Lucia 40: Lucia Owners

[MKB53]

Hi

My Lucia sits down a bit in the bow. I suggest it is because:
a: I don't have genset or aircon
b: I tend to keep my water tanks full
c: Often when you see this they are at anchor and the dingy is off the davits.
d: 80M of 10mm chain plus spare anchor plus ... in the locker

I actually think it makes them perform a bit better. Bow down to windward and stern not as deep as it could be.

All you have to do to fix it, if you don't like the look is change the line of the antifoul boot!

My 5 cents worth.

[Barra]

Originally Posted by MKB53

Hi

My Lucia sits down a bit in the bow. I suggest it is because:
a: I don't have genset or aircon
b: I tend to keep my water tanks full
c: Often when you see this they are at anchor and the dingy is off the davits.
d: 80M of 10mm chain plus spare anchor plus ... in the locker

I actually think it makes them perform a bit better. Bow down to windward and stern not as deep as it could be.

All you have to do to fix it, if you don't like the look is change the line of the antifoul boot!

My 5 cents worth.

A. All 3 had gen set and aircon
B. Yep the water tanks are surprisingly far forward and would play a part if kept full I reckon
C. Dhingy on the Daviits on all of them
D. Yes I think one of the compromises of the short water line is storing more stuff in the ends

Like I said every other cat I've sailed presses the bows down when under sail so bows already down would concern me but at least 1 owner swears the stern goes down not up further under sail.

Is that your experience?

Nah just disguising the issue by changing the paint line wouldn't please me. I would rather get my head around whether this is somehow designed into the hull or not. And if so why on a 38 foot waterline and not on their longer designs which appear to sir level like most cats. Helia was in same anchorage and sat perfectly level.

[MKB53]

I certainly don't think they are too much bow down when sailing Not to any extent that is causing an issue. If you look at the flare in the hull aft it is not far above the water and trimming the stern down would increase wetted area pretty soon. Maybe they are designed to be now down.
The jib certainly pulls the bow down and reduces pitching.

[Escape Plan]

We have the same issue with ours - we have the 33kg Rocna, standard water tanks and 2 spare anchors in the anchor locker. Noticed when she is at rest she is slightly down by the head - not as dramatic as you describe, but definitely down by the head. A picture of her under way doesn't show much change. We do have genset aft, and 3 air cons.

[Barra]

Originally Posted by SaltyDogsLLC

We have the same issue with ours - we have the 33kg Rocna, standard water tanks and 2 spare anchors in the anchor locker. Noticed when she is at rest she is slightly down by the head - not as dramatic as you describe, but definitely down by the head. A picture of her under way doesn't show much change. We do have genset aft, and 3 air cons.

Yep makes sense it wouldnt change under way or maybe be slightly more buried like all other boats.

So my next question is is this caused by load placement when all the cruising gear gets put on?

or in other words does a lightship lucia sit bow down in the water also?

If so then i suppose its designed to be this way (maybe in anticipation of even more load at the stern though a heavy tender, genset, ac etc doesnt seem to be enough to balance them up)

[A TEN]

Just took delivery of Lucia #252 and it definitely has an aft CG. Stern 2-3” lower than bow with: full fuel & water, no dinghy, factory anchor w/100’ chain, 300’ coil of dock/anchor line, genset, 3xA/C, partially loaded and provisioned. Will update when fully set up.

On a different note, has anyone had any luck with the “new” mainsail gaff lock (Karver) system? The head of the main is supposed to slide into the gaff lock hook as you raise the main, without having someone at the mast to guide it in. Mine did not go all the way in (w/single reef), and the dyneema attaching line sat on the top of the hook and jammed the halyard. This made it Very difficult to bring down the mainsail. I bought this boat because it’s supposed to be single handed and needing someone at the mast to raise the main is unacceptable to me - what’s up FP?? Am I missing an Occam’s Razor?

[Steve England]

Originally Posted by jbinbi

MK, many thanks for the quick reply. I am assuming you did the Li yourself? I also saw the thread on this. However, I am not sure how much room there is for batteries and what comes standard. On my 380 I have 3 x 140 FLA, which I am going to replace with 6 x 6V FLA Golf Carts, for 660 AH. Fits in the same space! Don't know if I could get 6 GCs in there, or if I could even order that from the factory.

Also not sure if I could order the type of equipment from the factory I want or only what they OEM. For instance , I have Victron solar controllers right now, and really like their equipment. If I was getting a new boat, would want to get Victron controllers, inverter, charger, etc.



I also spent a long time designing a frame for 2 x 285 W solar that fits over the davits.

The Lucia looks like if I overhang the panels by several inches I could get 3 panels behind the traveller? I don't yet have the dimensions, but I do know that what FP provides is not enough, I think it is 300 W total, I think Ah to W ratio should be closer to 1.

Did you get a generator as well? If so, was it the stock one? I wouldn't see a need to run all A/C , microwave, hair dryer, coffee maker all at the same time, I think a 6kW is more than enough. Actually, for how I use things, a 3kW is fine.

Again, appreciate any inputs for the owners.

