Seawind Catamarans has released a detailed factory video outlining how the Seawind 1170 is now being built at its purpose built facility in Izmir, Turkey, offering rare insight into the production philosophy behind the 40 foot performance cruising catamaran.
The video focuses on the transfer of knowledge, systems and standards that underpin the model which Boating New Zealand rated 4.5 out of 5 in its recent review.
“We have brought over as much information and boat building knowledge as we can from our factory in Vietnam,” says Seawind’s Mike Rees in the video. “When we go into the assembly stages, they’re using the same technical boat building skill sets that we’ve developed over 40 years of business at Seawind.”
The Izmir operation mirrors Seawind’s established processes in Australia and Vietnam, with a linear production system and defined four week cycles that move hulls from lamination to final commissioning.
The 1170 hull is fully infused with PVC foam core and targeted carbon reinforcement in high load areas. “Carbon reinforcement where we need it, that means we can get our weight down, but we don’t make the product so expensive that it becomes unaffordable,” Rees explains.
That balance between performance and accessibility aligns with the boat’s on water character. In Boating New Zealand’s test sail on Sydney Harbour, the 9.2 tonne 1170 proved lively and responsive, comfortably making 7.5 knots upwind in 22 knots of breeze and reaching 9 knots under spinnaker, demonstrating the benefit of controlled weight and refined sail plan.
The Turkish facility integrates CNC machining for timber components alongside traditional joinery. “For boat building, when you’re not doing a full mass production, when you’re still doing a semi custom or a slower production side of things, it’s still a very manual, labour intensive job,” Rees says. “The key thing is to bring in the technology to improve that to get your accuracy and your production times up.”
Final commissioning and quality control take place before the boat is transported approximately 30 minutes to the marina for launch. “Stage nine is our final QC bay,” Rees notes. “It gets loaded up onto the truck and we then truck the boat down to the marina where it gets launched.”
The video underscores that while the production geography has evolved, the Seawind standard, systems and performance intent behind the 1170 remain consistent with the brand’s four decades of boatbuilding experience.
Seawind Catamarans will be showcasing their award-winning Seawind 1170 at the Auckland Boat Show from 5–8 March.
Seawind 1170 showcased at Auckland Boat Show as Seawind strengthens New Zealand partnership
