Chuck Johnson wrote: I grew up next to a river in northern Minnesota and spent summers in a rowboat with a Neptune outboard. My uncle had a Chriscraft wooden speedboat that we used on Lake of the Woods. No more boating for some 45 years until I got a job in Marina del Rey (Los Angeles), saw all those 6000 boats in the marina and got interested. I did research and boat shows and went on a crewed charter on a Privilege 51 (sail) last summer in BVI. This June we are going on a skippered charter on a Nauticblue 463 (power catamaran) in Abaco, Bahamas. I currently plan to buy a power catamaran and liveaboard on the east coast and the Carribean when I retire in two-three years. I subscribed to Power-Catamaran because I want owner information on the good and bad points of their liveaboard power catamarans. I have been shocked by the Lagoon 43 'sneezing' problems--I expected that a company with so much experience would never let such a design problem happen (I read that they are modifying the windshield to deflect the spray, but why the spray in the first place!). ------- As Power Catamaran List grows and more power cat owners participate, we'll be able to better serve people like yourself with real-world information. Be sure to post a report on your experience with NauticBlue. --Georgs -- Georgs Kolesnikovs Power Catamaran World http://www.powercatamaranworld.com

I would not want the following comments to be taken as being a defense of the Lagoon Power design by someone who sells these boats (among others) for a living. However, I have accumulated about 7,500nm on a Lagoon Power 43 (5,000nm over the winter of 2003/4 - logged here: http://www.soundcats.com/FrameNewsCruise.htm) and inevitably in this time have operated the boat in a variety of conditions from flat calm to a Gulf Stream crossing. My experience suggests that the sneezing issue on the Lagoon Power 43 is perhaps being a little exaggerated - Chuck, you say you "have been shocked by the Lagoon 43 'sneezing' problems" so I presume this is from first-hand experience of the boat and not through the often well-intentioned but not entirely reliable "dock talk". It is true that the bows of the Lagoon Power are more vertical than some designs and that the recessed deck between the bows does not provide the "blanket" protection of a platform extended all the way forward, but I find that in a normal range of conditions the "sneezing" is actually a relatively small number of droplets of water flowing back with the air that cannot compress sufficiently to pass between the hulls. The bows themselves have a fairly fine entry and do not throw normally up significant spray - the Leg 3 section of the log noted above shows a profile shot of the starboard bow with the boat running at 18kts and clean water flow and minimal spray are evident. The Lagoon Power 43 that I ran for 5,000nm had a flybridge bimini with a screen and so I can attest from driving the boat from this upper helm position 90% of the time that it was rare for any "sneezing" droplets to reach this screen. The lower helm windshield wiper would deal adequately with any increased levels of "sneezing" such as could be encountered when in adverse conditions running at 18kts into a 25kt breeze. I believe the comments made to this list regarding "spray from the windward bow" are probably an accurate description of what could be expected in any powercat with fairly vertical bow/hullsides moving at speed with a cross wind, and this is not the same condition as "sneezing". Again, please don't interpret these comments as a defense of the Lagoon Power but more as observations from use of the boat in real life cruising conditions, inshore and offshore, over 7,500nm. Ian Vale -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sound Catamarans LLC, 48 Hammock Rd South, Westbrook, CT 06498 Phone: (860) 399-3400 / Fax: (860) 399-3402 / Cell: (860) 391-3491 E-mail: ian@soundcats.com / Website: www.soundcats.com Dealers for Lagoon catamarans - sail and power Dealers for Excitecat power catamarans Agents for Alliaura Marine - Privilege sail & TransCat power catamarans -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----- Original Message ----- From: "Georgs Kolesnikovs" <georgs@powercatamaranworld.com> To: "Power Catamaran List" <power-catamaran@lists.samurai.com> Sent: Wednesday, May 24, 2006 1:42 PM Subject: [PCW] Chuck Johnson introduction/Owner feedback wanted > Chuck Johnson wrote: > > I grew up next to a river in northern Minnesota and spent summers in > a rowboat with a Neptune outboard. My uncle had a Chriscraft wooden > speedboat that we used on Lake of the Woods. No more boating for some > 45 years until I got a job in Marina del Rey (Los Angeles), saw all > those 6000 boats in the marina and got interested. I did research and > boat shows and went on a crewed charter on a Privilege 51 (sail) last > summer in BVI. This June we are going on a skippered charter on a > Nauticblue 463 (power catamaran) in Abaco, Bahamas. I currently plan > to buy a power catamaran and liveaboard on the east coast and the > Carribean when I retire in two-three years. > > I subscribed to Power-Catamaran because I want owner information on > the good and bad points of their liveaboard power catamarans. I have > been shocked by the Lagoon 43 'sneezing' problems--I expected that a > company with so much experience would never let such a design problem > happen (I read that they are modifying the windshield to deflect the > spray, but why the spray in the first place!). > > ------- > > As Power Catamaran List grows and more power cat owners participate, > we'll be able to better serve people like yourself with real-world > information. > > Be sure to post a report on your experience with NauticBlue. > > --Georgs > -- > Georgs Kolesnikovs > Power Catamaran World > http://www.powercatamaranworld.com > _______________________________________________ > Power-Catamaran Mailing List