Lucia 40: Lucia Owners

[twohapence]

I'm truly grateful for the replies. The name of our new love hasn't been decided - my suggestion of "The Boat" hasn't had the universal aclaim I was expecting. Songbird or Xaloc are current favourites.

I'm convinced that a 25Kg anchor is about right. Is not 50 Mtrs of chain enough with, for example, another 100 Mtrs of nylon spliced in? Does it have to be all chain cable?

Lithium batteries. Sweet :-) Is it a straight swap or do I need anything like a special charge controller for the alternator? I'm thinking 2 * 200AH. If one catastophically fails I have some resilience. Any ideas on the best deals?

Convinced on a bigger inverter. Thank you. Not sure what to go for but there's a Victron of about the right size if slightly massive. Is it worth trying to power the whole boat or just stick to dedicated outlets?

The light in the forward lockers is sensible. From where do you draw the power? Is there any need for steps to help get out of the lockers? i was thinking that fixing some pads to the inside of the hulls with a line strung between them to hang fenders and mooring lines from might save everything finishing up on a heap on the floor might work.

Extra grab rails? On my shopping list. Another great idea. Maybe even a couple of eyes with a jackstay run between them to clip onto?

Solar panels on the saloon roof as well as the 300 watts in the recess. I like the idea. How do you run the cable? Does each panel have a separate waterproof gland and is the cable run inside the boat easy?

Storage modifications. Photos would be awesome. :-)

Mesh curtains. Again a great idea. Were they made in the UK and would the patterns still be available??

USB in the cabins is another great idea. i have specified UK sockets with USB but, of course, if we're not plumbed into the mains they won't work.

Ice maker was intruiging..... I'd love to know more.

Again, thanks for the advice. I've done a fair bit of sailing but what works for a week or two "camping" on board isn't the same as living for months at a time.

[Terbonium]

Originally Posted by twohapence

USB in the cabins is another great idea. i have specified UK sockets with USB but, of course, if we're not plumbed into the mains they won't work.

Our factory installed USB Outlets in our cabins get their power from the 12v system via a 5v power supply underneath the nav station. Their should be power there all the time.

[EWOL Props]

Originally Posted by twohapence

Hi Folks

We're taking delivery of our Lucia in October right after the Southampton Boat show. Can't wait. One more winter working and then a gentle tour of the VAT free areas of the Med. I bought an ex demo watermaker to help me keep away from Marinas and am wondering what else I should be buying.

So what should be on my shopping list? Don't buys as well as plaudits would be good.

I'm tempted by an AB Laminna 9.5/10ft ft Dingy or a Zodiac Cadet with a Lehr 9.9 Outboard. Just thinking I might eliminate petrol from my inventory. Added benefit is that the admiral will be able to start the engine if I get the model with the onboard battery. What will the davits carry. Both in length and weight?

Anchor chain. I'm assuming 50 Mtrs of 10mm calibrated chain and a 25Kg SpRocMan anchor. Name obscured to prevent anchor wars :-). Is that too big? Has anyone got a high holding power 20Kg anchor and is finding it too small? I have a pair of female fort :-) anchors from my last boat. I plan to hang at least one of these on a bracket on the stern. I'd be interested if and how other's have achieved this.

Has anyone self installed a cockpit fridge or a second fridge/freezer in the galley? What did you get?

Solar panels. I decided not to go for a factory fit as the price seemed way over the top. Any recommendations for panel sizes to go in the recess behind the mainsail track? I suspect that 300 watts won't be enough. WHere did you mount additional panels?

Inverter? May well go for one and plumb in a single socket in the galley for gadgets. I thought about 800 - 1000 watts would be enough.

More batteries? Is the standard set enough or did you add more? If you did add another battery did you just add it into the domestic bank or separate it/them to give a second bank? Has anyone found a need to put in a dedicated battery for the anchor winch?

Folding/feathering props. I didn't hear a lot of good things about the factory offering and would prefer to retro fit feathering props as generally these seem to give better performance in astern drive than folding ones. Any recommendations? Rope cutters?

Radar? AIS? Worth every penny or clutter to avoid?

Is there anything else you've bought for the galley or anywhere else that you'd not want to do without?

So many questions, sorry. But with all that real experience out there I'd rather avoid expensive mistakes.

Cheers


Two.

Hi Twohapence...about feathering props.

Lucia 40 with the EWOL Props have gained 1.2 knots speed under power and over 1 knot under sail.
Also gained in maneuverability and reverse power.

EWOL Props

[LeeV]

Do the folding props ever have an issue in tight quarters? I just experienced an odd phenomenon when they wouldn't unfold quickly enough while moving around a marina and the captain was gunning the engines as a result.

[EWOL Props]

Originally Posted by LeeV

Do the folding props ever have an issue in tight quarters? I just experienced an odd phenomenon when they wouldn't unfold quickly enough while moving around a marina and the captain was gunning the engines as a result.

