Nautitech Open 46

[meatservo]

Exactly what I have been looking for! Really appreciate your review!




meatservo

[LeeV]

Always good to have other opinions, even from sources who might be biased. I remind myself that what works for one may not for the other. I'd like to see how the 46 open sails; I have no interest in the Fly version.

http://www.aeroyacht.com/wp-content/...est-Review.pdf

[iliohale]

Originally Posted by LeeV

Always good to have other opinions, even from sources who might be biased. I remind myself that what works for one may not for the other. I'd like to see how the 46 open sails; I have no interest in the Fly version.

http://www.aeroyacht.com/wp-content/...est-Review.pdf

Whatever bias I had in my evaluation it was coming from the point of view of a very interested potential buyer. The Open 46 was the number 1 boat on our short list. Based on our 7 day cruise and feedback from a few current owners, we are taking a pass on the boat unless the factory can convince us that they are addressing the key issues we have concerns on.

In terms of sailing performance, it was impressive and certainly better than what I have experienced with Lagoons, Leopards, and FP's. I also very much liked the entire set up for running rigging with the noted exceptions in my notes.

Gary

[LeeV]

Originally Posted by iliohale

Whatever bias I had in my evaluation it was coming from the point of view of a very interested potential buyer. The Open 46 was the number 1 boat on our short list. Based on our 7 day cruise and feedback from a few current owners, we are taking a pass on the boat unless the factory can convince us that they are addressing the key issues we have concerns on.

In terms of sailing performance, it was impressive and certainly better than what I have experienced with Lagoons, Leopards, and FP's. I also very much liked the entire set up for running rigging with the noted exceptions in my notes.

Gary

Gary,

You misunderstood; the bias I was referring to was that of the magazine editor who wrote the article I posted, as they (the magazine) are clearly in the marine industry and rarely give anything but great reviews!

I was definitely disappointed reading your review although the 46 is too pricey for us. We are considering the Open 40, although it has a few quirks mentioned in my questions posed to two separate dealers:

"We just looked at a 40 this weekend in Annapolis and the only bizarre thing we saw was that the lifeline hangs up on the shrouds! I've put a link to a YouTube of one in charter, and would like your opinion if you have some time. The biggest concern besides the lifelines chafing and snapping is how low the dinghy seems on the Davits.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=RxeRrjWOEes

:30 seconds dinghy movement (not secured well?)

1:40 shrouds and lifeline (The boat we saw actually had the lifeline sitting on the tang of the shrouds.)

2:08-2:12 dinghy engine dragging? Not sure why..."

1 dealer pooh-poohed both items; the other (from whom we purchased our trimaran) responded that 1. they found the lifeline/shroud issue also puzzling, and 2. that in the video I shared of the Open 40 charter in the BVI, the people hadn't secured the dinghy properly but that the David's do seem low.

Respectfully,

[n46uk]

Hi Gary,

I've been following your journey looking at the Nautitech Open 46 over the last 18 months or so and I may have met you at the Grande Motte show last year 2016.

After lots of research we took the punt to buy an Open 46 off plan, placing our order in December 2015 and took delivery in July last year. We've now got 10 months under our belt and around 1100nm sailing on her. Our current cruising grounds are the fairly breezy, lumpy and tidal conditions of Brittany, the English Channel, the Solent and the English coast.

We had previously had 25 years of yacht ownership. This both inshore and offshore racing and cruising extensively in our local waters on our boats (cruiser/racer monohulls between 33 and 36' and a 31' trimaran). We'd also chartered catamarans, Lagoons (400S2 and 440) and a Fontaine Pajot, in both the Caribbean and Med.

Our own decision making was tailored by strong desire to have good sailing performance as we'd been disappointed by our charters on the Lagoons (again in charter spec). Our final shortlist was the Outremer 45 and the Open 46. We visited both factories at the Grande Motte show in 2015, sailed the Outremer 45 at the show and sailed the smaller Nautitech Open 40 a couple of times in the UK. Whilst the Outremer 45 is a really lovely sailing machine, it ultimately was a simple decision, the Outremer 45 offers only around the same accommodation as the smaller Open 40, the O45 cost was much, much higher than a very well specced Open 46 and deliveries were already 18 months out.

