Lagoon 380 - Performance tips

[gspeak]

Originally Posted by Boatguy30

Basically they sail upwind poorly. If you find an experienced sailor that owns a 380 I will eat my hat! If it's upwind you motor.

What a stupid comment. I own one & I've been sailing for over 45 years. No we don't always motor upwind, mostly we sail, only motor when the wind is too light to get there in time.


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[Boatguy30]

By experienced I should have said "someone that values and appreciates performance"


By "upwind" I mean mean needing to tack several times to reach a destination. I personally not witnessed a lagoon 38 doing this. As an fyi a Lagoon 39 (DIFFERENT BOAT) same idea rates 100 seconds PER MILE slower than my performance 34' cruising cat. I was shocked at the skippers meeting an reckoned they would correct out way ahead as they were experienced racers the owner had rounded up to crew.


We easily beat them on corrected time on essentially a 20 mile triangle course. And this guy was a single hander on what appeared a lightly loaded boat.


More power to you with a lagoon, but they simply aren't good sailboats. Good cruisers? MAYBE.....

[arsenelupiga]

Originally Posted by Boatguy30

By experienced I should have said "someone that values and appreciates performance"


By "upwind" I mean mean needing to tack several times to reach a destination. I personally not witnessed a lagoon 38 doing this. As an fyi a Lagoon 39 (DIFFERENT BOAT) same idea rates 100 seconds PER MILE slower than my performance 34' cruising cat. I was shocked at the skippers meeting an reckoned they would correct out way ahead as they were experienced racers the owner had rounded up to crew.


We easily beat them on corrected time on essentially a 20 mile triangle course. And this guy was a single hander on what appeared a lightly loaded boat.


More power to you with a lagoon, but they simply aren't good sailboats. Good cruisers? MAYBE.....

you should not judge too quick. Getting cruising cat upwind well is not as simple as mono, so comparing against relative novice is not fair, especially if he is ex mono. I have improved upwind speeds at same angle for around 1 knot so far and hoping for more. Out there in real world generally outdo 30% of similar sized monos. When I get gennaker out in light winds that increases further.

Yes, i have tacked in true angles under deg 90.

[44'cruisingcat]

Good, experienced, performance appreciating sailors don't always choose ultra fast boats.


Sean Langman, after years of crewing on diesel powered canting keelers, chose to sail in the slowest boat in the Sydney-Hobart race, and found it more satisfying.

[robert sailor]

We had the pleasure of sailing with many cruising cats over the last 6 months. When purchasing these boats none of the owners I met bought them for performance although off the wind most did just fine. No they are not good windward boats but such is life, they are like small apartments on the water and are terribly comfortable when having guests. I can see the attraction to owning one of these boats. Some monos don't go to weather very well either so not much different.

[smj]

Originally Posted by robert sailor

We had the pleasure of sailing with many cruising cats over the last 6 months. When purchasing these boats none of the owners I met bought them for performance although off the wind most did just fine. No they are not good windward boats but such is life, they are like small apartments on the water and are terribly comfortable when having guests. I can see the attraction to owning one of these boats. Some monos don't go to weather very well either so not much different.

Maybe your definition of "cruising cats" is to broad? I would consider the Outremers and Catanas to be cruising cats, but most of the owners of these type boats are interested in performance and are probably quite satisfied with the performance they get, both upwind and downwind.


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[barnakiel]

Get Q upwind sails.

Learn good cat sailtrim from a good racer.

Keep her bottom clean.

Make sure the props feather easily.

Do not pinch.

Learn using VMG.

Ditch all and any deck garbage.

etc.
b.

[robert sailor]

Originally Posted by smj

Maybe your definition of "cruising cats" is to broad? I would consider the Outremers and Catanas to be cruising cats, but most of the owners of these type boats are interested in performance and are probably quite satisfied with the performance they get, both upwind and downwind.


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I'm sure they are but I never sailed with one so my comments were based on FP and Lagoons. We have a Catana 50 beside us right now and with those good sized dagger boards I'm sure he does just fine upwind. For every Catana or Outremers there must be 20 FP and Lagoons out here so I thought I was safe with calling them cruising cats but your right, a bit too broad.

[REsCat]

I have said this a few times in the past, the L380 is arguably the most successful cruising Cat produced to date in the world by sheer numbers (and still being made largely to its original design) for obvious reasons.
It is a Very proven, thoroughly enjoyed, solidly built etc,etc Cat that people the world over are cruising, circumnavigating or just coastal sailing.
If I ever was to downsize to a non daggerboard <40' Cat this would always be at the top of my list.
Comments like Boatguy30s first, Aren't based on facts or real world experience.

Bob

[robert sailor]

Originally Posted by REsCat

I have said this a few times in the past, the L380 is arguably the most successful cruising Cat produced to date in the world by sheer numbers (and still being made largely to its original design) for obvious reasons.
It is a Very proven, thoroughly enjoyed, solidly built etc,etc Cat that people the world over are cruising, circumnavigating or just coastal sailing.
If I ever was to downsize to a non daggerboard <40' Cat this would always be at the top of my list.
Comments like Boatguy30s first, Aren't based on facts or real world experience.

Bob

Yes the 380 is one popular cat and strikes a good balance between what you pay for what you get.
To be fair with Boatguy30 he speaks about performance and like the rest of us he has his opinions. Personally I like the Lagoon 380 but it's not a performance cat, it's a cruising cat.

[gspeak]

The real point is that the OP has just bought their L380 & asked for suggestions to optimize their sailing experience.

To be told that it won't go upwind so to just motor upwind is counter productive, & dare I say a little elitism. Sure it won't go upwind like the awesome "performance" cruisers (whatever they are), but that was not what he was asking.

He, like us, might still enjoy "sailing" our slow "cruisers". Even upwind.

I thought this was called the Cruisers Forum.

Dave




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[arsenelupiga]

true what are you saying, however, one should get used to deal with large group of boaties that have irrational fears/supressed love of cats.

[robert sailor]

Originally Posted by arsenelupiga

true what are you saying, however, one should get used to deal with large group of boaties that have irrational fears/supressed love of cats.

I have a gay friend that says the same thing about his straight friends!

[arsenelupiga]

Originally Posted by robert sailor

I have a gay friend that says the same thing about his straight friends!

gay people have parade of pride....

[mikall63]

I was also told that I could never get my L39 to sail within 50 degrees of true wind, but somehow I managed it.

I know it's a different model, but we also put the traveller about a foot and a half to windward - I did not ease the main, but may want to try that to see if I can get some improvement. We weren't going fast, but we were consistent a 4.5 - 5.3 knots. Sea state was around 2-3 foot wind chop.

I'm also very new to sailing and this is our first boat as well, so we have a lot to learn and find this information to be very helpful.