We get a lot of site hits on our boat selection process posts 1 to 6 which indicates there are currently a sizable group of people researching boats. In those posts I touch on sailboat construction methods. The construction of Lagoon catamarans, particularly the 450 model is a highly discussed topic in the cruising community right now. It even has its own Facebook page which you can view here. There is also a discussion on the Cruisers Forum you can link to here. YouTube has owners documenting their repairs in multiple series of videos. Here are few of them in remote yards doing it themselves: David Shih, Parlay Revival. These boats have two bulkheads that traverse the beam and to access them requires removing walls and furniture that was glued in place at the factory – so the work required just to view the bulkheads is quite a job. Once exposed, some owners are seeing cracked and bent bulkheads as well as fiberglass tabbing separating that connects the bulkhead to the hull. The hull will distort if not repaired making any passages a dangerous endeavor. With the numbers growing in the previously mentioned Facebook group, Lagoon has responded with instructions to its dealers for repair, but it appears undecided at this point if Lagoon will pay for the inspection or the repair. I have read over 1,000 of these boats were built and we see them in almost every anchorage we go. The bottom line is if you are considering buying one, make sure it has been properly repaired or have the seller pay for destructive testing to expose the bulkheads for inspection. A pre-purchase survey normally does not cover destructive testing. Additionally you should adjust your offer price to reflect the cost of the preventative repairs issued by Lagoon which may run into six figures depending on the breaks.
