Seawind 1160 Sailboats for Sale

Layouts on the Used Market

The 1160 was offered in three distinct configurations, and the owner three-cabin layout is the more common sight on the brokerage market, though four-cabin examples — popular with charter operators — surface regularly. The three-cabin arrangement typically places a spacious owner's cabin forward in the port hull with an athwartships queen berth, a generously proportioned head with a proper stand-up shower stall aft of it, and a dedicated nav station. The starboard hull carries the galley forward and a guest cabin aft. This layout rewards couples or small families who want genuine privacy and a workable dedicated workspace without giving up too much social space in the saloon.

The four-cabin version replaces the nav station with a second head and adds a guest double aft in each hull, making it a natural crossover boat for those who want the flexibility to host crew or occasional paying guests. The aft berths in this layout are on the shorter side, so taller sailors should confirm bunk length before committing. Both versions share the defining feature of the boat: the tri-fold saloon partition that folds and hoists overhead to merge the enclosed saloon seamlessly with the cockpit — a system that is genuinely clever and holds up well with basic maintenance.

Equipment and Common Upgrades

Used 1160s have generally been well equipped by their owners, and the passage-ready boats in particular tend to arrive with substantial electrical infrastructure already in place. Solar panels combined with lithium battery banks are commonly fitted across the market, often replacing or supplementing original lead-acid systems. A chartplotter, radar, AIS, and autopilot are seen on the overwhelming majority of boats at this size and price point, and the 1160 is no exception. Inverters, freezers, and watermakers are widely found — the last being close to standard on boats that have seen any extended offshore use.

Air conditioning is a frequent owner addition, particularly on examples that have spent time in Southeast Asian or tropical Australian waters, where the fixed hull windows — which do not open for ventilation — make mechanical cooling effectively a necessity in summer months. Electric winches appear on a good number of boats, a sensible upgrade given the generous sail plan. The aft-deck barbecue mount is a stock feature that most owners retain and use.

Upwind and downwind sail inventories vary considerably. The self-tacking jib on the arc track is the standard working headsail and remains in good shape on boats that have been conscientiously maintained. A code zero or screecher flown from the fold-down bowsprit is a frequent owner upgrade and transforms the boat's light-air performance. Asymmetric spinnakers and gennakers appear occasionally on more performance-oriented examples. Washing machines, heating systems for northern-latitude winters, cockpit showers, and supplementary bimini extensions over the cockpit are sometimes added and reflect the adaptations owners make to their cruising regions.

What to Inspect

The 1160's foam-core vinylester construction is generally robust, but hulls built prior to the adoption of resin infusion — those from the earlier part of the production run — were laid up by hand. The transition to vacuum-assisted resin infusion, carried out in partnership with High Modulus of New Zealand, improved laminate consistency in later hulls, and it is worth confirming the build year and asking a surveyor specifically about laminate quality and any signs of delamination or moisture uptake in the core, particularly around high-stress areas such as the chainplates and bulkhead attachment points.

The twin-keel stub configuration protects rudders and saildrive legs in a grounding, but the saildrives themselves warrant careful attention. Access to the Yanmar saildrives for routine servicing — including oil changes and dipstick checks — was noted to be tight, with one access panel routed through the head compartment. Inspect the bellows seals on both saildrives; these are a wear item that should be renewed on a strict schedule, and a surveyor should probe for any signs of water ingress around the seals. Some later and owner-converted examples run twin outboard motors in brackets rather than the inboard saildrive package; this arrangement simplifies maintenance considerably and is worth noting as a positive if encountered.

The steering system on early boats used a tiller arrangement that generated more friction than owners liked; Seawind addressed this with a pull-pull cable redesign. Confirm which system is fitted and, if the original arrangement is present, assess the helm load under realistic sailing conditions before committing.

The tri-fold saloon door system is mechanical and generally reliable, but inspect the latching hardware and the lanyards carefully — the assembly is stowed overhead underway and takes some load in that position. The mechanism uses a doubly fail-safe arrangement with both a lanyard and a latch, so both elements should be tested. Tinted fixed hull windows are a signature feature; check the seals for any weeping that might admit moisture into the hull structure. The bridgedeck clearance is moderate, and in a chop, slamming can occur — listen for it during a sea trial in any kind of short chop and inspect the underside of the bridgedeck for signs of previous impact damage.

Upholstery, woodwork, and interior finishes varied with build year and individual owner attention. Earlier hulls were characterised by a more spartan interior, while boats from the Vietnam production era carried updated upholstery and fresher finishes — factor the interior condition into your refit budget accordingly.

Availability and Buyer's Takeaway

The Seawind 1160 turns up most consistently in Australia, the United States, and across Southeast Asia — Thailand and Malaysia in particular — reflecting both its origins and its popularity with the liveaboard passage-making community in those regions. European examples surface occasionally, with the Netherlands a common listing location for boats that have completed Atlantic circuits. Hong Kong serves as a regional hub for boats cycling through East Asian waters.

The fleet is small enough that buyers often wait months for the right example to appear; a well-maintained, three-cabin owner's version with a solid electrical refit, working watermaker, and documented service history on both saildrives represents a compelling buy. Because the model is no longer in production, parts support runs through the broader Yanmar and Seawind dealer network, and owner communities online carry substantial institutional knowledge about common spares.

Before making an offer, work through this checklist:

• Confirm build year and whether the hull was hand-laid or resin-infused
• Commission a full survey with specific attention to laminate integrity and moisture readings around bulkheads and the keel roots
• Inspect both saildrive bellows and obtain service records for the drivetrain
• Verify the steering system type (original tiller or pull-pull cable redesign) and test helm load at sea
• Test the tri-fold saloon door latching and lanyard under load
• Inspect all fixed hull window seals for moisture ingress
• Survey the bridgedeck underside for impact damage or repair history
• Confirm the battery bank chemistry and solar capacity match the boat's electrical load
• Check air-conditioning compressors if fitted and budget for refrigerant service
• Verify watermaker membrane age and output
• Inspect the fold-down bowsprit and code zero/screecher sheets and blocks if a downwind sail is included