Mahe 36: Buying a Mahe

[ireaney]

Originally Posted by pguillemin

Alan

I am commenting indeed
I do not know of the 4 decks redone on Lavezzi but I will check.We sold boat number 191 in October so I do not think that there is any STRUCTURAL PROBLEMS in the building process
For the rest I have answered some of the questions
Leaks :It happened on 2 of our Mahe so far and it was due to a badly followed process at the factory ( wating too long for instalation )
Easy fix

Creaking: overtensionning of the rig will pull the hull or chainplates up and will create chafe and grinding ( overloaded boat is easy to check as doors do not close easily )Also I do not think that SS cables streched .

Also you should sail a Mahe before commenting on the problems in a so doctoral manner

From what you are saying now and so many others have also said, it appears that the creaking problem has nothing to do with the rig but the way they are put together ie not fixing the inner modules which now means they have to be removed to be sanded down so that in theory they float around as they are not fixed, to me this could cause problems later on and is also meaning that the quality of the building them is not as good as they were when the Tobago, Athena and Venezia were around.

Also you state that you know of no problems with the Lavezzi's, regarding delaminating and Osmosis, in the yachtworld.com site there are 2 that are offering extra hull warranties and these boats are 4 and 5 years old which have had to have full osmosis treatment ie read this Fountaine-Pajot Lavezzi court case - osmosis

and this one a 2003 boat offering 3 year new warranty

2002 Fountaine Pajot Lavezzi 40 Maestro Boat For Sale

I would welcome your comments on this when you have spoken direct with Fountaine Pajot, as I am led to believe that there were still problems up until the end of 2004.

[leong_hun]

Hi

I read the blog with much interest as i have the same interest in Mahe. However I live in Singapore and we do not have any agents there. so pl let me know the reliable agent which you have ppurchase the mahe from and his contact

[Gordon]

Hi leong your nearest agent would be Peter Cohen of EC Marine. Ph.+61(0)754525164. They are based in Moolooloba Qld Australia. Also visit their web site at www.fountainepajot.com.au

[steamboater]

I'm very interested in the Mahe as a first sailboat for weekending around Miami, Florida and some trips to the Bahamas. Does everyone agree that it's a good candidate for a single dad with 3 kids? I have to say that the pricing has been a real shocker, though. Looks like it started out as $200-230K boat just 24 to 36 months ago and now it is up to about $350K with some basic options plus gen/air. The dollar/euro exchange rate has been a crusher lately, but that increase seems really excessive. The dealers all seem to go off the FP pricing sheet and hint that they might be able to do another 5% off, but I'm thinking that some of you will have super ideas on how/where to get better pricing???????? I think it's a terrific boat for the entry level buyer like myself, but I am having a very hard time justifying more than about $275K for what seems like a very scaled down boat. With great respect for different opinions on that last comment, my hope is that I'll get some suggestions on the question of how/where to get better pricing.

[freetime]

Steamboater:

A few word.... the f-p 36 have much better kitchen than the lagoon 380 (take a look). So the F-P is right for you i think. Why not a couple year old F-P Athena or a used Mahe?

[jean1146]

Steamboater. I have seen a couple of 2006 Mahe for sale at 200,000 EU.....that's about 300,000US dollars,and probably without Gen or AC. Price has really gone up.
JC.

[pguillemin]

Hello
Still did not know anything about the osmosis problem with Lavezzi
More than 200 boats has been build so far and Iw ill check with the shipyard about the problem
MAhe creaking: Two different problems
The problem of squeaking when the boat move is due to the rubbing of the wood module on the fiberglass by the stairs With caulking we have been able to eliminate the noise
The other issue is due to overtensionning of the rig and make the bulkheads and doors crack.the boat hogged ...door do not close ...drawers jammed
I do not think that quality is not as good as Athena etc...It is just a different building process .The boat are built faster ..in a more efficient manner and it is the only way to be competitive in this market.(less labour)
At the time of the Athena we already had customers telling us that they were not as good as the Fidji ....so history repeat itself
We have Mahe going across the Atlantic without problem ...May be the creaking was a teething and growing issue

Originally Posted by ireaney

From what you are saying now and so many others have also said, it appears that the creaking problem has nothing to do with the rig but the way they are put together ie not fixing the inner modules which now means they have to be removed to be sanded down so that in theory they float around as they are not fixed, to me this could cause problems later on and is also meaning that the quality of the building them is not as good as they were when the Tobago, Athena and Venezia were around.

