Anyone sailing the Lagoon 440 or 500 model/

[videorov]

Im looking at them and wonder how you like sailing it?
Good and bad points.

[stupidape]

I also am curious about the differences in sailing these two sized boats, as to speed, ease of sailing and maintenance.

[mudbug]

Hi viderov,

I have lived and cruised fulltime aboard a Lagoon 380 for four years now and we buddy-boated with a 440 for six months in 2005.

I have sailed both the 440 and the 500 that was in the 2005 Annapolis Show.

What do you specifically want to know? Both of those boats are spectacular inside . . . very nicely finished and are long-legged, fast boats.

Also, the evolution of cat design has resulted in wider hulls providing greater load carrying capacity and larger accomodations down below.

The result is the the newer style 440 and 500 generation of Lagoons rival the load carrying and space of an old style 570, and all without sacrificing speed.

The biggest complaint I hear is that some folks complain about the prospect of being up on that raised helm in a survival storm, etc. But that begs the question: why would you be out in a survival storm?

If you sail in-season and along accepted routes, and pick excellent weather windows, odds are you'll never see the perfect storm.

Bottom line: people we know with 440's love them!

All the best,

Buddy

[scarab]

I'm planning a 2 week bareboat charter with the Lagoon 440 to the
Winward Islands next November. ( starting off in Le Marin Martinique )
Any tips / suggestions for sailing the Lagoon 440 ?

Greetz,

Koen

[nodee]

I own a 2007 440 and am very happy with it. Have not sailed the 500 however looked it over at the show both before and after our purchase and can confirm that we prefer the 440 layout. For instance, try imagining 2 people in the galley of the 500 - too cramped. The 440 galley is more open and faces the cockpit action through a pass-thru window, 500 galley seems isolated from the outside action. Not that I spend that much time in the galley, mind you.
The primary curse/blessing to both boats is the beam. The extra width over sat the FP Belize makes the interior feel substantially more roomy, however, at 25'3" the haul-out options are extremely limited.
The boat is extremely easy to sail, however. Only glitch there is the very high boom. I added a step ladder to sip the Stack-pack.
Cheers!
Kirk

[mudbug]

Kirk,

Glad you guys love your 440!

The high boom is the only thing that my friends found challenging. But, they got used to the drill and got good steps put in up the mast and devised a looped piece of tubing on a boat hook to help the sail into the stack pack when needed.

But, as you know, this is a very small tradeoff for all you gain from the new style 440 and 500.

As for sailing the 500, it is, as you would expect, very stable and has the additional weight to take on headseas.

We sailed the 500 upwind on the Chesapeake in 18 to 22 knots of true wind and into a nasty, steep, three to four foot wind driven sea. It was like a cruise ship! Double digit speeds and smooth! Awesome!

The 440 would have felt that a little more but stayed relatively smooth. M little 380 would have been falling off into them!

I agree with you, Kirk, on the 440 layout being better from galley in the action standpoint. I really like the 440.

Onviously, either boat is a great choice for super luxury and super performance!

As for advice on chartering a 440, that's easy. . . HAVE FUN!

All the best,

Buddy