What we are looking for in a Live-aboard Catamaran. Is a Fountaine Pajot Lucia 40 it?

[@scottgibson7893]

We chartered a Lucia 40 for 10 days in June that was only 3 months old. Super nice boat but a bit small for long term cruising. They call it a 40 but it’s really only 38’ long. The generator was wedged into the aft port engine compartment in a way that made it difficult for their tech to replace the impeller when it went bad. What I would normally consider a 15 min task for an experienced tech took him nearly two hours because of all the stuff he had to disassemble to get to it. The sizes of our 4 cabins looked to be the same as the guest side of the show boat but both of our heads had separate showers. Much better than the one you guys saw at the show.

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Great. Good to know. 40 did seem too small for live-aboard but always good to hear from anyone that has spent any real time living on it. If it felt small for a charter week, imagine if you had to live on it full time with all your possessions. I think the perfect size is in the mid 40' range and above. 45-50'

[@Hoshi_Toranaga]

Looks much more build for Liveabourd than the Lagoons and also looks like higher build quality. Might be too small for living, but impressed with it.

[@Bowmans-Woods]

We agree. Lagoons seemed decent until we started comparing it to other boats at the show. The constant squeaky floors on the Lagoons was something that would probably annoy us as well.

[@Gatorforlife11]

Excellent job! My 10 year plan is to do the same thing the both of you are doing. Keep up the good work!

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Very cool. Well maybe one day down the road we will cross paths out there in some Anchorage in some warm tropical place. 😁

[@cleananchor-lakeozark4369]

Very nice

[@r050460]

Please have also a look at the FP Astrea 42. That's what you are looking for . I have also decided on these 2 and believe me the Astrea is currently the best you can get, in the moment.

[@Bowmans-Woods]

OK. Thanks. The 42 is in the next episode.

[@woodyww]

Great video!! This boat looks like my favorite so far. By the way, those "little ledges" around the horizontal surfaces are called "fiddles" and are indispensable when it gets rough.

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Thanks. The little edges around what surface? Not sure what you are referring to in the video?

[@woodyww]

@@Bowmans-Woods Your wife was referring to the "little ledges" around all the counter tops. I guess "fiddles" is an old nautical term, but they do come in handy when the water gets rough.

[@KyleG0211]

Love it, thanks for walking through my future baby LOL I'm a simple guy and could make a Lucia 40 work, but I totally understand your desire for more space to live on it permanently. Too bad they don't have a Helia 44 there, I suspect would be more your cup of tea.

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Hey Kyle. For sure if I was planning to live on a Cat solo then a 40' would be plenty of space. Janice has a lot of stuff!! ha ha

[@Frindleeguy]

I'm excited for you guys to be able to live your dream. You seem like you're really going to enjoy it! I also have a 5 year plan - maybe I'll see you out there! Be safe.

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Thanks. Similar 5 year plan? Cool. Yes. Perhaps we can meet out there at some anchorage with our new (to us) catamarans.

[@Frindleeguy]

@@Bowmans-Woods I thought I understood you guys want to set sail / retire / liveaboard in 4-5 years- I'm in the same boat (haha). I am inspired by channels like yours to stay on track, so thanks!

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Yep. Retire in 5 years. Will be selling the house and seriously ready to buy a new floating home in 4. That is the plan.

[@glenpeters955]

Definately a better looking layout than the Lagoon ( imo ) I would like your opinion on the placement of the oven, this seems to be a new position for some manufacturers putting the oven at bench top level (nice) but stuck in a corner where the door comes down on the bench and getting to anything in the oven appears to be awkward (bad). Am I correct or is it just a visual thing ??? Thanks again for an interesting video, stay safe.

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Good point Glen. You can't put anything in front of the oven door if you plan to use the oven a lot. I think they just put it up there so that it doesn't take up valuable under counter space. We have NEVER used the oven on our boat. If we need to cook something we just use our BBQ. I'm sure in those hot Caribbean climates we would be even less likely to use an indoor oven. Maybe I should mention, Janice is not a huge cooker or baker. haha

[@justsomeit5818]

It's funny I'm watching this as you talk about depreciation. Have you seen the prices on the Lucia 40's lately? As of today 7/30/2021, the only Lucia 40 /3 cabin layout in the US is a 2017 and its going for $500K... Not much of a depreciation.

