Boating in the Pacific Northwest can sometimes feel like a grand tour of a maritime museum, due to the many good old boats still active on the water. One such example is Seafarer, a 56-foot Custom Winslow RDMY that harkens back to the roaring twenties, 1926 to be exact. Built by Lake Washington Shipyard and designed by local legend John Winslow, Seafarer has a Carvel planked cedar hull, oak frames, and teak weather decks and transom representing wood craftsmanship rarely seen in the 21st century.
Elegance is a word often thrown around in boat description literature, but it is earned here. Part of Seafarer’s beauty is her long, slender form due to her narrow beam of 12 feet. For reference sake, a Nordic Tug 40 (a yacht 16 feet shorter) has a beam of 13 feet. The shape is reminiscent of the classic Lake Union Dreamboats, also all-wood yachts built narrow and long. Purported benefits are seaworthiness, handling, and fuel efficiency.
Seafarer’s hull form may be a piece of history, but there’s plenty of additions aboard to enjoy the perks of modern boating. The yacht is powered by an ‘80s model Gray Marine 6-71 diesel inboard and can purportedly maintain a respectable 9-knot cruising speed at a conservative fuel use of 4 gallons per hour. Perhaps this efficiency has something to do with the narrow beam and long form.
Thanks to a major refit in 2007, Seafarer also has new wiring throughout, new plumbing, hydraulic steering, a newer 8-kW Northern Lights genset, updated electronics and appliances, and more.
There’s a lot to love about historic local yachts like Seafarer that are still chomping at the bit to run liquor across the Canadian border like it’s the Prohibition again. When these boats are properly kept up and decked out with 21st century goodies, they can offer a lot of boat for a steal. If you want to learn more about Seafarer, you can contact La Conner Yacht Sales. Price listed as $49,000.
