Privilege 435 vr Lagoon 440 / 450?

[sailmontana]

so as i sit thinking of retirement and what i can fix next on my Cat22 i am perplexed with the decision of these two well built blue-water cruisers. i have sailed a 410 and 380 extensively in the BVI and FL on charter and when returning from a 14 day rum filled haze i saw what seemed to be a dream come true. what was docked next to us was a 2004 Privilege 435 just returned from an Atlantic crossing and was star struck! what a beautiful ride! it was all kitted out with solar and wind generation, water maker, if i could quit and buy her then and there i would have. now after a weekend at the insatiable boat show">Annapolis boat show last October i set my hearts desire on the new version 400 or 450. with my mind set and my vision seeded i thought the search was over. i will be eligible to retire in 8-10 years and felt that in that time this years Lagoon yachts will be within my financial grasp then.
so now the question to the CF readers and to hopefully start a progressive informational debate: which one would you choose if you could, and why....

thanks for all those who have made this exist and keep it going! invaluable information on everything.

[smj]

Originally Posted by sailmontana

so as i sit thinking of retirement and what i can fix next on my Cat22 i am perplexed with the decision of these two well built blue-water cruisers. i have sailed a 410 and 380 extensively in the BVI and FL on charter and when returning from a 14 day rum filled haze i saw what seemed to be a dream come true. what was docked next to us was a 2004 Privilege 435 just returned from an Atlantic crossing and was star struck! what a beautiful ride! it was all kitted out with solar and wind generation, water maker, if i could quit and buy her then and there i would have. now after a weekend at the insatiable Annapolis boat show last October i set my hearts desire on the new version 400 or 450. with my mind set and my vision seeded i thought the search was over. i will be eligible to retire in 8-10 years and felt that in that time this years Lagoon yachts will be within my financial grasp then.
so now the question to the CF readers and to hopefully start a progressive informational debate: which one would you choose if you could, and why....

thanks for all those who have made this exist and keep it going! invaluable information on everything.

I think I would pick the Privilege for the quality of build, though I would consider neither performance oriented. It all depends on which one fits you best.

[sailmontana]

That's what I'm leaning towards but haven't heard much good about the " greenhouse" effect from the huge horizontal widows, i like it's stout French build and decent performance rep. I just wonder if it's worth the extra 100k.

[Jeannius]

Originally Posted by sailmontana

That's what I'm leaning towards but haven't heard much good about the " greenhouse" effect from the huge horizontal widows, i like it's stout French build and decent performance rep. I just wonder if it's worth the extra 100k.

Don't worry about the sloping windows. Most have external covers that keep out either 65 or 80% percent of the sun while allowing visibility out. We've never found it a problem while at sea and when at anchor we are usually either outside or down below in the cabins which are relatively cool. An advantage of the sloping windows is that if you ever get green water coming over the bow, it just flows up over the top. Hitting vertical windows would not be so good.

You are right about the solid build. I was on a round the world rally in company with 2 other 435's ( well one was a 445 but it is the same boat ). The 445 was hit by a ship and dismasted off the Brazil coast. The port bow was stoved in but that didn't really matter as the front 8ft or so is all a foam filled crash structure to a couple of feet above the waterline and above that is a watertight compartment. Most serious damage was a small hole in the stbd hull at around the waterline that was caused when the mast came down.

The hole in the stbd hull was repaired with epoxy filler, extra diesel was put aboard from several other boats in the rally and the casualty was then motored all the way to Grenada for repair.

Is it worth the extra $100k? I would say so - but then I own one - and you should recover that extra if you ever sell.

[dirkdig]

I can only comment on the 440 as I have one,
We love our boat and they are a well built thing.
Privilege are beautifully finished and do have a different look to the 440/450 style.
I was going to upgrade to the 450 but it weighs an extra 5 tonnes which is a lot more than the 440 which is heavy as it is for a cat.
The access to the flybridge in my opinion has been changed for the worse on the 450 now exposing the rear seating area to rain and waves coming over the top, it does have a much better shower setup though.

Either the 440 or the privilege would be awesome world cruisers.

[Talbot]

Big difference in quality between Privilege and Lagoon. Is it worth the different price - in my opinion yes, but it is a different decision for each individual.

The privilege is more expensive, but does hold its value better.