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Yep. We are in a Stock market, Housing, used Car and Boat price bubble. Wait until the bubble pops when the US FED signals the money printing is coming to and end. Check the prices 2 years from now. It will be drastically lower. IMO

[@michaelrouse627]

It looks like the cabinet finish was nicer on the FP compared to the Lagoon. Another nice video!

[@Bowmans-Woods]

I agree. It seemed like more effort was put into the cabinetry. Did you notice the floors weren't constantly squeaking too? Lagoon used to be our favourite but this show has made them drop substantially in our rank of production cats.

[@michaelrouse627]

@@Bowmans-Woods I noticed that too. Interesting that their quality seemed to have fallen off compared to previous years. For us we like Leopard, FP and then Lagoon for the big 3 production Cats. Thanks for putting these together!

[@CawffeeTyme]

Have you asked david and amy on starry horizons (out chasing stars) who have an FP Helia 44, if their boat is a good fit for a liveaboard? that way you may know whether a 40 is the right size for you.

[@Bowmans-Woods]

We don't know them personally. If we ever meet them we will ask them. I have watched enough of their videos that I get the vibe they like their boat. The don't seem to complain about it. People rarely say their boat is crap though.

[@screaminglegs]

@@Bowmans-Woods They've said they'd go bigger if/when they buy another boat. They like the H44 but said it starts to feel too small after a couple of years of live-aboard.

[@Bowmans-Woods]

huh. Just 2 of them and they find 44' too small? Hmmmm. Good to know. I bet we'd find the same. Once you load everything you own onto a boat, then every square inch is jammed with stuff and it would feel small. I imagine one guest cabin would eventually turn into a storage room or work shop.

[@screaminglegs]

@@Bowmans-Woods They really enjoy their boat, but when asked if they could do it all over again, they indicated that while they'd be happy sticking with the FP44, they'd like a longer boat for more space as long as it also delivered higher average speeds. They said that before purchasing Starry Horizons, they thought that a 44' cat would be a handful, but with the experience they've gained they realize that they probably could've handled a slightly bigger boat.

[@marksimmons7721]

You can get the layout on the port side with the 2 cabins and one head with a separate shower

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Cool. Thanks

[@lordhydromage6614]

The Saona 47 is my dream cat. I wonder if there is an option to upgrade the veneer. The Master bath on the 47 is the bomb as is the upper deck sitting area. 864k base so 1.1M fully setup ?..the pics on YW dont show where the microwave goes tho...im really looking forward to that video when yall put it out.

[@Bowmans-Woods]

It was a nice boat. $1.1 M?. Yikes. For that price, we could get a boutique builder boat. You would think the mass production builders would be cheaper than the boutique custom builders but once you add all the extra "options" you would need to live on a Cat they end up being the same or more expensive. We are leaning more and more toward the custom builders now that we realize the "Fully Kitted Out" price. Problem will be finding a used boutique boat. They only make a 3 or 4 per year so far less availability on the used market.

[@lordhydromage6614]

@@Bowmans-Woods i was just guessing but yeah...there is a really fine fully kitted 2016 lagoon 450 just 100 miles from me for 685k...too bad all my cash is in my 401k and 3 years away from that magic number of 59.5

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Same boat here. Occasionally someone will send us a link to a good boat at a good price, but we have a few years before we are ready to buy so we don't get too excited. Maybe there will be a recession before we have to buy and all the used Cats will go on fire sale prices just as we are seriously looking. As they say, Timing is everything!

[@jhk8513]

New there is a new 40 by fountaine pajot, the Isla 40. It seems that it is quite an improvement.

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Ya. There are newer boats. These video are older. To bad this years show was cancelled.

[@FeelItRising]

Plenty big enough for me and my wife to liveaboard.

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Janice and I both said we could live on this. It may be a tight squeeze as we plan to have a scuba compressor installed and other toys and life's necessities but, this boat could work. Probably the 42 and 47 we are about to show would work better though.

