This Seahorse Marine trawler pushes a lot of my buttons.....

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cardude01

cardude01

Guru
Joined
Nov 26, 2012
Messages
5,290
Location
USA
Vessel Name
Bijou
Vessel Make
2008 Island Packet PY/SP
http://www.yachtworld.com/core/list...access=Public&listing_id=75001&url=&imc=pg-fs

Fiberglass
Single engine
Get home engine
Good fuel economy
Pilothouse (sort of)
Sporty, aggressive forward raked windows!!
Seems cheap at $135K for a 52' trawler

Things it lacks (IMO): bowthruster, not stabilized, ???

Questions:

Anyone know what kind of hull shape this thing is? Sounds more like a soft chine sailboat type hull since it came from a motorsailer design.

What would shipping cost to US? Mark Pierce?

How big of a problem is 100 hours on main/gen/aux engine? These suckers have been sitting!

What would a new, full electronics package cost here in the states?

Are these older, fiberglass Seahorse boats any good? Mark Pierce?

How about that 220 volt ac power and 24v dc? Can that be converted to 110 or just leave it?

And the $10k question, why the heck am I looking at a boat in Hong Kong???? :facepalm:
 
Re the hull there is no pic of the hull out of the water so one can't tell but judging from the pics that ARE there I think you're analysis is about as correct as can be unless one is familiar with this design and knows something about hull design in general.
 
"Originally conceived as a motorsailor, Sea Horse Marine developed a pilothouse sedan version which has become a popular passage maker."

The above quote from the listing is why I assumed it may have more of a sailboat-type hull, but I really have no idea.

Looks like an interesting boat, but I'm pretty much a newbie so my eye is not as sharp as others on the forum.

Sent from my iPhone using Trawler
 
Don't know anything about the boat. Suggest you email a query to Bill Kimley. Address is on Seahorse's website.

It cost in the high 20s to ship the smaller Coot (36 feet overall, 14 tons) to California.
 
You would need to convert the AC power supply to accept 60 cycle power as it is currently 50 cycle. Must be a transformer of some sort available for that I'm assuming?
 
markpierce said:
Don't know anything about the boat. Suggest you email a query to Bill Kimley. Address is on Seahorse's website.

It cost in the high 20s to ship the smaller Coot (36 feet overall, 14 tons) to California.
Click to expand...

Ok. Thanks Mark for the info on Bill and the shipping.

Sent from my iPhone using Trawler
 
Tad Roberts said:
The hull design is by Blaine Seeley, done about 1979. It's quite flat underwater with a hard (though round) turn to the bilge. About half the draft is an external full length sailing keel, the rudder is a bit small....

There are some bottom pictures here.....

Mandarin 52′ Motorsailer | Anchorline Yacht Brokers
Click to expand...

Thank you Mr Roberts for the link. The seating aft of the pilothouse reminds me a of one your Ducks.

Is there a reason for the prop to be so far amidships, or am I just seeing things?

What is your your opinion of this hull for coastal cruising, Bahamas and the Caribbean ?

Sent from my iPhone using Trawler
 
Last edited:
cardude01 said:
Thank you Mr Roberts for the link. The seating aft of the pilothouse reminds me a of one your Ducks.

Is there a reason for the prop to be so far amidships, or am I just seeing things?

What is your your opinion of this hull for coastal cruising, Bahamas and the Caribbean ?
Click to expand...

dude.....

I believe you are thinking of George Buehler, who is responsible for the Diesel Duck designs.....nothing to do with me..;) Actually that U-shaped outside cockpit is in Seeley's original design, which was called the Mariner 50. Bill Kimley transferred that cockpit arrangement to the Ducks and made them more user friendly, along with the integrated swim step.

Kimley (Seahorse Marine) also took that Mariner 50 and added the integral swim step to make it a 52'. Thus (with camera lens distortion) the prop looks a long ways forward, it isn't really......