Overall we've been delighted with the Open 46 which has met all our expectations of a fast comfortable cruising sailing yacht capable both of longish passages and also easy port hopping with both sailing and non-sailing friends in the Solent and along the coast.

We agree with all of your "likes" but I thought I'd chip in with our input as owners as quite a few of your concerns would seem to be issues of sailing a charter spec boat rather than one you'd spec as an owner, possibly some commissioning issues and one or two relate to issues or upgrades which Nautitech have addressed on later boats (and retrofitted to ours, mostly under warranty). I suspect most are addressible as you make choices when ordering. Hopefully you have a good local dealer.

Ours is an early boat, Hull #6. It's an owners cabin version with a pretty complete spec. We took some factory options however we weren't afraid to specify other, dealer fit, options where we felt there was better kit available in the market.

We've been very pleased with the commissioning and after-sales support we've had from the UK Dealer, Paul Heys and his team at Key Yachting, and support from Nautitech. Paul visited the factory with us when the boat was towards the end of the build and his team then commissioned the boat in La Rochelle after launch at Rochefort.

Any new boat has it's snagging list and as a new design we expected a few more. After building the first ten boats (and feedback from owners), Nautitech made a number of tweaks and upgrades and then retrofitted to the early boats. We feel they've looked after us well.

See my comments to complement your's inline below. There are a couple of videos of our boat which I'll refer to. The first was on our delivery back to the Solent

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpT2MiswXDw

and the second, showing the interior, was when she was used for the UK Southampton Boat Show in September

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tu9mixWRed4

Originally Posted by iliohale

Open 46 Notes:

Just finished a 7 day charter on an Open 46 out of Pula Croatia. The boat was a 4 cabin version and there were 8 of us (4 couples) plus a skipper. We spent a lot of time sailing the boat in wind conditions from 0 to 25+ kts TWS and in sea states that were flat to confused 1 1/2M swell heights. During this time I carefully evaluated the boat and made notes. I looked at every inch of the boat that I could access and I asked our entire group (most of who are experienced sailors) for their feedback.

Before I share my notes I want to provide some caveats. First, I am not an experienced multihull sailor but I am a very experienced mono hull sailor and boat owner. Second, we went into the charter thinking that the Nautitech was a boat that we wanted to buy so we were carefully evaluating it with that lens.

One last word, the boat was a fantastic platform for the 7 days of cruising we did in Croatia. We had 9 people on board and the boat just functioned and worked for us. We had a great time. So here are my raw notes on the boat, I will be happy to discuss any specific questions anyone has and please challenge me on any of my statements.

Likes:
1. Helm locations - overall the locations work well. Visibility is not that big of an issue however you must have engine controls at both helm stations. Also main sheet and car controls need to be located at both stations. Protection from the elements needs to be addressed but biminis can be fitted with 3 sided shade or wind/rain protection. Really liked the ability to be part of the conversation in the cockpit and main cabin. Very simple to get to the helm station (no stairs) and to walk from one helm station to the other. Having auto pilot control remotely would be useful.

We have the factory option of engine controls at both stations and agree it's a great help (especially when motoring in crowded waters or when docking, giving choice of both sides when short handed).

We've found no issue with the mainsheet controls only being on one side. We have B&G instrumentation and have autohelm controls at both stations so it's a quick press on "Auto" and as you say it's a short 4 steps from one side to the other to adjust sheets and cars (see first video).

We didn't bother with the helmstation biminis, I didn't think they added much from a shade or spray standpoint. It's only one step to sit under the bimini under the autohelm, with a good, nearly 360 view, if sunhat or waterproofs aren't enough.

Originally Posted by iliohale

2. Sail handling and running rigging worked well, however, some attention needs to be placed on winch sizing and location of the power controls. For example, while raising the main sail it was difficult to work the winch button and watch the sail. Really liked the self-tacking working jib. It made it very easy to short tack and the boat was very responsive on these tacks in 12 knots AWS.

Agree, she's great to windward, a big contrast with our Lagoon charter experiences. We had nearly 500nm upwind on our delivery home.

