The Mighty Owners Version VS. Charter Version!

[boatingnewbie]

I would love to hear your opinions on the pros/cons of an Owners Version cat layout (typically 3-bedroom) VS. the Charter Version (typically 4-bedroom) of the same catamaran.

* Correct me if I am wrong, but does just the Charter Version usually include the additional 2 single beds in the tips of the hulls but the Owners Version doesn't?

As I am currently shopping for a Cat, this Owners vs. Charter is a battle I'm having. I thought I would share my thoughts on it...

It seems like almost everyone wants the "Owners" version so they can have their own private side of the boat and an extended "Master Suite" area. I felt the same way... for awhile. Then I started to really think about it...

I, personally, don't plan to spend a lot of time in my berth except to sleep. Sure, I would probably occasionally watch a little TV there, but that doesn't make me require a vanity/desk or extra sofa and the entire hall of storage. If I were to work at a desk area I'd want it to be a bit larger space or I'd probably work from the salon with all the views and natural light.

And as for the shower, it doesn't need to be massive. Hot water supply can be an issue on a boat, so it's not like one would typically take long hot showers. So for practical purposes on the boat, it's get in and take a shower and get out.

So after a lot of thought... I'm leaning towards the mindset that the Charter version would be better for my boat.

1) It offers an extra cabin for guests, so more people can sleep onboard. This could be visiting guests or even possibly some crew brought on to help out for a long passage or anything else.

2) A 4th cabin to me could be strategically used as a nice "Flex" cabin. The normal bed setup could be removed and a nice office/workshop table could be installed, but one that would FOLD UP and go against the cabin wall. Then if you needed that 4th cabin for a guest on the boat at the time, you could have a stored rolled up thin mattress/cot or at the very least a nice inflatable mattress kept onboard to use as another bed. So the workspace table folds up against the wall and now there's plenty of space to setup that temporary bed for someone. Might not necessarily be as nice as the regular berth beds, but it still serves it's purpose to give someone their own bed in their own cabin. *I actually own a really high quality inflatable mattress (stellar reviews on Amazon and I think it was only like $200) and it has worked great for extra guests at home (with no complaints).

So your 4th cabin becomes an office setup or even a workshop area to work on repairs/maintenance, etc. Cool become a tool room as well. That to me just seems to be a more practical and 'functional' setup for the boat as opposed to one big owners area instead.

Anyway... just my two cents.

[rabbi]

Another reason for 4 berth is that you can choose where to sleep.
For example we had a Lagoon 410 which had a protrusion under the bridgedeck for the aft berth. The result was wave slapping when underway, making the aft cabins much louder than the bow cabins. So the bow cabins were the preferred cabins for sleeping on a transatlantic downwind passage.
With waves coming from e.g. port side the starboard cabin was louder than the port side, again due to waves slapping against the inner side of the hull.
Bow cabins on the other hand are quieter downwind, but become uncomfortable when beating into the wind, as they move more and it feels like sleeping in a turbo elevator.

So actually we move around on longer passages. A berth in every quarter of the boat gives plenty of options.

Lagoon had several models with a intermediate layout. 4 cabins with 2 large heads. Our 410 was this layout and we liked it a lot. Newer models like the 400 had 2 large heads with separate shower stalls and dry heads.

For us the owners layout is really just a waste of space. We don't need the office, nor do we want a sofa in the hull. Other thing differently, and owners versions have a better resale value.

For buying new the owners version is the smarter choice, as they just fetch more when selling on. Not so much when buying used, because the higher resale value is paid for with a higher purchase price.

[boatingnewbie]

Originally Posted by rabbi

Another reason for 4 berth is that you can choose where to sleep.
For example we had a Lagoon 410 which had a protrusion under the bridgedeck for the aft berth. The result was wave slapping when underway, making the aft cabins much louder than the bow cabins. So the bow cabins were the preferred cabins for sleeping on a transatlantic downwind passage.
With waves coming from e.g. port side the starboard cabin was louder than the port side, again due to waves slapping against the inner side of the hull.
Bow cabins on the other hand are quieter downwind, but become uncomfortable when beating into the wind, as they move more and it feels like sleeping in a turbo elevator.

