Owner Use of Lagoon 450 S

[Jhuebert]

Hi Everyone,

Just a quick introduction. My spouse Kelly and I (John) are planning to set out on a multi-year adventure late 2018. We're from Dallas TX and expect to leave from southern Florida. We're making all kinds preparations getting our lives aligned to a live aboard lifestyle and of course conducting the never ending search for just the right boat. Our current thinking is a Lagoon 450 S or the Fointaine Pajot Helia. We'd appreciate any words of wisdom, on any topic. Thanks for the help and warm welcome


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[Celestialsailor]

Welcome to the forum

[Steve_C]

I just spent the last two days looking at both in Annapolis. I love the Lagoon 450, and it's a much bigger boat. The Helia is nice and I really like the helm, but I like the 450 much better.
I really thought the new S model was going to be my favorite, but I am disappointed in the helm. Very cramped and uncomfortable. I have chartered the flybridge and am now leaning back towards it.
Definitely spend some time with both, it's so different in person. Very big decision and either is a compromise.


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[boom23]

We have the L450 Flybridge version and we love it. We cruise in S. Pacific and the flybridge is amazing to spot bommies or navigate tricky areas.

The Lagoon 450 has been great for us!

Blog: Et Voila Adventures

[dirkdig]

We have a 440 and would not ever consider not having a flybridge model, in heavy weather its great to see all around and the no 1 spot in the sun too.


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[vanWell]

We lived aboard and extensively cruised our flybridge L440 also. The flybridge is fantastic - it provides an extra living space, awesome for docking, anchoring, picking up moorings, coastal navigating, star gazing on night passages and of course, helming under sail. The armchair critics will tell you it's not safe or too exposed for water sailing">blue water sailing (of course they've never even sailed on a flybridge cat in blue water) but that is rubbish! It's the safest place to be. Any green water coming over the deck sailing to windward in rough ocean conditions is well below the crew on the flybridge..... sure it's windy but we're sailors; and there's always the auto pilot and the absolute protection of the aft deck or saloon.There isn't a sailboat ever built that is perfect without design/engineering flaws or compromises - and the compromise with the flybridge is a high boom and I'll be honest, I learned to live with it and work out a safe technique for accessing the reef lines on the leech of the mainsail when they sometimes twist and jam with the luffing sail...... of course, good seamanship dictates reefing early on offshore passages before conditions get too boisterous.
Once you have a flybridge cat you won't go back.