Originally Posted by iliohale

3. Cockpit overall with sun shades and enclosures. This was fantastic. It was very easy to put the enclosure down when the weather turned cold or it started to rain. The cockpit was very comfortable and we ate most of our meals here. Under sail everyone was able to find a comfortable place to relax and enjoy. One issue that needs to be addressed is the visibility of the side curtain windows. When down it made it difficult to look through them from the helm stations.

We roll-up the side curtains and also generally leave the saloon doors open when sailing to cut down reflections. It's a two minute job before leaving dock.

Originally Posted by iliohale

4. Foredeck is very comfortable to work on and to relax. The pads and cushions worked well but we needed to continually remove them when sailing and then set them up when conditions allowed.
5. Overall looks of the boat, I just really like the way the boat looks without the raised helm station and with the lower boom.
6. Handling under power, this is likely not so specific to the Open 46 but in general I found the ability to control the boat under power was great. Very easy when docking. One issue on the Open 46 is the engine noise level in the aft cabins is not good. The engine insulation is not good and the engine compartments extend under the berths.
7. Scoops and steps worked well and provided easy access when med moored or side tied. Easy steps to get up and down.
8. Engine rooms, great access and wonderful access to service the engines. One engine at 2200 RPM = 7.2 knots in clam conditions, two engines at 2000 RPM = 8.5 knots in the same conditions.
9. Sail performance, despite this being a charter boat with only white sails, we were able to get good performance out of the boat. Spent a lot of time dialing in the trim close hauled, final result was a constant 6.5 to 7.2 kts at 40-45 AWA in 12 kt AWS. This was the working self-tacking jib and full main (not a square top).

We didn't take the factory dacron sail and mast car package which seemed to hit a price point for chartering. We have a more high-tech sail package with Spectra square-top main and jib, furling code 0 and asymmetric spinnaker. Mast has all ball-bearing cars (option from VMG Soromap who make the rig). Performance is excellent, with our rig we are usually beating at round 52 TWA (38-43 AWA depending on speed). We've recorded 4.8kt in 8TWS, 6.8kt (12TWS), 7.8kt (15TWS), 9kt (18TWS).

Originally Posted by iliohale

10. Main bilges and access to systems and wiring seemed very good with good room below the soles in the hulls and a nice deep bilge in each hull.
11. Access to the boom and mainsail. Easy up to the cabin top at the front of the cabin, low boom made it easy to flake the main and close the stack pack.
12. Deck access, good hand holds, nice wide decks, and so on.

Dislikes
1. Undersized winches.

Don't see this as a problem, this is probably related to the issues you have with the main, see notes below.

Originally Posted by iliohale

2. Interior lighting was really poor on many levels. Either too bright or not bright enough. There were many dark areas such as over the galley counters and in the heads.

We took the factory indirect lighting option for the saloon and cockpit. We find the lighting options work well throughout.

Originally Posted by iliohale

3. Trim board over forward galley counter has to go, head knocker and makes no sense.
4. Cheap door hardware has to be replaced.
5. Bow cleat locations and lack of protection for line chafe against the fiberglass.

We added an extra set of pop-up Seasmart cleats to the extreme bow which addressed the problem when picking up a mooring or putting an extra shoreline ashore.

Originally Posted by iliohale

6. Amount of opening hatches in the main cabin, the charter boat only had the two forward openings. I understand that newer boats now have some opening hatches in the overhead.
7. Main cabin doors were not running smoothly and in a seaway with rolling can be dangerous. These are heavy doors and going through them with the boat moving was a challenge. It seemed that little attention was paid by the factory to make sure that these doors opened smoothly. The main door was hitting against the aft port window sill.

Yes newer boats have extra opening hatches in the overhead windows, these were retrofitted to ours.
The doors sound like a commissioning/charter company issue. They lock securely and adjustment is easily made with a set of Allen keys.

Originally Posted by iliohale

8. Main halyard line and mainsail cars, overall main raising and lowering were a disaster with someone required to be on the cabin top to complete either. Totally not acceptable.

i) The friction issues go away if you specify ball-bearing cars for the mast/main as we did. The VMG Soromap factory is right next to Nautitech. The incremental cost is not great.
ii) The factory made a modification to the mast step to improve the run to the turning blocks on deck and retrofitted this to ours.
We can hoist the mainsail easily by hand and only use the winch for the last 5-6 feet.

