Lavezzi 40: Lavezzi 40 Instead of Athena 38 ?

[Dragon Lady]

Hi, with the falling prices and improved exchange rate I am now thinking that a Lavezzi 40 may be almost within my budget.
I was planning on buying an Athena 38 but I'm beginning to wonder if I should hang off and get a Lavezzi.
Obviously I'll be looking at an ex charter boat in a Lavezzi instead of a private Athena which doesn't worry me.
The question is are the Lavezzi all they are cracked up to be or is the good old Athena still the best way to go?
I'm waiting to have a good look at some of these boats in Sydney so pardon my ignorance if these boats are worlds apart.

[yeloya]

I would either go for a well kept Athena or Lipari , if you can afford. Lavezzis are just a bit better than Athena's as they are relatively new design but have a bad reputation on osmosis. If you buy a new one (which is still listed at FP) they have a 5 years warranty. Another option is to wait a bit and chase for a second hand Lipari, if you cannot afford a new one.

Yeloya

[Dragon Lady]

Thanks Yeloya,

I'm definitely talking second hand and probably should stick to the Athena as I can buy a good one instead of a bad Lavezzi, I just thought that if the Lavezzis were a huge step forward then maybe I should stretch the budget even further than it already has been.
Also IMHO the newer boat with their sharper straight lines don't look as nice as the older rounder boat. Just my taste I suppose.

[Dragon Lady]

Trying to get this tread going again, has anyone sailed both these cats that can give me an opinion on how different they are?
The Lavezzi appears to have wider pods than the Athena looking at the plans.

[colemj]

I have seen several (5-6) Lavezzi's with severe delamination and/or blisters. The most recent one is in a boatyard in Martinique with both entire hulls peeled below the waterline. The layup was resin starved and the peel had to go pretty deep. The layup was not solid glass below the waterline - only the first foot or so up from the keel. The rest was foam core. The solid layup was pretty thin and the peel job didn't help any. I have seen enough of these to convince me that FP had a manufacturing problem with that boat model.

Mark

[Dragon Lady]

Thanks I've heard that the boats built in the 90s were better than the 2000s.
So does the same problem exist on Athenas built at the same time as these Lavezzis?
It also explains why there are some cheap Lavezzis in Martinique.

[Dragon Lady]

Hmm, just found this on Google www.osmosisinfo.com/forum2/messages/403.html

Don't know how credible it is but sounds like the same issue some Wildcats were supossed to have, guess I'll move on again.

[Pieter]

Hello, I own a used FP40(Lavezzi) built in 2004, and I am very satisfied with her: space, comfort, easy to sail and handle and my experience with manufacturer in France is very good: they attend me very promptly with any tech question i shoot at them. The clearance of the bridge is nice and unless you sail in rougher seas is comfortable.
Good luck on yr purchase (some people say that the vessel will find you instead the other way around.....)
Best rgds
Pieter

[Dragon Lady]

Thanks Pieter, my wife and I are pretty much sold on the Fountaine Pajots it's just a question of how much we are willing to spend with exchange rates bouncing around it's hard to work out what a boat will cost us.
I like the idea of the boat finding us though.
Hopping to get a look at an Athena very soon.

[muskoka]

We've had our 2004 Lavezzi for 3 years now and really enjoy the boat. There was some osmosis (30 surface blisters in the gelcoat) below the waterline which were fixed by the manufacturer and warrantied for a further 3 years.

The boat sails very well and is pretty much perfect to our requirements - we're preparing for an extended cruise starting in the autumn. Unless you're willing to step up to the next price range (Privilege) there isn't a 40 footer I would rather have.

[Dragon Lady]

Yeah thanks, the Lavezzi are very nice boats but the layup issues concern me.
Were they FPs first attempt at infusion molding?
It seems to be a proven process now.
Does anyone know if all the Athenas were laid by hand then vacuum bagged?

[marknewman]

I declare straight away I am biased as I own a Lagoon 380 (2009); but I sailed on both the FP and the Athena before making my choice. The Lagoon has several advantages on both: a higher bridge deck clearance, solid core under the waterline, a bomb proof rig, all lines back to the helm for short handed sailing (even the both headsail sheets), a great lay out, a huge owners suite with great shower, it is simple to maintian and keep clean, has a hard top as standard and has a proven off shore record.

Just a thought...

[Dragon Lady]

Thanks we looked at the Lagoons but they are not to our liking, I'm glad you like yours though.

[sak54757]

For me the biggest improvement on the lavezzi is the outside access to the engines, but given the problems mentioned I'm sticking with athenas. After we sell our refiitted Athena we plan on buying another to live on, refit...

[Dragon Lady]

Yeah the Lavezzi just doesn't feel like much of an improvement and given the extra cost and blistering issues I think I prefer the Athena.
I'm trying to work out when the blisters started, I have found reports of them on boats after 2002 which I suspect is when the infusion process was introduced.
It's a pity because we really love the Mahe 36.
From what I can gather the only way the new boats are avoiding the problem is with double epoxy coats.
It does seem that FP was smart enough to protect their brand with warranty rework on effected boats.
I wonder if any of the other manufactures using the infusion process have had similar issues.