Sealine

Sealine is an English brand of motor yachts. It is originated in the former Sealine boatyard in Kidderminster that was founded in the 1970s by Tom Murrant. As of 2013, the brand belongs to the parent company of German HanseYachts AG.

Sealine
OwnerAurelius SE
Produced byHanseYachts AG
CountryGermany
Introduced1972
Websitewww.sealine.com

History

Founding and rise (1972–1997)

The English aircraft engineer and boating enthusiast Tom Murrant (1939–2005) founded the Sealine parent company Fibrasonic Marine Ltd. in 1972 with the help of three other persons. Manufacturing started near Bobbington, Staffordshire.[1] The first model was a 23 ft GRP family cruiser with sterndrive (23 Continental). In the wake of the world oil crisis 1973, the young company suffered and survived several years by producing items for other sectors and as subcontractor for other boat builders.[1] In 1978, Fibrasonic Marine presented two models under the new brand name C-Line. Furthermore, the company moved to a larger site in Kidderminster, Worcestershire. In 1979, C-Line became Sealine, and an 18 ft weekender with coloured hull was launched. More and more, the brand stood out with clever space utilisation and versatility.

In the 1980s, the models 30 Fly and 285 Ambassador were brought to the market and became best sellers.[2] In the 1990s, Sealine entered the US-market and rose to one of the "Big Four" British motorboat builders (alongside Fairline, Sunseeker and Princess).

Changes of ownership (1998–2013)
Sealine SC38 (2007–2011)

In 1998, a period of substantial changes began. Tom Murrant and his Co-partners sold the company for US$ 45 million to a group of venture capitalists headed by the English industrialist Gerard Wainwright who started to improve build-quality and design.[3] Only three years later, Wainwright sold Sealine for US$ 68 million to US-based Brunswick Corporation.[3] The new owner implemented advanced manufacturing structures, widened the range upwards and tried to attract the market with luxury. In 2004, a T60 was launched, the biggest Sealine ever.[4]

Like the whole sector, Sealine was severely hit by the financial and economic crisis 2007/08. In 2011, Brunswick sold the company to US-based private equity firm Oxford Investment Group.[5] In April 2013, Sealine went into administration.[6] Attempts to sell the company as a whole came to nothing. The manufacturing site in Kidderminster was closed. Around 300 employees (that had left from the 600-strong staff in the best days) lost their jobs. The brand besides moulds, plans, parts lists and equipment were purchased by German Aurelius SE, Munich, the parent company of German boat manufacturer HanseYachts.[7]

Restart in Germany (2014–present)
Sealine C530 (since 2017)

In 2014, HanseYachts started to produce the adopted Sealine models S450 (formerly SC42) and F450 (formerly F42). A German subcontractor temporarily produced the also adopted S380 (formerly SC35).[8] Furthermore, HanseYachts appointed the British naval architect Bill Dixon as designer for all Sealine models[9] and presented the first new model F380 (SC35 advancement). In 2014/15, the first two Dixon designed models S330 and C330 were launched.[10]

Trivia

In the late 1980s, a Sealine 285 Ambassador named "Sea Gybsy" starred in the BBC drama "Howards Way".[11]

Current models (specs)
Model Launch L max (m) L max (ft) Beam (m) Beam (ft) Displ.
(t)		 Displ. (lbs) Engines Power (hp)
S330 1 2014 10.31 33' 10" 3.50 11' 6"   6.1 13,500 Volvo Penta, 1 x D6-340 / 1 x D6-400 / 2 x D3-220 340–440
S330v 1, 4 2018 11.01 36' 1" 3.50 11' 6"   7.1 15,600 Mercury or Suzuki, 2 x 300 / 2 x 350 600–700
C330 2 2015 10.31 33' 10" 3.50 11' 6"   6.7 14,700 Volvo Penta, 1 x D6-340 / 1 x D6-400 / 2 x D3-220 340–440
C330v 2, 4 2019 11.01 36' 1" 3.50 11' 6"   7.3 16,000 Mercury or Suzuki, 2 x 300 / 2 x 350 600–700
C390 2 2019 12.50 41' 0" 3.85 12' 8" 10.5 23,200 Volvo Penta, 2 x D4-300 / 2 x D6-380 600–760
C390v 2, 4 2020 12.42 40' 9" 3.85 12' 8" 10.4 22,800 Suzuki, 2 x 350 700
S430 1 2020 13.55 44' 4" 4.20 13' 9" 12.4 27,200 Volvo Penta, 2 x IPS 450 / 2 x IPS 500 / 2 x IPS 600 680–880
C430 2 2017 13.55 44' 4" 4.20 13' 9" 13.4 29,600 Volvo Penta, 2 x IPS 500 / 2 x IPS 600 760–880
F430 3 2018 13.55 44' 4" 4.20 13' 9" 13.6 29,900 Volvo Penta, 2 x IPS 500 / 2 x IPS 600 760–880
C530 2 2017 16.13 52' 11" 4.56 14' 11" 20.3 44,800 Volvo Penta, 2 x IPS 700 / 2 x IPS 800 1,100–1,200
F530 3 2016 16.13 52' 11" 4.56 14' 11" 20.4 45,000 Volvo Penta, 2 x IPS 700 / 2 x IPS 800 1,100–1,200

1 Sport model, 2 Cruiser model,3 Flybridge model, 4 Model with outboard engines

Naval architect: Bill Dixon

Awards
  • Sealine F380 – “Motor Boat Award 2015” for the “Best Flybridge under 55 ft”[12]
  • Sealine S330 and C330 – "Motor Boat Award 2016" for the "Best Sportscruiser up to 45 ft"[13]
gollark: The best smartwatch. or it would be if it wasn't an Iphone.
gollark: Wasn't that circlet thing... not real?
gollark: Cool idea: smartwatches with LoRa hardware instead of (maybe in addition to, I guess) so they can connect to the interwebs™ and function independently of a phone.
gollark: REAL men just wear their phones on their wrist.
gollark: You could ask on the Pine64 discord? They may not exist yet.

References
  1. "Sealine motorboats through the ages". Motor Boat & Yachting. 1 May 2013.
  2. "40 Years of Sealine: British boat builder with a proud history". Boats. 10 October 2012.
  3. "Sealine Sold to the Americans". Motor Boat & Yachting. 20 June 2001.
  4. "Sealine T60". Power & Motor Yacht. Retrieved 5 December 2016.
  5. "Brunswick sells Sealine to Oxford Investment Group". Boating Industry. 31 August 2011.
  6. "Loss-making Sealine put in administration". Financial Times online. 1 May 2013.
  7. "Sealine brand sold off as factory set to close". BBC News. 27 June 2013.
  8. "Quo vadis, Sealine?". Boote. 24 January 2014.
  9. "Sealine appoints new designer". Boating Business. 30 January 2014.
  10. "Sealine C330". Power & Motor Yacht. September 2016.
  11. "Howards' Way: 25 years on". Motor Boat & Yachting. 13 September 2010.
  12. "2015 Motor Boat Awards winners". Boating Business. 21 January 2015.
  13. "Sealine S330 and C330 win the 'Oscar of cruisers': the Motor Boat Award 2016". HanseYachts AG. 15 January 2016.
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