Originally Posted by iliohale

9. Fresh water and sump system noise and general lack of water pressure plus the length of time required to get hot water to the hot water outlets. Need a shower in the port hull?, be prepared to waste gallons of water waiting for it to get warm and then be prepared for a very small trickle of water coming out of the shower head.
10. Poor installation of the heating system in the cabins and heads. Basically no heat in the heads and a very confusing heating system in the cabins where the bilges were hot but the cabin was cold.

We didn't take the factory heating option but had two Webasto Evo 55 Air Heater systems dealer fitted in the UK, one in each hull. This gives us outlets in each cabin, heads, at the saloon steps on each side and one in the cockpit which warms this up when the sides are down. Very happy with the control it gives us.

Originally Posted by iliohale

11. Galley counter top was horrible with raised wood edges that will get destroyed from use, horrible caulking lines, and poor counter top material that stains and will easily wear.
12. Guest head and shower set up is not good, for example the mirrors are impossible to use. In general just very small space, could have been better thought out in design.
13. Factory cook top and oven where really cheap with no temperature control in the oven, too small, no pan clamps, and just didn’t work well.

We agree on the oven. Being British we'd like to have our bacon in the morning. We'll probably replace with an oven with a grill!

Originally Posted by iliohale

14. AC electrical system was confusing in terms of controls.
15. Dinette table was folding and on a high/low pedestal but it didn’t work from a size stand point in either folded or open. Not very well thought out.

We spent ages on this decision and also talked at length with a couple of N40 owners. In the end we decided not to have an interior table but just have the beautiful teak table option in the cockpit. We weren't sure about this until after she was launched but as it's so quick to put the sides down we eat there all the time, even in winter. This gives a great lounge area inside. Happy with our choice. See video.

Originally Posted by iliohale

16. Engine and mechanical noise levels in aft cabins was not acceptable.
17. Steering system, too much play, too heavy, wheels are clumsy.

We've got the pretty (and pricy) carbon look wheels. We don't have any play in our steering (commissioning issue?). The feel is heavy (as all twin rudder setups are in my experience). We did specify the B&G autopilot which is a rebadged Jefa Direct Drive unit, this disconnects when not in use and so gives better feel than the cheaper, hydraulic ram autopilots.

Originally Posted by iliohale

18. Back cushions on interior settees are horrible and not comfortable.
19. Aft seat in cockpit is narrow with no comfortable back rest
20. Access to escape hatches is horrible and the steps covering them creak and work.
21. Exterior caulking is poorly done and dirty. This will be a maintenance nightmare.

i) We haven't really noticed the noise in the aft cabins as usually on deck when under motor. On the Open 46 they pushed the engines forward slightly compared to the N40. The fuel tanks are also in the bilges with easy access. Both of these keep the weight centralised and reduces pitching.
ii) The aft seat is our favourite position for our guests when underway. Sitting down in the shade but a great view forward. Take the factory option for the cushion roll back across the width of the boat and it's really comfortable. See video.

Originally Posted by iliohale

22. Bow anchor set up only allows for one anchor, windless is undersized in my opinion, the roller makes it difficult to pull up and lower the bridle, and it will not likely fit anchors like a Rocna or Mantus

Again we didn't take the factory option but chose a new generation anchor. In our case a 25kg Spade. Key Yachting fitted a small plate to protect the underside of the deck. The bridle may be a commissioning issue, ours comes straight up through the roller so we can unclip easily from the middle of the deck.

Originally Posted by iliohale

23. Overall fit and finish of the boat was not great with gaps in the furniture joints, poor caulking, lack of labels, and so on.
24. Dark wood on the sole looked cheap and showed every spec of dirt.

Must have Changes
1. Key lighting changes are to add indirect lighting around headliner and over the counter. Could use some softer head liner lights and main factory lights on a dimmer. All new head lights are required.

Take the interior indirect lighting options. There are also dimmers to set the default level but they are hidden away behind a panel in the port hull.

