Some thoughts on Miami show...

[capcook]

Hi Folks,

Just thought I would share my impressions of the Multi's I looked at during the Miami show this past weekend... would like to hear from others who went...

I went fully expecting to be blown away by the Helia and it was a great boat. Those sharp corners were obvious, but the layout was very good.

The Lagoon 400 was pretty impressive and I was glad to see the Mfg's finally came to their senses and are placing a single shower on the two cabin side, I still think just one toliet and one seperate shower for the two guest cabins is plenty... so they are getting there... but this is a very "Big" 40ft boat....

I really want to love the 450 as there are some good ones on the market but every time I sit up on that helm I can just imagine how rough it would be to craw up there in rough weather on a dark and stormy night to check the sails... ... just no way to really protect that big space... it also seems very removed from the rest of the boat which might be a good thing at times :-)

Lagoon didn't have a 421 but there was an older 420 in the Charter group and that boat continues to impress me with it's space... you couldn't go wrong with this vessel either...

The boat I was still really impressed with and see why it had won Boat Of the Year was the new Leopard 48... it is just fantastic and at about the same cost as the the Helia well equiped (low 700's), it was my favorite, but you would have to install a CCTV camera to see the Port side as it is completely blind from the Helm station... Still the livability of this vessel is amazing.... The 44 is also very nice and a bit easier to handle I suspect... They both would have so much windage, but they are both all about being there and not getting there...

We didn't have time to fully explore the show and may have missed other boats that really impressed other folks so would like to hear your thoughts...

Cheers

[Ram]

Interesting enough I thought the folks at Leopard had lost their minds, the new design seems to be a disaster just waiting to happen- Leopard 44, the Leopard 48 features a large forward cockpit with direct access from the saloon, unique to the Leopard range. this has a large plexi door facing the bow and only a few feet in from the trampoline --- if a large wave broke over the bow would likely break this large flat door,and flood the saloon-granted it would take a large wave- with this feature it also reduces the size of the saloon to a much smaller space then it would otherwise be

[chasemoney]

Capcook,

I was wondering if you could offer any insight into the new Lagoon 52 that was launched at Miami? What did you think? I sure it was just massive, but I like the new design. I'll have to wait to see the 39 in Annapolis.


Thanks,

Chase

[chasemoney]

Some new shots

[bradb]

I would agree that both the Lagoons and Leopards are roomy but I can't get past the cheap production look and feel of both.

[capcook]

Chase, I didn't even go on the 52... it is beyond my budget and too big for my familyto handle so didn't even look at it... but it was BIG...

RAM, I guess those 44's have now been out and about for a couple of years and no door problems have been reported as far as I know.... but agree that big space could fill with water and not drain fast enough before causing the boat to be untable... maybe...

Cheers

[Ram]

Originally Posted by capcook

Chase, I didn't even go on the 52... it is beyond my budget and too big for my familyto handle so didn't even look at it... but it was BIG...

RAM, I guess those 44's have now been out and about for a couple of years and no door problems have been reported as far as I know.... but agree that big space could fill with water and not drain fast enough before causing the boat to be untable... maybe...

Cheers

Likely because none have been in a real storm with 20ft breaking seas-....yet

[MNLandLoc]

I attended the recent Miami boat show and here are my takeaways. I also attend the 2011 show for the first time.

Takeaway #1 -- the new boat market must be improving. I talked to more than one sales person who didn’t know very much about the boats (no surprise there) – but they didn’t seem to care (which was kind of surprising). I think they have trouble differentiating serious boat buyers from casual show goers.

Takeaway #2 -- I loved the Helia 44, but told them I didn’t like the sharp corners. This was the first time that I really paid attention to FP boats. I must have overlooked them in 2011 and had no prior expectations. I hadn’t read any recent reviews and was not aware that others didn’t like the sharp corners either. They need to round the corners a bit on the inside. Even still, this boat is on my short list.

Takeaway #3 -- still difficult to get detailed pricing information. Like most people, I have a budget range in mind for my boat purchase. It was almost impossible to get any detailed price information. You might get a base price – but you don’t know what is or is not included. So there is no way to get an reasonable estimate of the total cost. I don’t like falling in love with a boat I can’t afford.

Takeaway #4 – two days is not enough. I only scheduled two days to attend the show and could have used more time. The rain on Friday didn’t help the schedule either. This is a great show and in a great location. My wife and I travel from Minneapolis to attend and make a long weekend out of it.