[@ronhecklinger1845]

I am guessing the astrea 42 will be a hit with you, I love it and size is perfect to 2. Can't wait to see your take

[@Bowmans-Woods]

We liked the FP's a lot. We didn't use to be a big fan of the Leopards but they really impressed us this show with their new models. I think our order of the big 3 production builder switched. It used to be Lagoon, FP, Leopard. But now it has reversed with Leopard & FP very close, then Lagoon. The build quality of the interior and the constant creaky floors was not impressive at all. We like the interior space of the Lagoons but that seems to be all they have now.

[@ronhecklinger1845]

We looked at a seawind 1260 liked a lot since they improved the back lounge area seemed very well made. Never liked the down galley but we changed our mind on that particular boat

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Ok. Interesting. We have seen Seawinds in the past year shows and in Miami and they never got us excited. We haven't really looked closely at them in the past couple of years. Perhaps worth another look but from my recollection, they seemed sparse inside?

[@ronhecklinger1845]

By the way they do have double sinks in galley! Score one.

[@sailingtribu]

Best review videos on KZbin...... Question? Are you doing a review on Leopards Catamaran? Particularly interested in their new 50

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Thanks! Yes we are doing Leopards later in the series. We liked them a lot. Can't recall if a 50 was at the show? Have to review my footage and see.

[@sailingtribu]

@@Bowmans-Woods will be patiently looking forward for those reviews. Great job on those reviews. And hope we will see videos on your purchasing process as well.

[@pandzik]

what is the height of the interior in the living room and cabins?

[@JoseAbrilMartin]

Hello videos, you could show us the Lagoon seventy 7

[@Bowmans-Woods]

77' ? um, no. That wasn't at the show. And that is not something a couple would consider a live-aboard boat for just 2. Sorry.

[@cutcrew2743]

Multihullcompany gives a very rough estimate of 20% depreciation in 5 years.

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Only 20%? I would assume it is higher than that on a mass production boat in 5 years. A boutique built boat will hold its value better. I think that 80% residual value after 5 years is higher than normal because we are in a financial bubble and people are buying boats because COVID curtailed people from doing things in big groups. Used boats are getting top dollar. Wait until the next recession hits and you will see the prices of used boat plummet. Then you will see boats drop 50%+ after 5 years.

[@mugustabjeonklei2613]

I wonder if there's a catamaran with an actual sauna on it... I hope to live aboard one day and I hate coldness!

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Just anchor your boat in some bay down near the equator and every bedroom will feel like a sauna. 😝 . Never need to worry about being chilly again. When we go we will never probably ever have to worry about living in snow again.

[@michaelrouse627]

I believe WS reviewed a Privilege that had a spa on it. Too much for this retired veterans blood. I’ll be happy with a 42 - 45, 5 year old production cat 😂

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Us too!

[@launchfiend]

welp, this video didn't age well.. cars are now investments in 2022! :D

[@FXPL9277]

FPs went further with the new 40, 42 and 47. They corrected what was wrong on previous models, got some ideas from Lagoon and Leopard and improved them. Spacious, functional and very well finished (hard top on the helm st would be nice). Thx for sharing.

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Thanks. Yes a hard Bimini over the helm is a big selling feature for us. We want no sunbrella anywhere. It just fades and looks like crap after a few years. Hard Bimini will never need replacing.

[@chuckrothy]

I could live on it, but the wife lol

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Ha Ha. Bit small for full time living. But, I guess if you were a bachelor? You could live on it. 😆

[@mihailchehlarov2720]

FP are cheap charter boats. For liveaboard you have to build it again right after you buy it. They push the quantity not the quality. Cheap materials, production cuts wherever it's possible. This will age terrible and the maintenance will be on par with more expensive boats because of that.

[@CDNRower99]

Less sink insights and more 'panos'! :o)

[@FeelItRising]

:D

[@Bowmans-Woods]

See, when a boat has 2 sinks we spend far less time talking about how outraged we are that it only comes with 1. The better boats have 2. So it wont get talked about as much. Just Lagoons tend to skimp on sinks.

[@screaminglegs]

@@Bowmans-Woods In my experience, the number of galley sinks is not an indicator of overall boat quality, but one of design choice. Some people prefer two, while others, like me, prefer one. BTW, if you eventually go with an FP, you could do much better than buying through ACY, even for a used cat.

[@CDNRower99]

@@Bowmans-Woods no worries, keep up the great work!

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Thanks Newland.