In general I think the Mandarin would be a great boat for East Coast and Caribbean cruising. I know nothing of the details of structure and systems for these boats. To me the interior seems a bit of a rabbit warren, but it's better than some. It is a lot different than typical motoryachts, say something like a Grand Banks 48 where all day living spaces are upstairs in full daylight. The "downstairs" living might get oppressive in a dark NE winter, but be a relief in the bright Caribbean sunshine.
 
Estimates for private shipping a Krogen Manatee 36 from Hong Kong to West Coast, US for us was around 45K two years ago. I was unable to find a good surveyor there, and my suspicions about the condition of the boat in question were confirmed by a later refit of the same boat, still on the market. If I were serious about the boat, I'd fly my own surveyor there.
 
Someone on my dock at my marina had a Seahorse 52 like this one and just sold it. I had a chance to look at it while it was pulled out for its survey. The hull form looked like a classic semi-displacement design with relatively fine entry, hard chines, and fairly flat sections aft, and a keel of modest depth running about 3/4 of the way back.

This particular one was fitted with twin Cummins 370 hp engines, which gave it a top speed of about 17 kts (though the owner said he typically cruised at 8-9 kts). Like most similarly intended semi-displacement hulls, it is designed for and should be perfectly fine for coastal cruising, but not crossing oceans.

That price seems awfully cheap for that kind of boat. Similar ones in the U.S. seem to go for 2-4 x that much. Either this is the bargain of a lifetime, or, there are good reasons for the low price. A 17 year old boat could be in fine shape if it has been maintained, or after that much time it could be a basket case in need of total restoration.

If it was me personally, I would find it too much of a headache to try to buy a boat in China and then get to the states all on my own. The builders in China do it all the time, but there are so many things that can go wrong - it's enough of a hassle just to ship a boat a couple of thousand miles within the U.S. Maybe one of the reputable yards over there would be willing to inspect it for you and arrange shipping?
 
Endurance said:
Someone on my dock at my marina had a Seahorse 52 like this one and just sold it. I had a chance to look at it while it was pulled out for its survey. The hull form looked like a classic semi-displacement design with relatively fine entry, hard chines, and fairly flat sections aft, and a keel of modest depth running about 3/4 of the way back.

This particular one was fitted with twin Cummins 370 hp engines, which gave it a top speed of about 17 kts (though the owner said he typically cruised at 8-9 kts). Like most similarly intended semi-displacement hulls, it is designed for and should be perfectly fine for coastal cruising, but not crossing oceans.

That price seems awfully cheap for that kind of boat. Similar ones in the U.S. seem to go for 2-4 x that much. Either this is the bargain of a lifetime, or, there are good reasons for the low price. A 17 year old boat could be in fine shape if it has been maintained, or after that much time it could be a basket case in need of total restoration.

If it was me personally, I would find it too much of a headache to try to buy a boat in China and then get to the states all on my own. The builders in China do it all the time, but there are so many things that can go wrong - it's enough of a hassle just to ship a boat a couple of thousand miles within the U.S. Maybe one of the reputable yards over there would be willing to inspect it for you and arrange shipping?
Click to expand...

I also think the buying process over such a long distance would be a huge hassle, and since I have no contacts over there and since I am a relative novice I'm sure I would get taken somehow.

I emailed the broker and Mr Bill Kimley of Seahorse Marine. They both describe the boat as an "opportunity project", which scared me off even more.

Thanks for the replies!

Sent from my iPhone using Trawler
 
Tad Roberts said:
dude.....

I believe you are thinking of George Buehler, who is responsible for the Diesel Duck designs.....nothing to do with me..;) Actually that U-shaped outside cockpit is in Seeley's original design, which was called the Mariner 50. Bill Kimley transferred that cockpit arrangement to the Ducks and made them more user friendly, along with the integrated swim step.

Kimley (Seahorse Marine) also took that Mariner 50 and added the integral swim step to make it a 52'. Thus (with camera lens distortion) the prop looks a long ways forward, it isn't really......

