Astrea 42 vs Lagoon 42, Comparison from Cannes

[ed91e]

Originally Posted by rom

As far a performances are concerned the FP42 has more sail area, 106 vs 94 sqm w/ square top mainsail, and is allegedly is bit lighter at 11.5t vs 12.1t.

I looked at the same, but I think that the FP is inclusive genoa and the Lagoon is "upwind sail area". Assuming that to be the self tacking jib.

[rom]

Originally Posted by ed91e

I looked at the same, but I think that the FP is inclusive genoa and the Lagoon is "upwind sail area". Assuming that to be the self tacking jib.

Sorry I don't understand, it means the same to me... FP has 65 mainsail + 41 genoa while lagoon has 59 mainsail + 35 jib. Those are the "white sails" or "upwind sails", and both boats would need a flat code 0 to perform decently in light winds. More so the Lagoon.

[CatNewBee]

What I find a little odd on the Lagoon is the position of the sail drive propeller behind the rudders.

Also quite dangerous on MOB maneuvers, you easily can shred someones feets if not disengaged the propeller properly when the person tries to come on board and misses the swimming ladder.

If you maneuver with the engines you have to fix the rudder very stiff to not be turned by the engines water stream when reversing. Its a PITA. I would have preferred the classic setup, propeller in front of the rudder

[introverted]

I looked at both of these boats at the boat show">Annapolis Boat Show as they were both on my short list. As I did with all the catamarans I viewed I stood on the coach roof to ensure I could access the full length of the boom. The Astrea and Lagoon both passed that test. Except I noticed when approaching the end of the boom on the Astrea the coach roof wobbled and flexed excessively and felt like it was going to break. For a moment I thought one of the reps was going to yell at me not to stand there... It was flimsy and didn't offer any support at all. I weight 195lbs. The lagoon coach roof felt solid on all areas. I also thought the joinery in the Astrea was sub par and so was the veneer work. It felt like a cheap toy in many areas. I thought the L42 was a more solid boat than the FP42 because I saw gaps in joinery at doors and cabinets and the bathroom inserts were not solid and bowed and flexed as I walked in them (especially the port side heads) I can only imagine what sounds they would make while underway.

But, maybe it was just these examples and this is my impression of these boats without sailing them.

[Nelsons]

I did not like the helm concept at the FP as one has to leave the helm and step a meter forward to reach the lines. To me that’s no a safe handling, it’s fiddling. To get a proper view to the stern you have to leave the helm too and step side wards. To me there are better solutions available that I finally choose.

[ssmoot]

Originally Posted by introverted

I thought the L42 was a more solid boat than the FP42

Was at the show. Had the same observation. Where the "woodwork" on the L42 was full of really nice detail and curves, with large panels, the Astrea felt like a bunch of laminated MDF panels with butt-joints everywhere.

I wouldn't say the Astrea was bad exactly. But I felt the cabinetry wasn't even up to Ikea standards in many areas (I personally really like Ikea stuff generally).

On the other hand the Astrea had better transom seating, with the optional grill, and hands down the best forward seating area of any boat we visited with a very comfortable foot-rest. Better than the Lagoon 50 even.

I thought the wavy mattress on the Astrea's salon-top was about the worst I've seen though. I would much prefer the Bali 4.1 mattress/seating setup.

The L42 has hands-down the better, roomier, more useful salon IMO, but they're both a very traditional layout, and neither one put any thought into where to put a TV since in both you'll either get no back support in sitting by the nav station, or trying to look over your shoulder at the TV behind the L-section seating.

The galley on the L42 was much more functional than I expected. It's definitely tiny. But it's workable. The compression post in the L42's salon is a non-issue to me since it doesn't interfere with any sight-lines. If it had a drop-down TV that'd be different, but it doesn't.

I like the smooth salon-top of. the L42 much better as it presents a lot more opportunity for solar than the Astrea.

The L42 helm position is much more a part of the cockpit since you can actually see the whole of the cockpit while seated. That's not true of the Astrea which is very similar to the Helia and feels comparably isolated with very limited sight-lines of the communal areas.

Overall we really liked both boats though. Terrible, low-functionality salons (especially the Astrea with it's weird, useless, triangular coffee-table), but aside from that the rest of the boats are very nice.

The helms also felt like they didn't leave much opportunity to hide from the sun, and excessive sun exposure feels like a real concern for both. More so even than the Nautitech Open 40, which even with minuscule helm biminis still offered a choice of helm station port or starboard with a good chance you'd get some shading from the large cockpit top. A bit better than the Bali 4.1 though which felt like it offered the least protection from sun exposure of any boat we visited.

I think we slightly preferred the L42 cockpit, but it's very close. Do you prefer more open space, or more dining table seating? And while the Astrea's optional grill is very pretty, it's at about knee height and a mounted grill might be more functional.

So the Lagoon 42 was probably our second-choice boat in the show, with the Astrea at number three. But we could probably talk ourselves into reversing that. (The Seawind 1260 was number one by a large margin for us.)

I would say that sailing characteristics aside (we didn't sail either boat, and I'm not qualified to comment anyway), to me the Astrea 42 is an improvement on the Helia in practically every way. The salon is slightly smaller perhaps, but it's not significant, and the Helia has the better salon-top seating. But aside from that the Astrea 42 feels like it's every bit the boat the Helia is, and does a number of things better. Forward cabins, forward lounging area, transom seating, etc.

