40 or 42+ Cat?

[theDangerz]

Originally Posted by Factor

And the weight and ridiculously high boom and solid foredeck.

Specs show the weight right in the mix (and lighter than many) with all the other 40' cats listed here.

Boom is high, but we still have plenty of sail...

Solid foredeck may have been a thought/concern before we purchased, but at least so far in all of our time (actually sailing) we would list it as a positive rather than a negative.

[jmondl]

Thank you, theDangerz. Feedback from someone who owns a Bali 4.0 is what I wanted. I appreciate the others' feedback as well, but since you are the only Bali 4.0 owners you know, perhaps that explains why I've seen so few postings like yours. Do you find yourself spending most of your day with the aft door open or closed, and do you open and close it most every day (i.e., open in the morning and close in the evening)? Your usage of the "garage door" is of interest. Thank you.

[theDangerz]

Originally Posted by jmondl

Thank you, theDangerz. Feedback from someone who owns a Bali 4.0 is what I wanted. I appreciate the others' feedback as well, but since you are the only Bali 4.0 owners you know, perhaps that explains why I've seen so few postings like yours. Do you find yourself spending most of your day with the aft door open or closed, and do you open and close it most every day (i.e., open in the morning and close in the evening)? Your usage of the "garage door" is of interest. Thank you.

Happy to help out in any way we can!
We haven't gotten that official word from Bali, but everyone else we've talked to thats involved with these boats has confirmed we're the only liveaboards at the moment.

Certainly, we read all the "reviews" about the Bali before buying, but most all of the feedback and criticism seemed to be nothing more than opinions of people who have never stepped foot on one. We took the chance and have been thrilled thus far.

In terms of your question, I would say 90% plus of our time on time on the boat is spent with the rear/garage door open. It is a large part of what makes the boat so livable and frankly feels huge even compared to larger boats of other models we visit at anchorage (typically for sundowners).

Whether we close it at night has (so far) simply depended on how safe we felt at each anchorage. We tend to seek out/find ourselves in very remote anchorages, often without a town of any kind or even other boats, so in many of those cases we simply leave it open. If we are in a place where we have any concern we may or may not close it at night while sleeping but will close/lock everything when leaving the boat out of sight for provisioning etc.

Any other specific questions, don't hesitate to reach out... either here or in person.
We also did a boat tour as an attempt to start making more videos now that were aboard... if it's of interest you can check it out here
https://www.youtube.com/theDangerz

[Piscis]

Just watched your Video of your Bali 4.0

Very nice boat. Cant wait to sail one. We visited the 4.0 and the 4.1 on a few boat shows. Great living space, Salon and Cockpit.

Best regards, John.

[maxingout]

I have read all the comments with great interest.

Most of the commentary relates to interior volume and creature comforts and how nice it is at anchor.

What I would like to know is how they like the boat when sailing offshore. What is it like to be up high in elevated steering stations offshore in poor weather? When the main boom is so high off the deck, how do you deal with problems with the mainsail offshore? How big of an anchor do you need for cats in the size range being discussed? How safe do you feel in the cockpit offshore? Does it have an open cockpit on the stern and is it safe for children to be in the cockpit offshore without a harness and tether?

I have been watching charter boats in the Abacos, and all of the boats discussed work well for these shallow water sailors. How well do they work offshore?

I have never sailed on any of them, so I would like to hear about performance and livability offshore.

[CatNewBee]

I can only speak for the Lagoon 400S2.

The Lewmar 25kg anchor is sufficient in the Med with sheltered anchorages and low wind, but shifting 360° during the night if you set rode at least 5 times the depth and have an anchor watch app on.

We rigged a Mantus 85lbs / 38.5kg anchor to sleep better.

The Lagoon is a heavy girl. Very stable and comfy while sailing if you not beat to the wind too high (highest is 48°AWA with genova and main, 58° AWA on Code0 and 70° AWA on 140m2 parasailor.

Most comfy downwind of course, and fastes on beam to broad reach.