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Sealine t51 pros and cons

Discussion in 'General Yachting Discussion' started by richierich33, Jun 28, 2014.

  1. richierich33, Jun 28, 2014
    #1
    richierich33

    richierich33 New Member

    Joined:
    Jun 28, 2014
    Messages:
    22
    Location:
    Annapolis, MD
    So I'm in the market for a tri-cabin boat under 50'. Amazing how that third cabin eliminates a lot of choices. Few others left are Sea Ray 480, Carver 466/Voyager 450/506, Silverton 453. Other than parts availability in the US, I don't see a lot of cons. They seem faster and better handling than all the competition. Any insight on this topic would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
  2. RER, Jun 28, 2014
    #2
    RER

    RER Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jan 20, 2009
    Messages:
    1,591
    Location:
    Newport Beach CA
    I sold a 2000 T51 for a client a couple years ago. I ran the boat often including sea trials. It ran like a bat out of hell. Deep Vee hull. QSM11 power. Over 30 knots top end speed with in-op trim tabs.

    Typical Euro downside. Headliner fell down. Cabinet hardware broke. Paper thin teak decks. Electrical bits and pieces and other systems such as the previously mentioned trim tabs were hard to source parts for. The best strategy when anything broke was to R&R - refit with USA components rather than fix the Euro stuff. That strategy can get expensive but you're going to have a better boat in the long run.

    I showed that boat probably 30 times. FWIW - from a resale perspective, most of those buyers were concerned that the brand was not well known here.
  3. tonyp1203, Jul 7, 2014
    #3
    tonyp1203

    tonyp1203 New Member

    Joined:
    Jul 2, 2014
    Messages:
    10
    Location:
    Ft. Lauderdale and Key Largo
    I almost ran into a low hovering photo helicopter on a T-51 during a video-shoot in the Bahamas. Boat was supposed to turn sharply right before reaching the helicopter and instead leaned over and kept going straight. Tabs were in full-up position....Design flaw according to Sealine. Good thing Helo pilot was quick to pull up. Learned my lesson that day to always execute the maneuver first without any obstacles in the way. I understand Sealine addressed the issue and resolved it. This was way back in early 2000,s.