In general I think the Mandarin would be a great boat for East Coast and Caribbean cruising. I know nothing of the details of structure and systems for these boats. To me the interior seems a bit of a rabbit warren, but it's better than some. It is a lot different than typical motoryachts, say something like a Grand Banks 48 where all day living spaces are upstairs in full daylight. The "downstairs" living might get oppressive in a dark NE winter, but be a relief in the bright Caribbean sunshine.
Click to expand...

Whoops! I'm sorry I got you confused with George Buehler! My apologies.

Thank you for all the valuable info. You are such a great asset on this forum.

I found out the boat was described as a project boat by the broker, and my wife rolled her eyes when she saw I was looking at project boats in Hong Kong.

Sent from my iPhone using Trawler
 
Hey, CarDude: Thanks for the new term of "Opportunity Project" to add to my list of abstract descriptions. Decades ago while searching for antique trucks and farm equipment, the term "Barn Fresh" was used. I love these creative terms that leave so much to the imagination, particularly when it's likely that the best part of the "Opportunity Project" is the "Opportunity" to say "no thanks".:)
 
While it is possible to purchase a converter system that will take US 120V or 240V and convert it to Euro 240v 50CPS , you would be stuck with importing things like air cond , reefers, microwaves and other items from Euro-land.

The boat would need rewiring , OR , a new layer of US wiring along side the Euro stuff to be enjoyable in US waters. Not an inexpensive task as the labor bill would be high.
 
FF said:
While it is possible to purchase a converter system that will take US 120V or 240V and convert it to Euro 240v 50CPS , you would be stuck with importing things like air cond , reefers, microwaves and other items from Euro-land.
Click to expand...

Why would you want to do that? I can't think of a generator that can't be reconnected to provide 120/240 volts and frequency is a function of the governed speed. Most voltage regulators offer a selection for 50 or 60Hz.


I have several pieces of electrical equipment that include pumps and electronic controls and motors that came off 220/50 European built yachts and have been running them for years with no issues.

Nearly all modern (post 1960s) electrical equipment is rated for 50/60Hz. It is a non issue.
 
Endurance said:
Someone on my dock at my marina had a Seahorse 52 like this one and just sold it. I had a chance to look at it while it was pulled out for its survey. The hull form looked like a classic semi-displacement design with relatively fine entry, hard chines, and fairly flat sections aft, and a keel of modest depth running about 3/4 of the way back.

This particular one was fitted with twin Cummins 370 hp engines, which gave it a top speed of about 17 kts (though the owner said he typically cruised at 8-9 kts). Like most similarly intended semi-displacement hulls, it is designed for and should be perfectly fine for coastal cruising, but not crossing oceans.

That price seems awfully cheap for that kind of boat. Similar ones in the U.S. seem to go for 2-4 x that much. Either this is the bargain of a lifetime, or, there are good reasons for the low price. A 17 year old boat could be in fine shape if it has been maintained, or after that much time it could be a basket case in need of total restoration.

If it was me personally, I would find it too much of a headache to try to buy a boat in China and then get to the states all on my own. The builders in China do it all the time, but there are so many things that can go wrong - it's enough of a hassle just to ship a boat a couple of thousand miles within the U.S. Maybe one of the reputable yards over there would be willing to inspect it for you and arrange shipping?
Click to expand...
Endurance, you mention that a Seahorse 52 near you was recently sold - do you know the year and approximate price which was achieved? I am going to view one in Thailand in a few weeks and would welcome ANY "intel" from any forum members. there is really very little information on the www.
 
John, they ended up trading the boat in (presumably with some cash) for another boat. Their Seahorse was a 2002, they originally listed it for $599k and I believe later reduced it to $499k, but don't know how much they got for it in the trade-in deal.
 
Many thanks Nick - much appreciated.
That is a very high asking price for the year.
Still looking for feedback from anyone with experience or knowledge of the Seahorse 52!
 
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