Mahe 36 v Lagoon 380

[jbinbi]

was looking at 380s, then a for sale on mahe 36 piqued my interest. I was not thinking of FP. I am looking at something for coastal cruising on the US side of the atlantic. Looking for easy to maintain, easy to sail, but still sail with max comfort.

I am wondering if anyone has actually sailed both of these boats and can give me a comparison. I know people will say they are different sized boats, the lagoon is much bigger. But I have also heard that the lagoon is a bit of pig when it comes to actually sailing, the fp is lighter and will sail noticeably faster? (if one averages 6kts vs. 6.5, not a big difference to me).

I am looking at used models to get the lagoon in the same price range as a mahe it will be a few years older. any input is appreciated.

[Factor]

Three Letters - V M G

[Sail IC]

Bought my first catamaran 6 months ago, and the biggest challenge is understanding your own priorities. Most boats today are great, but they are designed with a certain priorities, and what is perhaps more challenging is to understand your own priorities after the purchase.

You're right, Lagoons are more comfy, FP sails a bit better. It seems like you answered your question yourself, but especially upwind (per the post above) you need speed to get the minikeels to work, or the leeway will be terrible.

But on the good side, older catamarans are typically faster than the new ones. With every new design, the boat gets heavier as the designer prioritize room over weight/speed. The L380 is faster than the L400 and L39, probably faster than the L420/L421, and you probably need a L440 or maybe a L410 to get a faster Lagoon than the L380.

[Cotemar]

We rented both a Lagoon 380s and a Mahe 36 in the BVI before we made our decision to purchase the FP Mahe 36.

The Lagoon 380s & Mahe 36 are almost identical in size of the saloon and cockpit area.

Lagoon 380 is 5,697 lbs heaver and has much wider hulls, both of which will slow down the performance.

If the wind is gusting you can actually feel the acceleration in a Mahe 36 which we did not feel in the Lagoon 380s

The Mahe 36 fits in a standard travel lift that most marinas have. The Lagoon 380s need to be lifted using a larger wider travel lift.

Lagoon 380s
LOA: 38 ft
Beam: 21 ft 5 in
LWL: 36 ft 9 in
Displacement: 15,697 lbs
Bridge Clearance: 56 ft 10 in
Fresh Water Tanks: (79 Gallons)
Fuel Tanks: (52 Gallons)

Mahe 36
LOA: 36 ft 2 in
Beam: 19 ft 4 in
LWL: 36 ft 6 in
Displacement: 10,000 lbs
Bridge Clearance: 55
Fresh Water Tanks: (147 Gallons)
Fuel Tanks: (53 Gallons)
Bridge deck clearance 28 inches

They are both great boats with many sold, but if you’re looking for performance sailing you will want to try the lighter catamarans.

[Rohan]

Don't most Mahe 36s have only one head? If having at least two heads is important to you (it is to me), I would go with the Lagoon 380.

However, while the 380 is very nice inside, the exterior is horribly dated looking (in my opinion).

[Cotemar]

Originally Posted by Rohan

Don't most Mahe 36s have only one head? If having at least two heads is important to you (it is to me), I would go with the Lagoon 380.

However, while the 380 is very nice inside, the exterior is horribly dated looking (in my opinion).

My Mahe 36 is the owners version with 2 staterooms and 2 full on suite heads.

The charter version Mahe has three staterooms 1 head.

[django37]

A friend of mine owns a Mahe36. In the few occations we have sailed/raced together, the Lagoon 380 has allways been faster. In a regular race, the Round Brandsø Race 2013, 18 n.miles - 9 of them a beat against the tide, 9 downwind - light winds, the Lagoon had an elapsed time of 3:35:18 and the Mahe 5:30:31.
Both boats have been measured and weighed for rating-certificates, and the Lagoon has to be faster with a rating of 0,7616, Mahe: 0,7360.
Allthough the Lagoon is 2,76 ton heavier, it has longer waterline and more sailarea than the Mahe (the works data are a bit wrong) - and in my opinion, the Lagoon has much better shaped (lateral) keels - and that makes it faster, especially to windward. We have however not compared speed i strong winds, where the better displacement/length ratio of the Mahe - in theory - should enable it to go faster through its resistance-hump at hullspeed.

[Lucky]

The claim fr.o.m. django 37 that the l380 is that much faster than the Mahe does not strand to fact! I must say that I have never sailed a 380, but weight shape and sail area does not match a Mahe. I have raced and cruised in Mahe, owned by friends. With proper triradial sails it could easily out sail all monohulls and we could cruise in 8-10 knots quite easily. In a race we topped 16 knots on flat water using the genaker. One of these boats also keep very good tacking speed at 35 degrees.

