounce triaxial unidirectional cloth throughout. There’s no wood or structural coring in the hull layup. A 2 mm layer of Coremat helps prevent print-through, while Coremat stringers and extensive molded interior liners and pans provide stiffness. The structural hull liner is vacuum-bonded to the hull for strength.
The deck is mostly solid fiberglass, with PVC foam and Coremat in flat areas for structure and sound deadening. Its solid-fiberglass headliner is vacuum-bonded to the deck. Hull and deck meet on outward-turning flanges forming an inverted J, chemically bonded and bolted on 6-inch centers. The skin coat uses vinylester resin over the gelcoat.
The keel is a separate molded piece of heavily laminated biaxial glass. It’s filled with ballast, made watertight, and attached with two 5/8-inch stainless threaded rods embedded in the ballast. The keel is bolted, glued, and glassed to the hull. Hake estimates that each boat requires 500 man-hours to build.
Rig and Handling
The Seaward 25 carries a single-spreader, fractional 7/8 rig with 280 square feet of sail. The backstay leads to an arm aft of the mast, preserving the mainsail’s roach, and attaches to the stern pulpit. Halyards run aft through stainless turning blocks to Ronstan rope clutches and an Anderson #10 winch. The four-part mainsheet is described as a midboom arrangement, though it’s really closer to a 3/4-boom setup.
The mast gives the boat an air draft of 33 feet, and the rig is designed so one person can step it.
Under sail, the Seaward 25 is a tender performer. Hake says the boat performs best when heeled 10 degrees and wants sail shortened once the wind reaches 15 to 17 knots. In 8 to 10 knots of breeze, test sailors recorded 4 to 5 knots on a reach.
Despite its 8-foot-long fixed keel, testers found that the boat turns in a boatlength. It also backs in a straight line once the helmsman compensates for prop walk.
The standard shoal-draft version draws 25 inches. The optional “Bluewater Model” has a 4-foot 2-inch fin keel. Hake’s low-aspect keel with an aft wing was extended by a 26-inch wing added in 1989, which he credits with improving the boat’s upwind profile when heeled.
Accommodations
The cabintop extends well forward of the mast, carrying headroom into the forward cabin. There, a 7-foot V-berth measures 57 inches wide at the head and has 39 inches of clearance above the cushion. The cabin also includes a hanging locker and a shelf that can serve as a desk. Solid doors provide privacy for both the forward stateroom and the head.
The saloon has 5-foot 9-inch headroom and a bulkhead-mounted table secured by an eye and hook. The settees convert into an athwartships double. A short settee to port faces a 6-foot settee to starboard, which also converts. A tiny quarter berth aft of the galley and an 80-by-32-inch berth in the port quarter provide additional sleeping space.
To port, the galley includes a large sink, an icebox, and 19-by-15-inch counter space. An optional one- or two-burner Origo nonpressurized alcohol stove is available.
Opposite the galley, the small enclosed head has a sit-down shower, a Jabsco toilet, and one opening port, but no sink. Pressurized hot water is optional. All eight portlights open, and a good-sized forward hatch provides additional ventilation.
Hake designed the interior so everything can be removed and hosed out. It contains no carpeting, cloth, or Formica, helping avoid moisture and odor problems.
Machinery and Options
Most boats carry a Yanmar 1GM10 diesel, although the 2GM 20 and outboard alternatives were available. When fitted, the diesel sits beneath the companionway steps and offers 270-degree access from the cabin. A standard PYI dripless shaft seal reduces driveline maintenance.
Wheel steering remains optional, with a 24-inch wheel and 46 inches of clearance to the companionway. Replacement primary winches using Anderson #16 self-tailers are also listed as an option.
The boat has recently changed from wood to Delrin runners for the companionway hatchboards.
Known Issues
The most common complaints concern the lack of insulation around the engine and icebox. The absence of engine insulation is particularly noticeable in the close quarters around the diesel beneath the companionway.
Hake acknowledges the compromise in the icebox. Its insulation ranges from 1-3/4 to 2-1/2 inches thick because, as he notes, something had to be sacrificed.
The Verdict
The Seaward 25 is a thoughtfully arranged shoal-draft cruiser that offers more liveaboard comfort than its trailerable size might suggest. In return, owners must accept modest insulation and a tender motion as the breeze builds.
Pros
- Shoal 25-inch draft, trailerability, and an optional deeper Bluewater fin keel
- Vacuum-bonded structural liner and an inverted-J hull-to-deck joint bolted on 6-inch centers
- Removable, hose-out interior without moisture-prone soft goods
- Turns in a boatlength and backs straight despite its long fixed keel
Cons
- No engine or icebox insulation
- Tender performance, with sail reduction called for at 15 to 17 knots
- No sink in the head and limited galley counter space
