Part #3- Bulkhead Inspection in our Lagoon 440 catamaran…before the grinding begins!

[@johnw6538]

Congratulations on the catamaran! Saw you in Swan Creek, the day I believe you renamed her. Hope the refit is going well. One other area to be aware of on the 440, is below the area where the mast is stepped. Some 440's have slight water intrusion into the area below the mast where the bulkhead crosses underneath. Worth getting a look in there to make sure yours is not one.

[@skatersmith81]

We had water sloshing under ours at one point... not sure how to mitigate it at this point... any suggestions?.. 😬🤷🏻‍♂️

[@johnw6538]

@@skatersmith81 If the water ingress can't be mitigated from above deck, if the area is accessible, first I would make sure any exposed areas are sealed with epoxy and painted to protect it. Then see if there is a way to contain it, or lead it to the bilge. At least it should prevent damage. If you're planning any rigging work, having the mast removed, perhaps there is a way to prevent water intrusion. Good luck with your cat as well. Cheers.

[@skatersmith81]

Thanks for making your video!… Pretty incredible, we have almost the exact same story, minus the bulkhead issues, so far… Bought a lagoon 440 in March in St Marten, sailed it back and put it up on the hard on the north Chesapeake, east shore, Maryland… We haven't torn her apart yet, not sure we will as there's no major signs of bulkhead issues… Just curious where are you guys at?… Zimmerman's Matthew's?.. Looks like a really nice boat yard! Cheers! Keep the updates coming! 🤙🏼🤙🏼

[@sailingpuuhonua]

Oh fun! Glad things are going well for you guys. We were at Dennis Point Marina in MD. Good luck have fun!!

[@skatersmith81]

Also, did you guys check your shrouds?.. maybe they're too tight?..

[@faircompetition1203]

It is not fine it is exactly as weak as the busted one - ticking time bomb . The opening is too big for the material used .

[@sailingpuuhonua]

Thanks for your opinion. Are you a naval architect or engineer? Is your buddy with the Lagoon? We are not, so we contacted a couple naval architects and Lagoon/Beneteau, and the boatyard in VA that does all the Lagoon warranty repairs prior to doing the bulkhead repair. We did our repair based on their advice and after sailing her are very satisfied with the stiffness of the boat and the greatly reduce creaking. We are also very satisfied with her sailing abilities. We routinely sail over 10 kts. Heavy boats are more comfortable in heavy weather for sure and fast light boats need to slow down in those conditions so the crew can manage the motion of the boat. Lagoons are charter boats but people routinely circumnavigate them. Any boat can be upgraded and modified for the conditions they will be sailed in. We are not millionaires, and if we were, we may have chosen a different boat but all things considered we are very pleased with our choice in boats. We got her for a great price and love her. She suits are needs perfectly. If we ever decide to sail to Antarctica or the North Pole, we may decide to get a different boat, but cruising in the tropics around the world is we’ll within her capabilities. Don’t take my word for it, just ask the hundreds of people who are doing it as we speak. Ticking time bomb? That’s a little extreme. As you said, they don’t break apart. Fiberglass is pretty cheap so if the bulkhead breaks again we’ll fix it, but I highly doubt it will. We overbuilt the bulkhead with glass. At this point, the plywood is really a non-factor as the glass is now far stronger than any plywood and it is tabbed all the way around. Pound for pound, fiberglass is way stronger than plywood and now essentially replaces the plywood as the structural strength of the bulkhead. Lagoon cats are not for everyone I suppose, but we have owned other catamarans, mono hulls, work boats, center consoles, and more and can say we are stoked with this boat and would recommend the Lagoon 440 to anyone who is interested in a comfortable, safe, and fun to sail cruising cat. Haters gonna hate….

[@niemi5858]

At 1:00 Jennifer asks "why did they cover it up like that?" I'm sorry to say that they didn't try to cover up the main bulkhead like that. Those "covers" you were peeling out were shims that the builders made up to provide an even base for the surrounding trim to sit flat on. This corrects the mismatch of the openings cut out of the structural bulkhead and the more decorative facings applied when finishing the interior. I noticed that the "structural" bulkheads were poorly tabbed on to the hull if at all. The poor quality of the workmanship is disappointing.

[@sailingpuuhonua]

Thanks for your insight. We feel the same.. we knew when we bought a Lagoon we would be dealing with bulkheads. After going through the bulkhead repair..which included tabbing the bulkheads to hulls, cabin top, and bilge we feel much more confident in the structure of the boat. It took a lot of work and about $1500 in materials. Now we feel like we have a strong sailboat. We are super happy with the overall design of the 440. Now that we have remedied our biggest concern with the Lagoon bulkheads, we feel happy with our decision about buying it. Now we have sturdy boat that is comfortable too 😀😀The bulkhead repair was difficult but worth it. Do you have a boat??

[@niemi5858]

@@sailingpuuhonua Yes, I've had three different sailboats, all mono hulls in the 34 to 36 ft. range. Being a widower, the last one I single handed. Alas after a lifetime of work as a carpenter, arthritis and a broken neck at Christmas 2 years ago have forced me to give it up at a mere 73 years of age. I am so happy that you are satisfied with the repairs and that you knew before hand what you were going to have to deal with. The largest benefit of doing all that work yourself is developing an intimate knowledge and understanding of your boat. I can still enjoy sailing, albeit vicariously through the videos you and other sailors post. Good luck and I will be following you.