Hi I fitted two Panasonic N240’s behind the traveller. Perfect fit with no overhang. I’m getting 2KWH per day in summer in Greece I put them in series to reduce losses in cable Will try parallel this summer to see if I can improve output Used a VictronConnect 150 controller. Very satisfied

[Steve England]

I did not fit the Karver and spent 6 weeks from France to Greece having to climb up the mast Totally agree with you a totally stupid idea for a cruising yacht to have a square top. An agent in La Richelle said the first thing he did before hand over was to round off the top of the sail or move the top batten to allow permanent connection of the halyard. A very nifty solution given by a sail maker in Greece is to attach an 8 mm dynema from the top of the sail through the top car and attach to the second car Experiment with length and the sail comes up neatly to the top car as you uphaul. No need to go to the mast and no Karver to jam up. I’ve been doing this all summer with myself and wife aboard very safe with all work done from the helm and the halyard permanently attached. Hope this makes sence

[hobsonlea]

Originally Posted by A TEN

Just took delivery of Lucia #252 and it definitely has an aft CG. Stern 2-3” lower than bow with: full fuel & water, no dinghy, factory anchor w/100’ chain, 300’ coil of dock/anchor line, genset, 3xA/C, partially loaded and provisioned. Will update when fully set up.



On a different note, has anyone had any luck with the “new” mainsail gaff lock (Karver) system? The head of the main is supposed to slide into the gaff lock hook as you raise the main, without having someone at the mast to guide it in. Mine did not go all the way in (w/single reef), and the dyneema attaching line sat on the top of the hook and jammed the halyard. This made it Very difficult to bring down the mainsail. I bought this boat because it’s supposed to be single handed and needing someone at the mast to raise the main is unacceptable to me - what’s up FP?? Am I missing an Occam’s Razor?

We’ve got #78 with Karver hook. Works well for us, but I do go to mast to untie halyard and untie the lazybag. We found we needed a bungy betweeen car 1 and 2, the 8mm dyneema sounds like better option. We also found we need to have the dyneema look T junction at the aft so the smooth end of the loop pops over the hook. We also use the dry glide spray a couple of times a season.

[Terbonium]

We had the main stuck at the top of the mast on our first day with the boat in La Rochelle. We quickly made friends with some neighbors who had a bosun chair.

We've now had the boat for 2 years and we've learned the trick is to raise the main halyard slowly by hand until the soft shackle is just about to engage the karver hook, and then give it a quick yank. Nearly 100% of the time the soft shackle jumps into the karver hook and all is good. The slim chance it does not, the main is just a few feet up the mast and can be pulled back down for another attempt. Blindly raising the main with the soft shackle bound at the top of the karver hook will lock the halyard in place preventing the main from being lowered. Nearly all Lucia owners I've spoken to have this exact story of the main stuck at the top of the mast. Rumor was FP was working on a fix, but I've not heard of anything(especially since current boats appear to be shipping with the same solution)

[jbinbi]

Just curious as I am contemplating putting in an offer on a Lucia:

To all the owners out there, would you buy this boat again?

If not, what would you get instead (same price range).

I realize no boat is perfect, my L 380 I love to sail, but the dated design for the cockpit and needing a walk off island berth for bad knees are 2 reasons I need something different. The Lucia checks off these 2 categories, I wasn't as happy with the steering (having the wheel too far port and potentially falling down the steps if you center yourself over the wheel, hearing sq main problems, and wondering how she sails are some questions I have). But you can get by the minor issues if they aren't too many and don't become major.

[MKB53]

I would buy the Lucia again, not so sure I would buy the newer ones like the 45, getting too much like a caravan for my liking.

The Lucia is a very comfortable boat to live on. We typically spend about 5 months a year cruising.
never had any issue with falling down the steps while at the wheel. Never even crossed my mind.
I have a 2016 model which did not come with the Karver hook. I use a dyneema line to pull the head of the main in to th etop batten car, a lagoon innovation I believe. Works perfectly once you get the length right and a lot cheaper!

She sails quite well given the accommodation. Can't speak for the 38 S2 but we generally are faster than newer, bigger lagoons.

[Sailguy61]

Originally Posted by jbinbi

Just curious as I am contemplating putting in an offer on a Lucia:

To all the owners out there, would you buy this boat again?

If not, what would you get instead (same price range).

I realize no boat is perfect, my L 380 I love to sail, but the dated design for the cockpit and needing a walk off island berth for bad knees are 2 reasons I need something different. The Lucia checks off these 2 categories, I wasn't as happy with the steering (having the wheel too far port and potentially falling down the steps if you center yourself over the wheel, hearing sq main problems, and wondering how she sails are some questions I have). But you can get by the minor issues if they aren't too many and don't become major.

I love mine! 2019 Model. Easy enough to sail single handed with more user room than other similar sized catamarans. Also, like the stateroom bed designs where you can get out on either side, unlike the 380 Lagoon....someone has to crawl over the other to get out of bed.
FYI-you still have 3 steps to get down the berths.



You also have steps to get up to the outside helm. You have a couple of options here; aft saloon to helm, the steps are steep, aft saloon to aft STB then up 2 milder steps to the helm. Its the long way around but there are also great rails attached to the upper deck sides to hold onto and run from the steps to just behind the cockpit.

[letsdance]

We would definitely buy a Lucia again having lived aboard ours for over 3 years. We’ve actually sold her to move into an Elba 45 in the coming months - not because she wasn’t big enough as many people assume. We purchased off the plan and she held her value well so in a moment of madness we decided to buy another new model off the plan. We only hope we will be as happy with the next one as we were with our Lucia. It’s a very comfortable boat and a good all round performer. We have a heap of vids on Youtube if you want to see the Lucia inside and out, and sailing in different conditions - Lets Dance Sailing.

[Johnneymax]

Hi,

I own Lucia 40 #234 SV High Option

I changed out the enire boom, mainsail, karver hook, reefing lines, sail pack and lazy jacks for a Leisure Furl in boom furling system.

If anyone is interested, All IS FOR SALE at a very reasonable price. Gear is brand new.

Please feel free to message me.

Regards,

John