[@-bnqe-3119]

No Creaking Floors - wonderful - Better layout and design than that LAgoon 50 ---

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Totally agree. Glad we have the footage to remind us just how Creaky the Lagoons are.

[@kbob8424]

think that was Ryan who passed you by.

[@Bowmans-Woods]

OK. Ryan who?

[@kbob8424]

+Cruising Off Duty - from "Jessica and Ryan Adventures".

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Really? The guy that said hi to us inside the boat? No that wasn't him. Just a guy who said he watches our videos. Too bad it wasn't him. We have spoken by email. I would have recognized him and have chatted a lot longer if it were him.

[@alejandrotsolakis3093]

👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Thanks 😁

[@tedboender]

Two sinks? 😉

[@Bowmans-Woods]

I know. See Lagoon!!! Pick up your level of effort. This is only a 40 and it has 2 sinks! ha ha

[@JohnSmith-xn3fr]

Privately used boat does not necessarily be in a better condition, compared to a charter boat. Some owners of privately used boats lose their interest and/or the ability to take a good care of their boat. Chartered boat has to be well kept, in order to sail and generate income. I had a private-use only boat, and now I have a boat in charter. I can see the benefit of regular care, inspections and servicing while in care of a professional charter company. Off topic : did you get that divorce yet ? :)

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Cats on charter get used a lot. So even if you do happen to find a charter company that actually does do proactive maintenance, which is rare, then you will still have (in 5 years) a boat with a lot of use and a ton of hours on the engine and generator and watermaker and a lot wear and tear on every moving part. I wouldn't buy an abused or neglected private boat (so that is not a good comparison to a charter boat), but a gently used one. Cats in charter are never, gently used. Every week some new group of partiers take it out for a spin. Glad you are happy having your boat in charter but we will try to avoid any ex charter boats when we go to buy. They charter compamy can clean up the gelcoat chips and scratches from abuse and "put lipstick on a pig" to make the boat seem nice to the new buyer but underneath, everything got used and abused but the charter guests.

[@travelingtimothy]

It is a lot of money for these. Are people really selling their homes to buy depreciating assets?

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Yes. Houses may not go down in price but living in a house costs way more in operating costs (Gas, Electric, Water, Sewer and taxes) and maintenance (snow removal, lawn care, new paint, new shingles, new hot water heaters, new furnaces, etc etc etc) than a boat. So the selling price not going down is not the only factor to consider. When you add up how much less it costs to be retired on a boat than retired in a house...... the house does not seem like that great of a deal. Plus you can explore the world cheaply in your sailboat. You can't do that if you own a house and have to fly everywhere and pay for hotels and restaurants if you want to travel when you are retired. So, we will choose the Cat life every time in that debate.

[@basementracer]

I wish when folks were shooting video's of boats they would remember we don't look at everything from 3ft away. It gives so little idea of what you are actually looking it, its dimensions and how it fits within the boat. I am not interested in seeing a counter top close up. Show me the gally. You get the idea. Your camera is our eyes. We just don't look at things in the way it is being shot.

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Noted. That is an old video. Lessons learned.

[@rodneygaul2227]

wow , how many extra people are you planning on living with you ? So the guest have a wet head ???? and 1 of the berths becomes a storage area

[@FeelItRising]

Two wet heads when there should be just one head with separate shower for the two guest cabins. Drives me nuts that so many cats are like this.

[@Bowmans-Woods]

I agree. instead of 2 small heads I would prefer 1 larger head. Keep in mind most of the big production companies design their boats with the charter industry in mind, so they think every room needs its own head because on a charter you may not know the other cabin people that well, or at all.

[@scottgibson7893]

Looking forward to your Astria 42 video. I haven’t seen one in person but it seems like a good compromise between the Lucia 40 and Helia 44. The 42 is offered with a Jack/Jill head configuration. Separate toilets for each cabin and a shared shower between them.

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Yes. We plan to buy used so we won't be dealing with the factory to ask for a certain specialized layout. So we will probably just look for a 3 cabin owners version at a good price. Whatever head configuration it has, we will have to live with.

[@secondstartotheright]

40' is too small for a live aboard!!

[@Bowmans-Woods]

I think we agree on that. In a pinch you could make it work but, 42-47' would be better.