37: Questions on Lagoon 37 TPI

[Mike Sibley]

My wife and I are interested in purchasing a Lagoon 37 TPI and are considering an offer on a particular boat. I have a few technical questions to answer before a final decision. If you know the answer to any of the following, please reply.

Questions:





One review article indicates that “Hulls and deck feature Baltec end-grain balsa core throughout, sandwiched between triaxial glass fiber hand laid in vinylester resin.” Still, I wonder:

• Is the hull balsa cored below the water line? (Probably yes)
• Is it balsa cored where deck hardware, thru-hulls, etc. are located, or did they use solid glass at these locations?
• Was the vinylester resin used throughout, or just on the outside layer, as is common today?

There is a "box" that extends below the bridge deck, located below the salon on the port side. It appears to be about 3 feet by 3 feet by about 7 inches. Does anybody know what this is? Is it found on all Lagoon 37s? Is it integral to the hull, or can it be removed to improve bridge deck clearance and reduce the incidence of slamming?

Thanks in advance for any help.

Mike Sibley

[ausaviator]

Are you looking at Second-Wind? Seems to be a good price, however probably due to it being built with balsa core hulls. There was a similarly priced Leopard on catamarans.com, but same deal, balsa. It sold almost the day it was listed last week.

•Fully hand laid up fiberglass laminates. Superior hull strength is acheived by a design characteristic not found in conventional Multi-Hulls. The bridge deck is incorporated with the inner half of each hull; the outer halves of the port and stbd. hulls are chemically bonded to the center portion--a preferred construction design. •Balsa core is used for the hull and deck for stiffness strength and insulation. •The construction specifications are in line with the highest standards for composite materials, including tridirectional glass, marine plywood impregnated with vinylester resin. •All bulkheads and other bondings are made using two layers of bi-directional glass roving. •Composite rudders on stainless steel rudder stock with self aligning ":Jeanneau" bearing blocks.

[Dragon Lady]

These boats seem to have a very good reputation for quality and are one of the nicest looking cats around.
I was considering buying one myself, but have never seen one in the flesh.
good luck with your shopping.

[Cheechako]

I had a TPI 42. Very similar...but I didnt have that box..never noticed it before...? The reputation is good....I think due to vacuum molding done by TPI. My 42 was 8 years old when I sold it. It never had one blister of any size. I cant remember if the bottom was all solid or not...seems like I was told it was. These boats do not seem to have any water/ balsa intrusion problems...but look for things previous owners may have done that would let that happen. They are a little deeper draft than one would prefer in a cat. The 42 has the water tanks in the keels. The boat carries a load exceedingly well and was still faster than any of my mono's up to 47 feet. I was very happy with my boat except:
* I wasnt happy with the Yanmar engines, but that wasnt TPI's fault.
* The ceiling material/vinyl is backed with 1/8" foam. The heat destroys the foam in a few years and it is a terrible mess to remove...foam powder everywhere.!
* The seacocks were in solid glass. How do I know? The plastic Marelon Seacocks freeze up and the shaft or handle breaks off when you try to move them. I had to chisel the bad ones out one chunk at a time (that plastic/glass composite is STRONG...too bad the shaft and handles arent!)

I often thought I could have done fine with the 37 instead of the 42.