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Wanted to let those looking at new Center Consoles in the 21-24' range to know that Seaswirl has come out with a few new models that look pretty sharp according to their plans. I'm not a salesman, just a satisfied owner of a 2301 C/C.
The new 24 is 24' LOA without a pulpit, can handle 400 HP(can be powered by Evinrude, Yamaha, Suzuki, or Mercury), fuel capacity of 165 gals, and has 22 degree deadrise. It doesn't look like a hardcore fishing boat like a Contender or Yellowfin, but it looks like it would be a good family/fishing boat.
That being said, I wish they had a 26' model coming out. Maybe I would look at them again(looking at stepping up to a used Contender 25).
Don't know if they are coming out with new W/A's or not. It looks like they have a new 19, 21, and 24 C/C model, two new bayboat models, and two large W/A models.
I really like the look of the hull on the 24. I think I remember reading that the 24 has bilge access from the cockpit. Accessing the bilge in my boat is a pain. Hopefully, Seaswirl has gotten better with their wiring also. Tough to trace. Other than that, my boat rides great and like I said, if they had a bigger C/C(their 26 is really a 25') I would seriously consider them for my next boat.
__________________
27 Contender- Current boat
2010 200 HPDIs
WOW! Gotta love it. Seaswirl is trying to make it up to the top tier. They finally put some bow flair in and 22 degree deadrise. Did you check out the stern looking like a Southports stern. The Striper had a great ride in rough water before the improved deadrise and bow flair. I want to get one of the new ones out on a sea trial. I hope they do the same with the Walk Around models.
I checked the Proline. The new Seaswirl has massive Carolina style bow flair. This boat is my dream boat. I have been looking to upgrade to a Carolina Classic 28 with twin diesels or if I had to go Center Console my favorite is the Southport (next is Everglades). I think the engineers at Seaswirl have been messing around in my dreams.
However, I have had consistent problems with my Volvo Penta Engine. Seaswirl never stepped in to help. I know it's an engine problem but service of any kind is as important as the quality of the boat. That kind of squashes my desire to purchase another Seaswirl. My boat has spent a lot of prime time off of the water because of the engine, not the boat. The boat itself is fantastic. BUT it does you no good when you have factory mechanics that can't do even the simplest of troubleshoots. This is a great example of losing a guaranteed return customer for sh@@ service. So for me it looks like the Carolina Classic in my future (I am not sure I want a center console. I boat in New York till December).
LooneyTunes
Dave
PS> My engine problem was quite simple. The fact that Volvo Penta Mechanics couldn't fix it for two years is pathetic. To resolve the problem took the help of THTers like Rwidman and billinstuart. Now I don't want to get rid of my boat unless it is to upgrade.
Dave is your boat still under warrantee, if not I wouldn't bother with the dealer techs you have been using anymore, I'd be looking for the best sterndrive mechanic you can find. I had some shifting and performance problems with my old OMC Cobra when it was about 14 years old, I took it to a good local place and it's been nearly trouble free for the past 4 seasons. I'd like a newer boat, but I will only buy a power package that my local guys will work on if I can't figure it out. They don't work on Etecs yet, so I'm sticking with the Cobra as long as I can get parts.
__________________ 1988 Four Winns 200 Horizon
4.3 OMC Cobra
1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee
4.0/NV 242 Selectrac
2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited
5.7 HEMI/Quadradrive II
My boat is under warranty for 3 more years. They do such a crappy job and if you do ANY work (which I did on the stater) they invalidate that item from warranty work. Last time I brought it in was because of hydro lock that was never suggested by the mechanic. So I changed the starter myself in 15 minutes. They changed the alternator saying it seized and prevented the engine from turning because of the serpentine belt. The jerk mechanic wouldn't touch the problem till I proved that the starter and NOW THE FLYWHEEL (because it touches the starter) were good. I told them I could verify it in 30 minutes. They made me take the boat off of the property and check the starter and flywheel. We took the starter off (which was brand new from the parts place and we had to spin the whole freakin motor till we checked every tooth on the flywheel with a mirror in the bilge. They gave me a stern warning that if they found a problem on the fly wheel, I get a bill for time and materials. Turns out that the idiot misdiagnosed the failure. It was hydro lock not a seized alternator.
My law firm is in the process of writing them a letter for remedy. I will give them the letter if they are not cooperative and go on to law suit. I have already successfully sued the warranty company for $1,300 that they charged me for replacing the first starter under warranty. It was supposed to be a $100 deductible. They clocked up 10 hours of unnecessary troubleshooting for a blown starter. They claimed that I had to pay the troubleshooting hours. My contract read work is done by book hours and only a $100 deductible applies.
Man that stinks, I bet you could have fixed the whole problem yourself in a day if you had the info from the TSB on the riser gaskets. Just goes to show, that any warantee is only as good as the people who back it up. One thing I did was go around to a few shops, after I had read major parts of my OMC shop manual, and asked questions about how they would do this job and that job. When I found the shop where the tech gave me the same answers that were in the shop manual, I took the boat there, and that worked out well. A few years back I recall looking at some Seaswirls out at a dealer in St. James, liked them but still had to get the old boat working right so wasn't really ready to buy, so I didn't check out their service dept. Next boat not sure if I'll go I/O or OB, both have strengths and weaknesses, like I said, since I buy used, I will only buy what the local shop is able to fix.
A seized alternator is a new one on me, I have hear of locked up outdrives making it impossible to start the motor, but I bet you'd have heard the belt slipping when you cranked it over if the alt was locked up. Sounds like they don't want to take the time to analyze the failure, and are glorified parts changers!
__________________ 1988 Four Winns 200 Horizon
4.3 OMC Cobra
1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee
4.0/NV 242 Selectrac
2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited
5.7 HEMI/Quadradrive II
Maybe I'll start my own thread about crappy dealer service and crappy Volvo Penta service. I just don't want to hijack this thread.
So guys, to get this thread back on track, It Seaswirl's hybird "southport classic" (combo of Southport stern and Carolina Classics bow flair) the coolest thing that you have seen since Everglades enclosed the Console area?
The bow flair does add to the line of the boat, but take a moment and look carefully at the forefoot and entry of the boat. If yu look at how the bow will go into a wave, it sure looks to me like the basic V of the hull at the chine line is carried too far forward and makes the area just aft of the entry turn over too quickly to land softly. The bow appears to get very "full" very quickly. A sea trial will tell for sure. It is just my eye and my opinion. By the way, of all the hulls to compare it to, the Southport is one of the best under 30 foot hulls ever designed. No, I don't own one.
I looked through my jpegs to find a shot that would describe what I was talking about. If you look at this hull, you'll notice that the more "turned over portion of the hull happens back at about the console, making the entry longer. The hull pictured is a Bahama 31, which as far as I am concerned, sets a benchmark for ride and dryness in 31 feet of hull. Great boat - but expensive. No, I don't own one.
I agree with Kerno concerning the hard chine issue. Here is a pic of the other extreme. Hard chine proceeds way too far forward before making the break. Don't want to bash, so won't say how it rode. Just an interesting comparison. FWIW the hull was discontinued.
New Seaswirl 