No two ways, the Mahe is faster than the L380, however the L380 has more interior volume, but that comes at prize! Live on a Lagoon and sail the Mahe!

One other thing, good sail and a competent crew can make all the difference in getting a boat to perform to its best!

Regards Lucky
Happy lead free sailing

[django37]

Hi Lucky.
I agree with you that:
good sail and a competent crew can make all the difference in getting a boat to perform to its best!
Enclose a photo of my competent crew taken during the run to the finish line of the Brandsø race 2013. My wife aged 67, Anja: 40, the dogs Choko age 5 and Django age: 2

Now if you have any race results, that can be confirmed on the net, I will be happy to include them in my spreadshhet, where I collect raceresults of cruising multihulls from all over the World.

[StuM]

Multihulldynamics has the Mahe faster than the Lagoon on every single performance measure (SA/D,Bruce No, Base speed, Kelsall and Texel).

[django37]

Originally Posted by StuM

Multihulldynamics has the Mahe faster than the Lagoon on every single performance measure (SA/D,Bruce No, Base speed, Kelsall and Texel).

Yah, but has the owner of Multihulldynamics really confirmed the data ie weighed the boats, measured rigs and sails, or has he just relied on data from Lagoon and FP. My data is from Mahe 36 #73, and my own Lagoon 380 #463 - and believe me, I have been involved in rating multihulls for very many years

[rabbi]

I have owned a Lagoon 410, have a buddy with a 380 and now own a Mahe. I am a lazy cruiser with no racing ambitions and I am not trimming the sails every minute.

Some purely subjective comments from my side:
The 380 has more room in cabins, more deck space and a 2nd head with 3 or 4 cabins. The Mahe has 3cabin / 1 head or 2 cabins / 2 heads. Overall the 380 is a bit more comfy, especialy the owner's version.
I don't like the Lagoon's balsa core above the waterline as deck fittings can quitely leak water into the core causing rot.

The Mahe has a bit more cockpit floor space which makes it roomier. But the cockpit table is significantly smaller, 4 people are really the maximum for any meal. The salon has better ergonomics, as Lagoon's round tables and seating just don't work.

The Mahe sails much quicker and points better, but shows a bit more hobbyhorsing. We typically cruise the Mahe 1.5-2kn faster than our Lagoon 410, top speed has been higher than on the 410. Again just my experience without any hard facts. That is all in liveaboard trim with full tanks, lots of stores & stuff.
The Mahe doesn't use much wood in the construction, almost everything is either fibreglass only or foam laminate. No issue to be expected with rot.

Many if not most (or all?) Mahe's develop issues with osmosis, which is dealt with under FP warranty. Something I have never heard of in Lagoons.

Lagoons hold their value better. If looking at second hand you can typically get a Mahe way cheaper than a 380 of similar vintage. FP's seem to reach the end of their deprecation curve faster, so a newer boat can be bought at bottom prices.
Good for the 2nd buyer, but bad for the 1st My Mahe is 2007 and was priced at the low end, something that Lagoons reach only 5 years later.

Overall both are nice boats and I would buy either, whatever seems to be a good deal.

[avid]

Originally Posted by rabbi

Many if not most (or all?) Mahe's develop issues with osmosis, which is dealt with under FP warranty. Something I have never heard of in Lagoons.

rabbi,

A couple of questions regarding your comment. The first question would be is this really the case? Are we talking minor or major issues? How could this be a continuing issue given everything the boat building industry has learned about osmosis?

Finally, you say FP is taking care of this under warranty. For how long are they covering the problem? Are they doing so without any quibbles?

Thanks!

[Cotemar]

Originally Posted by rabbi

Many if not most (or all?) Mahe's develop issues with osmosis, which is dealt with under FP warranty.

Actually very few had this problem. Out of the hundreds that have be made to date. I can count them one one hand.

[rabbi]

Originally Posted by avid

rabbi,

A couple of questions regarding your comment. The first question would be is this really the case? Are we talking minor or major issues? How could this be a continuing issue given everything the boat building industry has learned about osmosis?

Finally, you say FP is taking care of this under warranty. For how long are they covering the problem? Are they doing so without any quibbles?

Thanks!

Just check the FP section of the forum. There aare a couple of discussions about osmosis problems with several FP models and model years. It seems they had issues witb their new infusion build process.
We are talking about real osmosis here, which requires stripping off the bottom, drying and then rebuilding with epoxy.
I think most older Mahes were affected. Some boats developed this within a year in the water. Mine had it done in year 2 according to the previous owner

FP is said to cover this within at least the hull warrante of 5 years.