So actually we move around on longer passages. A berth in every quarter of the boat gives plenty of options.

Lagoon had several models with a intermediate layout. 4 cabins with 2 large heads. Our 410 was this layout and we liked it a lot. Newer models like the 400 had 2 large heads with separate shower stalls and dry heads.

For us the owners layout is really just a waste of space. We don't need the office, nor do we want a sofa in the hull. Other thing differently, and owners versions have a better resale value.

For buying new the owners version is the smarter choice, as they just fetch more when selling on. Not so much when buying used, because the higher resale value is paid for with a higher purchase price.

Great points! Thank you.

[Bean Counter]

Usually if you value your better half's opinion, the OV or "Maestro" will most likely be the preferred layout, in fact all interior layout and fit out is usually the province of your better half. Dabble in that space without consultation at your peril. This is one of the reasons it has better resale because, now days, boat buying decisions are joint more often than they used to be. So you may think in practical terms about how a 4 cabin is more useful, but "practical" does not always fit with "ambiance". When you live on the boat full time it makes a big difference. Before buying this boat, we chartered a number of Lagoon 380s, Leopard 39, Lipari 41 etc - my wife insisted on owner versions, which are hard to find in the charter market but we found them. It is a bit like staying in a hotel, tick the king sized bed or make do with a standard double, pick the room with sea view or garden view etc etc etc, the practical function is the same, the WOW factor is something different and that is one reason why you pay more.

[Privleoplag]

You haven't mentioned the heads.. the owners version is huge.. two people can side by side brush their teeth, take a shower. The 4 cabin versions, the ones with 2 heads, have small heads, some, with on suite heads are crazy too small. Some of the 4 cabin versions have 4 heads.. myself, I don't need 4 bathrooms.

The cabinet space in the owners versions is great too, especially nice in the smaller 38' or so boats that don't have a lot of storage to begin with.

[StuM]

Originally Posted by Privleoplag

You haven't mentioned the heads.. the owners version is huge.. two people can side by side brush their teeth, take a shower. The 4 cabin versions, the ones with 2 heads, have small heads, some, with on suite heads are crazy too small. Some of the 4 cabin versions have 4 heads.. myself, I don't need 4 bathrooms.

The cabinet space in the owners versions is great too, especially nice in the smaller 38' or so boats that don't have a lot of storage to begin with.

That sums up why we went with a Maestro after looking at many 4 cabin cats.

[Palarran]

Yes, that is nice on an owners version, but on a 4 cabin you can have his and her's bathrooms and the way my wife takes up counter space, I like that better.

[Tornadosailing]

When I was signed up to buy a new boat for charter, I spec'd the 4 cabin version. My thought was that I could convert the forward cabin to a storage room with nice shelving and a workbench later. That deal ended up not happening, and I wound up with a 3 cabin owners version that happens to have a mid-ship head and a factory built storage room/workshop where the forward cabin would have been. And it was a bigger boat, had been a dock queen all it's life, and was $225K less than new. It was enough less that I don't have to charter it to help pay for it.

[FlyingScot]

Modifying the layout will likely make resale much harder. People like things mostly stock. The more you make it fit you the less it will fit others. Thus expect a lower selling price.

Being able to close off one hull, gives more privacy. You can run naked from the bed to the head without scaring your guests.

[rickwest]

We have a owners version Lagoon 380 S2, if you do not have lots of guests or kids..it is a great layout.
Its like you have your own condo on one side of the boat. The shower is huge.
I would never need a four cabin layout.
Each person has their own needs it is near impossible to advise anyone, choosing a boat is unique to each buyer...look at lots of boats, tallk to lots of owners of boats you like.
We sailed our boat across the Pacific and for us it was perfect, a 38ft by 21ft living space.
Good luck in your search

[danielamartindm]

The more guests you'll be having aboard, the better the charter versions look; that said, even an owners version can accommodate seven additional guests in a pinch- five in the port hull and two in the saloon table conversion to a berth. Owner's versions demand a more premium price, but that gets passed on. Some maintain anecdotally that owner's versions are easier to sell. I enjoy the privacy that an owner's version affords, and I have always made an office out of my bedroom (I know, ladies, but hey, I'm a guy, ok?), so the owner's suite is my "home office." To each his own.