Also you state that you know of no problems with the Lavezzi's, regarding delaminating and Osmosis, in the yachtworld.com site there are 2 that are offering extra hull warranties and these boats are 4 and 5 years old which have had to have full osmosis treatment ie read this Fountaine-Pajot Lavezzi court case - osmosis

and this one a 2003 boat offering 3 year new warranty

2002 Fountaine Pajot Lavezzi 40 Maestro Boat For Sale

I would welcome your comments on this when you have spoken direct with Fountaine Pajot, as I am led to believe that there were still problems up until the end of 2004.

[Randall]

wow this thread has really good info. For those of you who own one or have sailed one, what would it take to live on one. Any thing you would change on it? what about size to small? And i see alot of replies about the noise is it loud at anchor?

[lstyles]

My two cents:
I lived on my boat for about a month when I first got it and did not have troubles with squeaking (at least that I noticed) and havent had any complaints yet (it is charter in San Francisco Bay). It was very comfortable during my family of five's vacation in the caribbean and was plenty spacious for 8 day straight run from Puerto Rico to Panama with 3 people aboard. I dont notice any noise at anchor.
Lori
PS. I love my boat!

[IrieCat]

My wife and I moved on our Mahe 36 (IrieCat) back in Dec08. It has been 10 months now and we have been from Fl to the Bahamas and up to Stamford CT. We had another couple on the boat for a few weeks in the Bahamas without any space issues. Also we have plenty of room for our day to day living. When we sail there is a little squeaking but it's not that bad. If you have any questions about life on the Mahe I would be happy to help, we love it.
Lonnie

[kev&jo]

Hi Randall,

We have had our boat 5 months and are currently in the Canaries, getting ready to go to the Cape Verdes, then across the pond to Grenada to start our Caribbean tour.

We have had regular visitors to our boat and everyone is very surprised just how well it sails and the comfort on board.

The boat is fantastic!

[kev&jo]

Was the halyard blue in color, if so, FP has acknowledged that they have had a bad batch of blue 12mm Diameter line. My first reef pennant blue in color chaffed through within days of leaving La Rochelle.

I have reported this to my dealer and they are in the process of providing a replacement.

I have checked my jib halyard and so far so good.

Kev & Jo

[jbinbi]

anybody know why fp pulled out of the annapolis/demo days? A few weeks ago, it was listed, and I was interested in comparing fp 36 vs. lagoon 380. now I noticed that fp is not listed for the event anymore. I had thought there was a dealer in annapolis, so I had thought it would be easy for them to be at the show. Is this an economic decision. Also, the $ has strengthened about 10% vs. euro in past month. Not sure if FP held price as dollar weakened over past year, or if price went equal to conversion. If so, then price should drop (if fp help price, then I would understand if they don't drop it).

[Wayward Wind]

Just want to say I have had a fantastic 4-day sail on my newly-commissioned Wayward Wind, sailing her from Mooloolaba on Queensland's Sunshine Coast to Sydney, a distance of nearly 500 miles, including stops. We sailed with Nod, from EC Marine, who are distributors for FP in the Asia-Pacific.

Highlights: Whale sighting every day, watching them breach, do their slaps, backflips, totally awesome; dolphins at our bow, sometimes for over 15 minutes, hitting 13.7 knots surfing down a wave, and being able to use the barbecue in just about any conditions, enjoying a decent meal despite the boat pitching like crazy on occasions without having to worry about anything falling off the table.

Downside: Being seasick in the first few hours, bashing into confused seas close-hauled for one-and-a-half days, and being a bit under-dressed for the night watches, brrrrrr.

The Mahe 36 handled the conditions beautifully, we never felt frightened at any stage, and stuff left on the nav table stayed there, though at one stage, I thought it prudent to remove the wrench.

Cheers!

JohnC

[shadow]

Sound very cool seadog!! Congrats on your new boat!!