Originally Posted by iliohale

2. Change the engine controls to electric and have at both helm locations

Yes a good factory option

Originally Posted by iliohale

3. Dinghy height on the davits needs to be addressed with better lift and bridle set up.

Dealer commissioning issue? We don't have this problem, ours is a Highfield CL310 aluminium rib. It fits snugly.

Originally Posted by iliohale

4. Mainsail halyard, cars, reefing lines, and lazy jacks have to be addressed. Likely ball bearing cars are needed, better line material, easy way to get the lazy jacks out of the way when raising the sail, and a complete rethink of the reefing lines.
5. All power winches and much larger main halyard winch are needed.

i) Yes definitely ask Nautitech/VMG Soromap to specify ball bearing cars, it's solves the problem. Main halliard is fine with the new routing and in our case is a good Dyneema rope with 2 to 1 onto block at the mainsail head.
ii) We do have all three electric winches although its only really needed on the main. The very first few boats had a weaker winch but I think from ours onwards it was upgraded to a more powerful model which works fine.

Originally Posted by iliohale

6. Fresh water system improvements needed to provide hot water faster to outlets, reduce pump noise with better and lager pumps, improve water pressure in the Port hull, accumulator tank, and so on.
7. Cook top and oven have to be replaced with better appliances.

We haven't noticed the water issues. See comment on oven above.

Originally Posted by iliohale

8. Galley head clearance, remove the head liner trim board or modify it.
9. Install new counter material over the top of the existing in the galley.
10. Mirror in guest head has to be better positioned.
11. Both DC and AC electrical systems need to be understood and improved with better monitoring, controls, and power generation. One interesting aspect of the charter boat was the smaller genset of 3.5 KW. This could work provided that boat was set up with enough solar generation, DC water maker, enough battery storage (Lithium of 1200 AH capacity), DC heating, enough inverter capacity to run AC equipment like washer, microwave, and so on.

Again we'd have preferred Lithium but wasn't an option, we'll probably upgrade down the line. However we specified the factory option of larger inverter and battery bank. We also added 4 x Solbian SXp 145L solar panels each with their own Victron MPPT. We don't have a generator or watermaker. This set up just keeps up with our three fridges, freezer and autohelm when underway in reasonable sun.

Originally Posted by iliohale

12. Dinette table must be changed. Likely take the factory standard and do this after market.

See notes above

Originally Posted by iliohale

13. Mattresses have to be improved, buy new after market

The mattresses are just ok but we added a mattress topper and linen from Nauteriors in the UK. The mattress topper is excellent and makes a difference. They have the templates for the Open 46.

Originally Posted by iliohale

14. Location of the main halyard winch switch, needs to be outboard of the winch to make it easy to look at the main when raising it.

Yes it might be better on the other side but as our mainsail problems are largely solved by the ball-bearing cars it doesn't bother us.

Originally Posted by iliohale

15. Hand hold on cabin top steps, this should be on the forward edge of the mast.

Yes, we have installed a handle on the front of the mast. Simple upgrade.

Originally Posted by iliohale

16. Netting needs to be much firmer

Commissioning issue? OK on ours.

Originally Posted by iliohale

17. Helm protection needs to be improved, the factory bimini was horrible.
18. Mainsail outhaul lead aft, charter boat had no ability to adjust the outhaul.
19. Double spin halyards with winch at the mast, charter boat had a single spin halyard lead aft.
20. Electric fresh water flush heads to eliminate head order (not specific to the Open 46.

Yes, we took the factory fresh water flush option. We are ok with the main and spinnaker controls.

Originally Posted by iliohale

21. Bow anchor set up needs to be change to support a Rocna or Mantus

Supports the Spade ok

Originally Posted by iliohale

22. New door hardware
23. Improve insulation in the engine rooms

Key Concerns
1. The boat seemed to be susceptible to wave slapping both under power and sail with various sea states and swell from different directions. It seemed that anything other than flat water resulted in wave slapping. Watching this closely I don't believe it was the result of water slapping the bridge deck for the most part although this also occurred it was not very often. We did have 1 to 1 1/2 M swells which at times also had a cross swell. But the slapping also occurred in calmer sea states. Much of this slapping was against the inside side hulls towards the aft sections. This resulted in the dinghy being splashed which redirected some spray forward into the aft cockpit. The dinghy was not well set up in the davits and could have been higher. But the wave slapping was uncomfortable and caused the boat to shutter. My concern is that this is not common to all cats and could have something to do with the large horizontal selves on the Open 46.