[ArtM]

Originally Posted by Ram

Interesting enough I thought the folks at Leopard had lost their minds, the new design seems to be a disaster just waiting to happen- Leopard 44, the Leopard 48 features a large forward cockpit with direct access from the saloon, unique to the Leopard range. this has a large plexi door facing the bow and only a few feet in from the trampoline --- if a large wave broke over the bow would likely break this large flat door,and flood the saloon-granted it would take a large wave- with this feature it also reduces the size of the saloon to a much smaller space then it would otherwise be

Also, I see that door being a disaster in an upwind situation. This forward cockpit looks great in publicity photos, and benefits from being in the breeze in anchorage, but under sail? It seems like a problem.... interested in real-life experiences on this one.

[ArtM]

Originally Posted by MNLandLoc

Takeaway #4 – two days is not enough. I only scheduled two days to attend the show and could have used more time. The rain on Friday didn’t help the schedule either. This is a great show and in a great location. My wife and I travel from Minneapolis to attend and make a long weekend out of it.

Miami is it's own boat market, and it is primarily a power-boat market. It is not very sail-friendly (not UNfriendly though).

The Annapolis show is the place to be if you want to see sailboats. I was looking forward to seeing the Miami sail show, but only because I was in the area. I didn't get to see it anyway, though I was less than 2 hours away!

[ArtM]

Originally Posted by capcook

Hi Folks,

The Lagoon 400 was pretty impressive and I was glad to see the Mfg's finally came to their senses and are placing a single shower on the two cabin side, I still think just one toliet and one seperate shower for the two guest cabins is plenty... so they are getting there... but this is a very "Big" 40ft boat....

I really want to love the 450 as there are some good ones on the market but every time I sit up on that helm I can just imagine how rough it would be to craw up there in rough weather on a dark and stormy night to check the sails... ... just no way to really protect that big space... it also seems very removed from the rest of the boat which might be a good thing at times :-)

Cheers

I agree on both of these points. 4 bathrooms on a sailboat? It's excessive and ineffective.

The top-deck cockpit is another one of those photo-op features that looks great on brochures, but in practice? I haven't sailed on one, but when I saw it in person I didn't like it for the same reasons that you mentioned. Other reasons include increased windage and lost sail opportunity. The main issue, though, is that it is excessively isolated.

It's a great charter feature, though, if you are chartering to a certain breed of guest who wants to be minimally exposed to the crew. I believe that boat has forward crew "bunks" as well.

[Cotemar]

Originally Posted by MNLandLoc

I attended the recent Miami boat show and here are my takeaways. I also attend the 2011 show for the first time.

Takeaway #1 -- the new boat market must be improving. I talked to more than one sales person who didn’t know very much about the boats (no surprise there) – but they didn’t seem to care (which was kind of surprising). I think they have trouble differentiating serious boat buyers from casual show goers.

Takeaway #2 -- I loved the Helia 44, but told them I didn’t like the sharp corners. This was the first time that I really paid attention to FP boats. I must have overlooked them in 2011 and had no prior expectations. I hadn’t read any recent reviews and was not aware that others didn’t like the sharp corners either. They need to round the corners a bit on the inside. Even still, this boat is on my short list.

Takeaway #3 -- still difficult to get detailed pricing information. Like most people, I have a budget range in mind for my boat purchase. It was almost impossible to get any detailed price information. You might get a base price – but you don’t know what is or is not included. So there is no way to get an reasonable estimate of the total cost. I don’t like falling in love with a boat I can’t afford.

Takeaway #4 – two days is not enough. I only scheduled two days to attend the show and could have used more time. The rain on Friday didn’t help the schedule either. This is a great show and in a great location. My wife and I travel from Minneapolis to attend and make a long weekend out of it.

This may help you get a better idea on FP pricing

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ml#post1054212

[MNLandLoc]

Originally Posted by ArtM

Miami is it's own boat market, and it is primarily a power-boat market. It is not very sail-friendly (not UNfriendly though).

The Annapolis show is the place to be if you want to see sailboats. I was looking forward to seeing the Miami sail show, but only because I was in the area. I didn't get to see it anyway, though I was less than 2 hours away!

We'll make it to Annapolis in the Fall. However, coming from Minneapolis, it is much nicer to go to Miami in February than Maryland in October!