General Info: a new Fountaine 50-footer?

[alexxx]

HELLOOOO !!! to all the Fountaine-P. sail catamarans owners!
your different posts on yr experiences with FP cats have been real useful, and i keep reading as i speak... you're clearly a well read and well experienced bunch...
There seems to be a rumour circling, that FP has a replacement ready on the drawing-boards for it's SALINA 48 Evolution, slightly outdated (some are saying - weather it's true or not).
When is the new cat coming out, is there question of a 48, 50, or 52 footer?
what have you guys heard?
i have seen both the Hélia 44 and the Sanya 57 at two different boat-shows, both absolutely fab! but the middle one, the "salina 48" - not so much - they clearly need to replace it with the same caliber as the other two new flagship boats.
I've bee circling around the Leopard 48, but I would wait longer for a new FP 48-50 footer, if one is due to come out within the next 2 years that is..
cheers guys

[yeloya]

A new 50 ft (+/- 1 ft) will come for sure. The announcement can come earlier but I don't think the # 1 will be ready for Cannes in fall 2013.

It will be from the same naval architect and be most likely larger Helia or compressed Sanya as both models have had a big success. Someone from FP said that this boat will have one big surprise but didn't tell what was it.

Yeloya

[alexxx]

thanxxx Yeloya !

[Palarran]

Originally Posted by yeloya

Someone from FP said that this boat will have one big surprise but didn't tell what was it.

Yeloya

I hope they have eliminated the sun deck with the dingy davits from underneath and replaced it with a hydralic lift like the Lagoon 560.

I hope it isn't that they have raised the helm station any higher than it already is.

What I really think would be kick ass is to have a fixed platform on the stern (St. Francis 50 & Voyage50) to handle a 15' tender with a 50hp motor and a hydralic boom lift that can function as a passarelle also. But thats really wishing.

[alexxx]

thanks for your comments guys. Fountaine Pajot ARE READING these comments, i'm sure.. they regularly read the posts here.. perhaps they will listen to how we want their new 52 footer?.....

[yeloya]

The surprise might well be something to do with their recently increasing focus on "eco sailing".. Some sort of hybrid ??

Yeloya

[alexxx]

is it true that once you buy a boat from FP, and if there is a problem, they're really bad at honouring the warranties?

[Palarran]

Yeloya,
I hope it is something more than that. I like efficiency but sometimes it ends up costing twice as much in repairs and inconvenience.

Another cool detail would be a large window in the two aft staterooms. Kind of like what the Discovery 50 has.

[alexxx]

also kinda like the new ISARA 50 also has

[alexxx]

PALARRAN? have you enjoyed your boat despite of all this? would you still buy an FP over a lagoon?

[Cotemar]

Originally Posted by alexxx

is it true that once you buy a boat from FP, and if there is a problem, they're really bad at honouring the warranties?

Fountaine Pajot is ok with the warranty work. I personally had good experience with them, even from the USA side of the pond.

Where Fountaine Pajot and Lagoon are lacking is after the warranty is up and getting parts a few years down the road. Its game over, who are you.

They should take a page from the Catalina Yachts play book. Catalina has stellar support during warranty and also years down the road. They bend over backwards to help you out.

[Palarran]

I'm not crazy about the trend of moving the helm above the hard top bimini. The Orana has a 1/2 hight helm station which I do like.

My first choice years ago, and still would be, is a St. Francis 50. I just couldn't justify the price tag for our intended use. If I was a live aboard, that would be my ride.

But, I would buy Palarran again in a heartbeat. I got a smoking good deal on a private owner, basically never used, cat. Those are hard to come by. It's not a fast boat though, about 1/2 the apparent wind speed. We almost always have friends with us so there are 8 or 9 aboard. It definatly has the room and mechanics for this.

Warranty hasn't been an issue as the boat was out of warranty when I bought it. I have contacted FP 3 times with questions and they have always been answered. But, I haven't tried to get any parts from them.

[alexxx]

i have visited the new Lagoon 52 recently...... great layout, many different approaches in the way the layout is done, but the quality of the build? i don't know.. many negative comments on this forum, from a couple of friends who own lagoon, and on so many blogs - so many complaints about just so many finish and quality problems on the boat.. one wonders why lagoon are so popular and sell so much... unless i'm totally wrong their quality problems? waiting for the new FP fifty-footer to compare the two. It seems like some FP owners are unhappy with FP down the road after they've bought a cat from them, but at the end of the day if those problems are rare, that' what counts, right?

[DotDun]

Originally Posted by alexxx

i have visited the new Lagoon 52 recently...... great layout, many different approaches in the way the layout is done, but the quality of the build? i don't know.. many negative comments on this forum, from a couple of friends who own lagoon, and on so many blogs - so many complaints about just so many finish and quality problems on the boat.. one wonders why lagoon are so popular and sell so much... unless i'm totally wrong their quality problems? waiting for the new FP fifty-footer to compare the two. It seems like some FP owners are unhappy with FP down the road after they've bought a cat from them, but at the end of the day if those problems are rare, that' what counts, right?

We bought our boat when it was 11 months old. We made FP aware of the owner change and they contacted us with future issues, and even sent us parts to strengthen the lifelines (they apparently discovered a defect). I've worked with Muriel Guillard at FP on several occasions for both getting parts and finding information about OEM of things. Always a positive experience.

Reading other's complaints, I've concluded some have a different expectation of boat ownership and take out frustrations on the builder.

[alexxx]

"We bought our boat when it was 11 months old. We made FP aware of the owner change and they contacted us with future issues, and even sent us parts to strengthen the lifelines (they apparently discovered a defect). I've worked with Muriel Guillard at FP on several occasions for both getting parts and finding information about OEM of things. Always a positive experience.

Reading other's complaints, I've concluded some have a different expectation of boat ownership and take out frustrations on the builder."
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dotDun, this is very good to hear. Prospective boat owners like me are having trouble getting a balanced opinion of a builder. Happy owners who are satisfied with their builders often sit quiet, and unhappy ones put it all out on the forums. It's frustrating not to be taken care of as a client after you spent so much money on a beautiful boat, but i'm really happy to hear of your great experience with FP.