We were very sensitive to the issues of pitching, bridgedeck slamming etc.. One of our friends and regular crew also previously owned a Lerouge Freydis 46 so has lots of cat experience.

The Open 46 has improved weight distribution from the Open 40 and good clearance. We've had no forward bridgedeck slamming but have also seen the occasional wave catch the inside of the hulls at the rear. I think it's inevitable in a cat.

In our case the dinghy usually protects us from any waves splashing into the cockpit. I think this has happened twice, both of which raised a joke about getting wet (as normally even in our lovely wet British weather everyone, bar the helm, stays dry under the bimini on the N46).

Originally Posted by iliohale

2. Coming off of larger swells or taking wind/wave loads resulted in significant furniture creaking below. This was apparent in the larger bulkheads running port/starboard. I felt that the boat was working with the loads in the way she shuttered when coming off a wave or being broadsided by one. No idea if this is common in all catamarans. Being a mono hull sailor I know that some working occurs as well but the Open 46 just seemed to be working more than I am used to experiencing.

The boat, like all boats does flex a bit in a seaway. It flexs less than our trimaran from a decade ago. We've had significant creaking as well. It's not from the bulkheads. It's actually from where some of the vertical panels meet the deck panels and are too tight. These have largely been resolved by trimming a couple of the panels under warranty.

Originally Posted by iliohale

3. Overall quality seemed lacking. Some things seemed well done and other things just felt cheap. This was really reflected in things like the plumbing system and overall noise levels in the boat. Plus when you opened up access panels it is clear that Nautitech does not go out of their way to clean things up and provide a better finished product.
4. Main sail handling is a disaster. A lot of attention will need to be paid to this aspect. Larger two speed halyard winch, better main halyard material, ball bearing cars, a complete redo of the reefing set up, a complete redo of the lazy jack set up, port and starboard car and sheet controls, a better main sheet car set up, and so on.

Quality feels inline with our expectations on price. We've been very impressed with the woodwork and the niggles have been resolved. The mainsail issues go away if specced for you as an owner rather than a charter boat.

Originally Posted by iliohale

5. Main ground tackle set up needs to be significantly beefed up. New roller set up to handle a Rocha or Mantus, larger windless, set up for second bow anchor, and so on.

I hope these notes help. I understand that Nautitech have sold more owner 46's than charter boats. We feel the Open 46 is definitely more of a sailors boat than the higher volume cat alternatives. We've been pleased with our choice so far.

[iliohale]

Hi n46uk,

Didn't see your name in your post. Thank you very much for the great response and feedback to my post. I would love to talk with you live and ask a few questions. You can reach me at gryan004@yahoo.com. Really appreciate your experience and feedback on the boat. Thanks

Gary

[LeeV]

Hello N46UK,

Thanks for taking the time to share your personal experience after putting a good amount of miles on your new 46 Open - congratulations, by the way!

I was glad to hear that the Nauti folks are paying attention to their customers and making changes for the benefit of all.

It seems that my better half (the Admiral) has taken a fancy to the Helia 44 so I guess we can also consider the 46 Open! I hope you'll continue to share your observations with the forum; I know we all appreciate it, especially if we're considering one for purchase.

Are there specific big ticket items that you found could be priced better and installed at a later date?

Thanks!

[n46uk]

Originally Posted by iliohale

Hi n46uk,

Didn't see your name in your post. Thank you very much for the great response and feedback to my post. I would love to talk with you live and ask a few questions. You can reach me at gryan004@yahoo.com. Really appreciate your experience and feedback on the boat. Thanks

Gary

Hi Gary,
I've emailed you to set up a call.
David

[n46uk]

Originally Posted by LeeV

Hello N46UK,



Thanks for taking the time to share your personal experience after putting a good amount of miles on your new 46 Open - congratulations, by the way!