Yes, folding props have problems to open in reverse, this is a well known problem. This happens because in reverse they push the water forward, and as a reaction they tend to shut to folding position.
That's why feathering props have born, they offer the same advantage of the folding props while sailing (low drag) but at the same time they confer a superior maneuverability in reverse and better thrust also in forward.

Look at the last 3 videos here to see the problem of folding props (doesn't matter which brand you choose, it's not a question of quality, it's a question of physics) Video & Tutorial

[LeeV]

Thanks for the info; I've had no experience with them as I've always had outboards on my boats, even the current 36 and my old Condor 40. Now that we're considering a "final retirement" cat, I'll need to know which way to go!

[masteryong]

Hello, I'm a new member and new to sailing.
I've just ordered a Lucia 40 and had lots of question answered by this thread.
But I still have lots of questions left. I'll appreciate it if you guys could answer some of them.

1) My purchase price with options and duty is just shy of 500k, is it normal to pay full price? I asked if I could get any discount from my dealer and answer was quick no.

2) I'm not sure if I want to go with 3 Cabins and 2 heads or 4 Cabins and 2 heads.

Thanks and I hope everyone is well after Hurricane Irma and Maria.

[MKB53]

Congratulations on your new boat and welcome!

To answer your questions:
A; Full price is normal. They are selling extremely well and people are more worried about getting an early delivery date than price.
B: We went for 3 cabins and 2 heads. 2 Heads are a definite as you get a good sized bathroom on the guest side as well. If you are not chartering than I would think 3 cabin would be enough. We rarely have 2 other couples on board, generally just one.

Cheers

[skeeter99]

Congrats on the purchase! My wife and I LOVE the Lucia and there was actually one in stock here in Seattle that just sold at the boat show. I'd been talking to the broker about it and it was a pretty well equipped version. It sold for $450k plus sales tax but included delivery to Seattle (obviously), options, commissioning, etc. The options list equipped were:

Wheel covers
Outdoor cushions
Antifouling paint
Primary epoxy coat
Interior courtesy lighting
Hot/Cold deck shower
Fusion audio pack w/Bluetooth & four speakers
Double clutch for reefs 2 & 3
Bowsprit and gennaker gear
2 bow seats
Teak Cockpit and transoms
12V 90L freezer
Propane gas oven
Slatted bed bases for 3 staterooms
110V electric water heater
Pressure seawater system
Anchor washdown
110V main grid
2000W inverter/charger
Garmin Autopilot
US spec VHF
AIS
GPS
2 multifunction Garmin plotters
Taupe outdoor upholstery
Sunbrella Apricot color for Bimini top & lazy bag
Twin Yanmar 29hp 3YM30 engines w/saildrives
Hydronic Heat System

It's a gorgeous boat and had about everything you'd need for NW Sailing assuming you weren't going offshore for long periods (IE no water maker, generator or solar). I attached a few pictures of the boat as configured, hopefully it helps you with your decisions!

Enjoy your new boat!

Scott

[Terbonium]

Originally Posted by masteryong

1) My purchase price with options and duty is just shy of 500k, is it normal to pay full price? I asked if I could get any discount from my dealer and answer was quick no.

Congrats on your new boat! Ours is on its way from France now after being delayed by the storms.

500k seems high. But it really matters what options you spec'd. I assume you are speaking in USD. Does that include state sales tax?

Yes, there is not much room for negations with FP right now. The Lucia is on a 12+ month waiting list. Simple supply and demand rules appear to be in effect. You might save a bit by finding a dealer demo boat, or buying someone else's contract.

[masteryong]

Thanks for the quick replies.
I'm uploading a options pages so you guys could look and tell me if everything looks ok. I don't know anything about sailing yet and this is what the dealer thinks I should have. I'm also putting this boat on the charter program for 5 years with about 3 week/yr personal usage. After the 5 years I'll be sailing it full time.

[Terbonium]

3 x 115Ah Batteries are included.. +1 115Ah is the option. I noticed your price sheet says 150Ah. Unless they just changed something, it's still 115Ah per battery.

20k seems a little high for deilvery

Mainsail Auto Hook is the Carver system to automatically attach the headboard.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vrh6a2YwI4c

[twohapence]

Last week we took delivery of our new Lucia. As the champagne flowed and we were handed the keys another brand new FP boat leaving the yard for delivery to the BVI crashed into us.............. thought that with enough power he could negate the effect of a 2 knot tide pushing him down towards us and kept the throttle wide open as he scraped his way along the hull. Heartbroken.

[hobsonlea]

That’s unfortunate and sad :-(

[MKB53]

Commiserations. Makes you want to cry.
I had a brush with a bareboat charter this year which left some gouges and a ding in the cleat but at least we are not just out of the box.