Hi y'all!
Buddy from Lagoon 380
Indigo Moon here.
Gee, I was a bit puzzled by the "slow boat" comment on the 440.
Gee whiz, how fast should they go?!
I have buddy boated on my 380, LOADED down to the max, for over 15,000 miles in all sorts of conditions from rough open ocean sailing to motoring in flat calms and my 380 has had no trouble keeping up with Lagoon 410's, Manta 42's, and other slightly longer cats.
But. . . . the 440 does double digits in routine, normal conditions (my 380 did 14 surfing in seas once
). A 440 walks quickly away from the 38 to 40 foot pack without breaking a sweat.
Anyway, I am always a bit puzzled at the "speed" issue that gets so much attention. From what I can see, the 440 is perfectly fast for what it is: a wide-hulled load-carrying-capable-cruiser that is a palace in terms of comfort and liveability.
It's not a racing catamaran, but displays very good performance for what it is designed for: stability, extreme comfort, and load carrying capability.
Basically, 440's are really cool and perform beautifully.
Also, I am scratching my head about some comments on various threads about the weight of boats and "production boats" and being too heavy and slow . . .
I got news for you: a very fast, narrow hull design that is comparatively light will not offer any real advantage for CRUISING. Of course, if you want to be the first to arrive in the next anchorage and such "bragging rights" are what you are looking for more than comfort and storage space, then that's fine too. To each his own.
The biggest shock to some will be how little these sailing speed comparisons offer any utility once you are out cruising. It just does not work out to be an issue for the fleet. We all just kinda leap frog and cruise along.
Let's face it, if speed is that big a deal for you, then buy a SEA RAY!
All kidding aside, from both personally sailing a 440 a couple of times, and buddy boating with one for several months in 2005, I can say without reservation that they are very solid, fast performers and very cool boats!
All the best,
Buddy