Quote:
Originally Posted by Bagu
Hi,
I am looking for buying a Lagoon. Like the 420 model, but I am a bit concerned about the durability (service live). How long can I expect the boat structue will be good. Or in other words - do I have to be concerned about the structure getting soft over the years? Has anybody of you had problems in this direction?
We want to cruise around the world.
Other than that, any pros or cons to go for a 421 or 42 in this respects?
Best regards,
Bernd
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My impression after owning our
Lagoon 420 Hybrid from new for over thirteen years is that they are very sound, structurally. The 420 is solid
fiberglass below the waterline and balsa cored above. On Octopus this all seems to be standing the test of time.
A friend of ours was, as he put it, 'T-boned' amidships at speed by a
charter yacht while at
anchor in Deep Bay,
Antigua. The
collision deformed the topside by about ten inches, but it simply popped back out again with hardly a mark to be seen. We also met a French couple that sailed a Lagoon 41 onto a reef and sustained remarkably little damage; not the same boat as the 420, but the same stable, with the same construction techniques. They had been below
deck dealing with flooding caused by a failed through-hull and the
autopilot sailed them straight onto the rocks.
Some of the mass-production techniques used by Lagoon leave a little bit to be desired, with extensive use of sealants and foam, but, to be fair, none of this is apparent in structural components and, remarkably, seems to be holding up well.
I'd be much more confident buying a pre-owned Lagoon than some of the performance marques, where structural tolerances are much more less forgiving.