I was glad to hear that the Nauti folks are paying attention to their customers and making changes for the benefit of all.



It seems that my better half (the Admiral) has taken a fancy to the Helia 44 so I guess we can also consider the 46 Open! I hope you'll continue to share your observations with the forum; I know we all appreciate it, especially if we're considering one for purchase.



Are there specific big ticket items that you found could be priced better and installed at a later date?



Thanks!

Hi Lee, the two biggish items which I didn't take from the options list were:

1) the instruments: I went for B&G vs the factory standard Garmin (I'm familiar with their kit and also wanted the Direct Drive autopilot), which we installed by a local UK company; it's a relatively short trip from the UK to Rochefort/La Rochelle to commission.
2) the sail package, we had North sails which were better than the base sails....and I have a relationship with them from racing. Nautitech also offer premium sails which I'm sure would have been acceptable.

Apart from smaller stuff, like the anchor, most of the spec were standard options from the factory.

David

[LeeV]

Originally Posted by n46uk

Hi Lee, the two biggish items which I didn't take from the options list were:

1) the instruments: I went for B&G vs the factory standard Garmin (I'm familiar with their kit and also wanted the Direct Drive autopilot), which we installed by a local UK company; it's a relatively short trip from the UK to Rochefort/La Rochelle to commission.
2) the sail package, we had North sails which were better than the base sails....and I have a relationship with them from racing. Nautitech also offer premium sails which I'm sure would have been acceptable.

Apart from smaller stuff, like the anchor, most of the spec were standard options from the factory.

David

Thanks David,

If we were to go with the 46 (we're probably looking at 2 - 2.5 yrs, including selling our tri) I'm not sure who we'd order it through, but I'll add your advice to my notes. I'm grateful for the advice! Enjoy your new baby! ~Lee

[Factor]

You will be disappointed with the performance after the CORSAIR.

[LeeV]

Originally Posted by Factor

You will be disappointed with the performance after the CORSAIR.

There's absolutely no doubt, but at 63 and 55 we are looking at retiring and spending more time aboard - comfortably.

[n46uk]

Originally Posted by LeeV

There's absolutely no doubt, but at 63 and 55 we are looking at retiring and spending more time aboard - comfortably.

Lee, I can echo that... 15 years ago as a 40 year old I also previously owned, raced and cruised a Dragonfly 920 31' trimaran. Corsairs/Farriers are great boats and we loved our tri but it really performs different role from a large reasonable performance cat.

The N46 covers the ground pretty quickly on passage with less exhilaration and a little slower than the tri but still faster than most other yachts both upwind and down. Very little stress or spray, unless we want to step "outside" and we arrive pretty fresh at our destination. The cat is also wonderful if you're having a peaceful sundowner at anchor or in a marina, as we are tonight... :-)

[LeeV]

Originally Posted by n46uk

Lee, I can echo that... 15 years ago as a 40 year old I also previously owned, raced and cruised a Dragonfly 920 31' trimaran. Corsairs/Farriers are great boats and we loved our tri but it really performs different role from a large reasonable performance cat.

The N46 covers the ground pretty quickly on passage with less exhilaration and a little slower than the tri but still faster than most other yachts both upwind and down. Very little stress or spray, unless we want to step "outside" and we arrive pretty fresh at our destination. The cat is also wonderful if you're having a peaceful sundowner at anchor or in a marina, as we are tonight... :-)

David,
You hit the nail right on the head! Great shot of the boat! Enjoy 😊

[Factor]

Originally Posted by n46uk

The N46 covers the ground pretty quickly on passage with less exhilaration and a little slower than the tri but still faster than most yachts monos

The Nautitech Opens are far from the fastest cat around, quicker than the Lagoon/Pajot/Leopard range almost certainly, but there are many others quicker again. So I wouldn't think a claim of "faster than most other yacjts could be substantiated. The open 40 is slower than Seawind 1000s and 1160s and slower than Montebellos (the forerunner to theBalance Range) and Lightwaves and other similar cruising cats. Not being too critical of them, they are a nice boat, but they ain't as fast as their marketing department and agents in Australia at least suggest.

My conclusions are drawn from real race results and over some significant time.