They're both really nice boats. Lagoon should definitely steal the Astrea's forward lounging area though. They have something very similar on the Lagoon 50, but I actually think the Astrea's is better than the L50's since the Astrea includes a foot-rest.

[Soul Train]

Hi! My husband and I bought an Astrea 42. Next week we’ll visit the factory in La Rochelle where our boat is now being built. It will be ready in December for the Paris boat show. Next year we are starting our trip around the world. A few weeks ago we started the Facebook Group ‘Fountaine Pajot Astrea 42’ especially for people who are the future owners of an Astrea. Or for people who are very interested in the Astrea 42.
Like to join it too?
Kind regards, SoulTrain
Instagram: Soultrain_Astrea42

[fernandotayyara]

Hi all , we spent the last few months looking at both boats . I’m afraid we spent a few hours on board your very own boat Astrea 42 in Le Nautic Paria show . We didn’t have the chance to sail it tough so not opinion on that . Finally we have chosen the L42 for almost same reasons as mentioned in previous post . As our project is about long range cruising and circumnavigation we went for the bigger but more manageable L42 , easier to maintain apparently ( advises by charter companies that know this the best ) . We were biased by our two weeks L42 sailing charter in Greece last year versus just on line and show visit . We thought the Astrea42 is a nicer good looking more functional galley and great seating space cockpit but l42 looks more sturdy , simple and better circulation for as as a couple . The beds size is substantially wider in Lagoon than Astrea42 . This was also important for our size . ( sorry be laid down on your master cabin bed to check ) . In any case looked a great boat and will mos likely be faster .

[Jim Woodall]

I like both boats and each has certain advantages over the other. We have a 2019 Lagoon 42 and I agree that it looks and feels like a more robustly built boat. Our L42 was in the 2018 Annapolis Boat Show. We spent the entire week at the show and looked closely at the Astrea 42. Our time aboard confirmed our belief that Lagoon builds a sturdier boat.

I don't have experience sailing the Astrea but I've done an 8-day Florida to Tortola passage on the L42 and a 4-week cruise in the BVI. During the passage we had several days of rough weather but the boat handled it beautifully. During the BVI trip we had some days of little wind and days of winds in the 20 - 30 knot range. The L42 is easy to sail and its performance has consistently exceeded our expectations. With wind on the beam from the high-teens to low-twenties and a single reef in the main we consistently had boat speeds above 8 knots. On a sail from North Sound to Anegada with winds dead on the beam in the mid-to-high twenties with a double-reefed main and single reef in the jib we made better than a 10 knot average. No code-0 or spinnakers, just factory sails. All in comfort.

The L42 is no speed demon, but for a relatively heavy cruising cat with a small and easy to handle sail plan, she moves quite well. The sailing beauty of the L42 in my opinion is the ease of sailing. A couple with basic sailing competence will have no difficulty sailing her in most conditions. One of the reasons we choose the L42 is we wanted a catamaran that would be simple for only two people to sail - the L42 fits the bill.

Our boat is part of TMM's charter fleet on Tortola. Before choosing TMM we visited 8 charter companies. We were told by several of the charter companies that the Lagoons require less maintenance than the Fountaine Pojots. Obviously, that is simply opinion, but it was something we heard multiple times and combined with our own observations we feel more comfortable with Lagoon's overall build quality.

Another note on build quality. We had another L42 that was capsized onto a concrete dock during Irma. One hull was at least 25 feet in the air as she flipped over onto the dock. Although extensively damaged and declared a CTL, she has now been repaired. Most interior components, including the generator, engines, cabinets, bilge pumps, air conditioners, etc. stayed in place and most components were still functional. She was craned off the dock and refloated. She suffered serious but repairable hull damage to the hull that hit the dock after falling at least 25 feet.

[fernandotayyara]

Very insightful Jim . Thanks

[CatNewBee]

I guess a lot of cheap multi-hulls will flood the market in 2..3 years stemming from hurricane salvaged and some how repaired boats.

[Jim Woodall]

Originally Posted by CatNewBee

I guess a lot of cheap multi-hulls will flood the market in 2..3 years stemming from hurricane salvaged and some how repaired boats.

The original Ocean Song (the boat that flipped onto the concrete dock) was auctioned off in the BVI and we saw her being repaired at Nanny Cay. Although we were impressed that she was considered "repairable", I would be very cautious when looking at any boat that had been considered a total loss by an insurance carrier.

I agree there will be many "hurricane" boats coming on the market for the next 2 or 3 years. I think it's a good thing that folks are attempting to save these boats, it certainly gives new meaning to "caveat emptor".

[qmorf]

I like the Astrea styling in general, but not the tiny coffee table in the saloon (compare with the standard-sized table on the L42).

Is a larger table an option with the Astrea? How does it fit in with the saloon area?

[Factor]

Originally Posted by Bean Counter

Until you put them in several triangular races, at maximum load, and swap the crews you will never know the answer to that.

I dunno, laws of physics can give you a pretty good guide.

[byhlinder]

Originally Posted by qmorf

I like the Astrea styling in general, but not the tiny coffee table in the saloon (compare with the standard-sized table on the L42).



Is a larger table an option with the Astrea? How does it fit in with the saloon area?

Sure! You have a few options for the saloon table.
Saloon table convertible to bed
Electric multifunctional table

Don’t know the sizes of these though, but they are larger than the coffee table.