BoatsSeawind 1160

Seawind 1160

Catamaran, twin keels · Fractional Sloop · 2004–2012

A 1.1-metre draft catamaran built for the charter trade, balancing a 20.91 sail area-to-displacement ratio for agility

Designed by Richard Ward.

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Hull type
Catamaran Twin Keel

See her sail

The Seawind 1160, on the water

The fleet's own footage — the truest look at how she really moves.

Footage from Sam Holmes Sailing

Is it for you?

Character

Where this design lands on the numbers a shopper trusts — read straight from her own ratios.

Shoal draftDraws 1.10 m, board up where she has one — creeks, sandbars and thin anchorages most keels have to stay out of.
LightHeavy

135 — light for her waterline, so she is easily driven and quick to accelerate.

Displacement / length 135
EasygoingPowered-up

20.9 — plenty of sail for her weight; lively and quick to respond.

Sail area / displacement 20.9

What the fleet has seen

The Seawind 1160, as the fleet has seen it

Derived from the videos the fleet has analysed of this model. ▶ marks open the moment aboard.

The Seawind 1160 is a 11.6-meter fractional sloop catamaran designed by Richard Ward and built by Seawind Catamarans from 2004 to 2012. With a 6.5-meter beam, 1.1-meter draft, and 6999 kg displacement, it is popular in Australia and the US, including the charter trade. Aboard Sam Holmes Sailing, a Seawind 1160 transited the Malacca Strait, managing engine failures and window leaks, and requiring a $2,000 replacement part for a leaking exhaust manifold.27:03 Reversing Entropy noted that the Seawind 1160 struggles with upwind performance in waves, requiring careful tacking to maintain speed and rudder authority, and its light displacement leads to rapid motion in cross-seas.4:58 However, it offers superior protection from elements, expansive deck space, and the ability to beach in tidal anchorages.5:58 MJ Sailing toured a Seawind 1160 Light model near Annapolis, Maryland, which featured outboards instead of inboard diesels, with the vacated engine beds housing a generator.2:09

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

Seen 4 times across 4 channels of the fleet.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

On the water

The Seawind 1160 on video

What broke, what changed

Gear aboard, as the crews told it

Moments from individual boats of this model that the fleet has filmed — one crew, one piece of kit, one day on the water. Not a review of the class, and not a count of anything.

Each line is one crew's account of their own boat. Another Seawind 1160 may be fitted out entirely differently.

The record

Full specifications

The complete reference set — tap any figure to switch between metric and imperial.

Dimensions
Weights
Rig & sail area
Rig
Fractional Sloop
Ratios
SA / displacement
20.9
Displacement / length
135.2
Hull
Hull type
Catamaran Twin Keel
Construction
foam sad/vinylester
Production
Years built
2004–2012
Units built
120
Designer
Richard Ward
Builder
Seawind

Boats like this, on the water

More boats like her, on the water

Comparable boats the fleet has on camera: same type, within a quarter of her length. Open the boat, or watch the video — a timestamp means she only appears in passing.

Island Spirit 38011.40 mSame hull family0.2 m shorterA Ron Patston-designed fractional sloop catamaran with a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio for spirited performance
Could I Actually Live Here? (Thailand Test Week 🇹🇭)1:27from Sailing Doodles
Leopard 40 (2005-2009)11.97 mSame hull family0.4 m longerA 12-metre catamaran with a 1.18-metre draft and a 25.28 sail area-to-displacement ratio for efficient cruising
Where to Buy Cheap Catamarans6:32from All About Sailing
Lagoon 38011.55 mSame hull familyNear-identical length
From 9-5 Junkies to World Sailors - how it all started13:38from Sailing Nahoa
Privilege 3911.81 mSame hull family0.2 m longerAn Eric LeFevre-designed cutter-rigged catamaran with a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio, built primarily for charter
Caribbean Cruising: The Leeward Islands0:06from TheSailingChannel.TV
Dragonfly 3611.55 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA high-performance trimaran with a 28.12 SA/displacement ratio, offered in both Touring and Performance configurations
Multihull of a sensible sizefrom SEILmagasinet
Prout 3811.58 mSame hull familyNear-identical length
Tropical REFIT of 1986 catamaran (in 1 hour!) [Ep. 62]41:54from Sailing Supernova

The family

Related models

The designs closest to hers — usually the rest of the builder's range, sometimes the same hull sold under another name.

Seawind 1170A 2023-launched twin-keel catamaran designed for stable, modern cruising with a balanced 19.64 sail area-to-displacement ratioSeawind 1260Fractional Sloop · 12.45 mSeawind 1600A Reichel-Pugh designed performance catamaran featuring twin daggerboards and a high sail area-to-displacement ratioSeawind 1000A Richard Ward-designed catamaran with a shallow draft and high sail-area-to-displacement ratio for agile cruisingSeawind 1190A performance-oriented catamaran featuring twin daggerboards and a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio for agile sailingSeawind 1000XLA performance-oriented fractional catamaran with a high sail area-to-displacement ratio, evolved from the Seawind 1000

Keep asking

The fleet has more to say

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