Hake Yachts, also called Seaward Yachts, was an American boat builder based in

Carmel, Indiana Carmel () is a suburban city in Hamilton County, Indiana, United States, immediately north of Indianapolis. With a population of 99,757 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city spans across Clay Township, Hamilton County, Indi ...

. The company specialized in the design and manufacture of

fiberglass Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English) is a common type of fibre-reinforced plastic, fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened i ...

sailboat A sailboat or sailing boat is a boat propelled partly or entirely by sails and is smaller than a sailing ship. Distinctions in what constitutes a sailing boat and ship vary by region and maritime culture. Types Although sailboat terminology ...

s. The company was founded in 1973 by boat designer Nick Hake, a graduate of the

Milwaukee School of Engineering The Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE) is a private university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1903, the university has a primary focus on undergraduate engineering education with additional programs in business, mathem ...

History

After starting building sailing dinghies, the first

keelboat A keelboat is a riverine cargo-capable working boat, or a small- to mid-sized recreational sailing yacht. The boats in the first category have shallow structural keels, and are nearly flat-bottomed and often used leeboards if forced in open w ...

design produced was the Seaward 23 in 1984. The company also took over the Starboard Yacht Company, also founded by Hake, which had been producing his Slipper 17

pocket cruiser A pocket cruiser is a sailboat designed for recreational Cruising (maritime), cruising and club racing, under in length. Like the similar and usually smaller trailer sailer, they have design features such as light weight and short Sailing ball ...

design since 1981.

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s the company produced the Seaward line of sailboats, including the Seaward 25 and Seaward 22. in his In a 2010 book, ''The Sailor's Book of Small Cruising Sailboats'', Steve Henkel praised the construction quality of the boats the company built and their choice of high-end hardware.Henkel, Steve: ''The Sailor's Book of Small Cruising Sailboats'', pages 56, 202, 203, 309, 310.

International Marine McGraw Hill is an American education science company that provides educational content, software, and services for students and educators across various levels—from K-12 to higher education and professional settings. They produce textbooks, ...

McGraw-Hill McGraw Hill is an American education science company that provides educational content, software, and services for students and educators across various levels—from K-12 to higher education and professional settings. They produce textbooks, ...

, 2010. In 1993 Hake sold the company to a group of investors from

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

. The new owners quickly ran into issues maintaining product quality and the boats suffered from poor construction. After two years they sold the company back to Hake. By 2005 the company was focused on two designs, the Seaward 26RK and the Seaward Eagle. In 2016, under the name Hake Marine, the company bought Island Packet Yachts and Blue Jacket Yachts and began combining operations at the Island Packet facility in Largo, Florida. In 2016 the company was producing three designs, the Seaward 26RK, the Seaward 32RK and the Seaward 46RK. In January 2017 the company was bought by Darrell and Leslie Allen. Nick Hake went on to found a new company, NH Designs, which specializes in powerboat and sailboat brokerage, transport, repair and consultation. By 2022 the Seaward Yachts company website redirected to the Island Packet Yachts website and that company no longer offered any Seaward series boats for sale.

Boats

Summary of boats built by Hake Yachts: * Slipper 17 - 1981 * Seaward 23 - 1984 *Seaward 24 - 1984 * Seaward 25 - 1984 * Seaward 22 - 1985 *Seaward Fox - 1993 *Seaward Eagle - 1996 *Seaward 26RK - 2005 *Seaward 32RK - 2009 *Seaward 46RK - 2012

References

External links

Official website archives
on archive.org {{Hake Yachts Hake Yachts

History

Boats

See also

References

External links