General Info: Lagoon Escape Hatches Falling Out

[sailnw777]

Originally Posted by AllenRbrts

This is apparently an email recently sent to Lagoon owners. Perhaps you should send a note to Lagoon19009@cnb.fr with a photo which would get to Lagoon sooner.

Dear Sir or Madam,

Maintaining a permanent focus on the reliability and safety for our customers in our boat building is always a high priority objective for CNB LAGOON.

The safety standards that apply to Catamarans oblige us to fit our boats with emergency exits in case the boat capsizes. That is why our Catamarans are produced with escape hatches under the deck bridge.

Since 2007, we have installed GOÏOT brand fixed hatches, made of a “Securit” glass glued onto an aluminium frame and screwed on each hull. In case of capsize of the boat, the glass hatch must be broken allowing the crew’s evacuation.

However, over the past 12 years, since we have been equipping our catamarans with these products, we have faced a few rare cases of the glass detaching from its aluminium frame, causing water entry into the boat. This has revealed that those escape hatches have no safety device to prevent the fall of the glass in case of detachment.

LAGOON has designed with its supplier GOIOT retaining parts to secure these escape hatches easily, preventing the glass from falling in case of detachment.

LAGOON has set up a technical team ready to work with you to organize the installation - at no cost to you – of these retaining parts which can equipped your boat.

This team can be contacted at the following e-mail address : Lagoon19009@cnb.fr

In each e-mail that you send us, please indicate the boat type and identification serial number, dealer name where you bought the boat and/or the one of your boat maintenance shipyard.

THIS NOTIFICATION IS ONLY FOR CATAMARANS BUILT FROM YEARS 2007 TO 2019 AND EQUIPPED WITH GOIOT BRAND ESCAPE FIXED HATCHES.

If your boat was sold to a third party, kindly inform us of their name and address by return mail Lagoon19009@cnb.fr

Thank you for your understanding and waiting for your reply,

Yours Faithfully,

Yann MASSELOT

Chief executive”

Well... I sent a message and an image of the failed bracket to this address... two weeks later - nothing! No reply, no questions, no reaction... looks like Lagoon CEO only signed that email and in fact doesn’t give a rats ass to what happens to lagoon customers....

[LeeV]

I contacted the service manager at Annapolis Yacht Sales and he is ordering the kit to be shipped to my address. I will be installing it myself.

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by sailnw777

Well... I sent a message and an image of the failed bracket to this address... two weeks later - nothing! No reply, no questions, no reaction... looks like Lagoon CEO only signed that email and in fact doesn’t give a rats ass to what happens to lagoon customers....

Class action law suit would get a response from the CEO I bet. Easily defined and contacted class.

[arsenelupiga]

i have installed lagoon fix, and used sikaflex as per instructions so mine will not fall off. Not entirely convinced though.

Thinking of putting sikaflex on aluminium frame and say 1 cm on glass all around window. This way jet of water will not be able to penetrate join area and stop deterioration of bonding. Also will provide further strength to hold glass in place.

Anyone tried this ?

[Bean Counter]

Originally Posted by arsenelupiga

i have installed lagoon fix, and used sikaflex as per instructions so mine will not fall off. Not entirely convinced though.

Thinking of putting sikaflex on aluminium frame and say 1 cm on glass all around window. This way jet of water will not be able to penetrate join area and stop deterioration of bonding. Also will provide further strength to hold glass in place.

Anyone tried this ?

Can't see it would hurt. Another more secure method may be to through bolt the back up retainers, but most would balk at drilling right through the hull, even though it could be epoxy filled and unlikely to allow water ingress to the core. Hard to remove once installed though, eg to reseal the glass every few years. I guess if the bolts were reversed and lock nuts applied to the retainers that would allow disassembly.

[Valiente]

Originally Posted by belizesailor

Yes, cats typically have them over each cabin and the main salon...another reason I think the escape hatches are silly.

Silly or whatever, to my understanding they are required for EU approval. So, until rules change (if ever), it's not about getting rid of them, but making them and their bond to hull, seaworthy on the long term!

[JamesPNW]

I am surprised that no law firm starts a class action lawsuit for all Lagoon owners affected by this poorly designed safety solution.

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by Valiente

Silly or whatever, to my understanding they are required for EU approval. So, until rules change (if ever), it's not about getting rid of them, but making them and their bond to hull, seaworthy on the long term!

The rules require a solution, the manufacturer came up with a cheap and dangerous one to meet the requirements. I think the manufacturer could still be liable for their poor solution which endangers boats.

[sailnw777]

Lack of response from Lagoon is concerning especially with so many affected boats and potentially lethal consequences based on Seychelles incident timeline. Any attorneys here on the forum ? Maybe it’s not a bad idea to have some sort of organized message from a group of owners. I sure don’t want to be next boat after Seychelles one.

[Matt Johnson]

Originally Posted by sailnw777

Lack of response from Lagoon is concerning especially with so many affected boats and potentially lethal consequences based on Seychelles incident timeline. Any attorneys here on the forum ? Maybe it’s not a bad idea to have some sort of organized message from a group of owners. I sure don’t want to be next boat after Seychelles one.

Not excusing their silence, but it may be that they simple haven't received your email. Do you have read receipts for the email you sent? If you sent a photo along with your message, the chances it made it through their corporate spam filter is 50/50%. Have you tried emailing without a photo from a different account?

-Matt

[sailnw777]

I’ve sent messages to both Lagoon and the original dealer. Resent to both now. (Actually dealer replied trying to understand what happened but quiet since).

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by sailnw777

I’ve sent messages to both Lagoon and the original dealer. Resent to both now. (Actually dealer replied trying to understand what happened but quiet since).

Lawyering up maybe?

[AllenRbrts]

The hatches for most production cats including Lagoon are made by Goiot. The version used on FP, Catana, Nautitech and others is also under recall where the official recall fix is at best a bandaid. Last week an FP with that bandaid lost their hatch. Fortunately they were in the BVIs and were able to save the boat. There is now a realization at least at FP that the problem is of epic proportions involving a 1000 or more boats with a major fix involved. It could be Goiot is so consumed with the FP hatch, they can't getting any resources on the Lagoon hatch which I think will be very difficult to fix properly.

[arsenelupiga]

Originally Posted by AllenRbrts

The hatches for most production cats including Lagoon are made by Goiot. The version used on FP, Catana, Nautitech and others is also under recall where the official recall fix is at best a bandaid. Last week an FP with that bandaid lost their hatch. Fortunately they were in the BVIs and were able to save the boat. There is now a realization at least at FP that the problem is of epic proportions involving a 1000 or more boats with a major fix involved. It could be Goiot is so consumed with the FP hatch, they can't getting any resources on the Lagoon hatch which I think will be very difficult to fix properly.

Assuming lagoon has same hatch like FP, is aluminum frame falling off including acylic or arcylic only? Do you have definite proof for either ? Lagoon fix, the way it is done suggests it is actually aluminium frame that needs to be protected from falling out.

One of these days I will have to get to that facebook login page and create user and see what lagoon says

[CatNewBee]

Lagoons escape hatches are glas, they are sacrificial, you have to break them with a pointy hammer, like car windows.