Lightwave 45

[cat man do]

Originally Posted by Factor

Yes I think I must have. Perhaps the word horrors had something to do with it. But that's okay - all's well that ends well.

Lets not forget

we have found ourselves in a life-threatening situation three times.

Edit: Bolded emphasis added by cat man do

[Joli]

Amanda, none of the issues you list are the fault of the boat. It is patently unfair to blame the maker for your inexperience or ignorance of systems and maintenance.

I'm sorry if this sounds harsh but being on the water can sometimes be harsh. I would recommend sailing lessons, navigation courses, basic diesel engine maintenance, and a review of sailing systems with a qualified rigger.

[Factor]

I think the key here is that all appears to be happy in the end. I understand that Amanda2 was upset and concerned, and I understand that Lightwave have responded well.

It is as they say - a happy ending.

[Amanda2]

Originally Posted by Factor

Appreciate it or not - I am a journo - asking questions is how I make a dollar

Maybe they should call this the journo forum then instead. I'll take note of this for next time when I'm faced with problems and need the sailing community's help to put things into perspective.

Amanda2

[Amanda2]

Originally Posted by Joli

Amanda, none of the issues you list are the fault of the boat. It is patently unfair to blame the maker for your inexperience or ignorance of systems and maintenance.

Joli, I did not *blame* the maker. It's good to know that on this forum you apparently have to be an expert on boating before you can share your experiences.

[Joli]

It sure reads like you blame the boat maker but.....I wish you well.

Cheers,

Joli

Originally Posted by Amanda2

Joli, I did not *blame* the maker. It's good to know that on this forum you apparently have to be an expert on boating before you can share your experiences.

Originally Posted by Amanda2

I only just signed up with this forum and the main reason for doing so was to find out if there are people out there who have been through the same horrors as we have with our Lightwave yacht.

[StuckInTexas]

I don't know about the rest of you, but as someone who is seriously considering purchasing a Lightwave 45, I found this thread to be very helpful. After hearing how professionally Lightwave is handling these issues, the Lightwave 45 remains at the top of my list. As many have pointed out, a cruising catamaran is a highly complex collection of systems and components, there will be problems in any boat, new and old alike. I believe that one of the most important factors in choosing a boat is finding a trustworthy and responsive manufacturer. It looks like Lightwave is just such a company.

Thanks again Amanda2 for sharing your experiences with us on this forum, and I'm glad to hear that your concerns are being addressed.

Regards,
Doug

[downunder]

Amanda2, you have done the right thing discussing your issues on this forum. Thank you for sharing your experience
I am glad you had your problems were resolved and I never doubted they would be resolved. My personnel contact with Lightwave has been through boat shows where the builders come over as genuine builders not just salespeople. Additionally I have found no negative discussions about Lightwave on sailing forums which says they are doing most things well.
Ancillary equipment supplied by other manufacturers can always create issues in a marine environment, invariably does, and must be planned for. That’s why many cruising sailors build in redundancy wherever possible. Fuel , engine belts, pumps and plumbing, electrical, rigging and fowled propellers are issues that must be planned for with any vessel and will happen at some time likely sooner rather than later.
We are always learning and your journey is beginning.
Good sailing
JP

[colemj]

A hard vang is one way to support the mast without a topping lift. Also helps with sail shape and control.

Mark

[Glenn C]

Thanks Amanda for posting your reply and some description of your experinces. I found it very helpful.

I am sorry some of the replies have been a bit harsh regarding your experience. None of us were there, so fair go guys!!!

I hope that this experience hasn't put you off contributing to the forum, as usually I find this lot pretty amenable to discussion.

Interesting about the topping lift, as in this months Multihull World there is an article from the folks who cruise ther LW 38 Josesephine ( I think I spelt it correctly) in Tasmania. One of the changes they made was to add a topping lift. I must say that I was curious as to why that was not standard. I had assumed that the lazy jacks would support the boom, but, all my previous experience has been on boats with topping lifts.

Years ago after sailing my Roberts 36 from Melbourne up the east coast I fitted a boom crutch in Bunderberg. (for those non aussies about 2000 miles I guess). Anyway, best thing I ever did in terms of security and ease of reefing etc. Now I know this was on a tippy mono, with a jiffy reefing system mostly managed at the mast, and I know technology has improved alot, but I still would be wanting to have a secondary support for the boom. Also after 3 years and about 12,000 miles, I really didn't have any chaffing problems with the topping lift.

Anyway, thanks again for your post, and glad to hear that things have been sorted out ok,

Glenn

[lancelots]

Thanks Amanda2,
Your input was very much appreciated I’m hopping that you will continue to post information about your cat and your journeys on said vessel, as I would be an eager reader of your opinions of the boat under different conditions

[rjrendemd]

My research suggests that the Lightwave is an attractive and well designed boat. I have never sailed one and I have not been able to find anyone who has here in the US. I have noticed that a lot of the respondents above are Aussies so perhaps their own currency makes Lightwave affordable. I am from the US and I find that the exchange rate at this time makes these boats expensive relative to South African and even French Cats. I've been told that the Australian dollar is very high relative to the US dollar because there economy is commodity based and China is keeping the price of raw materials high. I hope that the US dollar gets stronger so I can put Lightwave at the top of my list.

[muskoka]

Amanda2, It sounds to me like you had three distinct types of problem:

1. Defects: Cracks etc. are definitely manufacturing defects and it sounds like they'll be fixed. As they should be.

2. "Punchlist" problems: Your rigging problems sound like faulty installation and likewise should be remedied by the factory. However, as it's your safety at stake it always pays to do shakedown cruises of shorter duration and visual inspections of the rigging prior to any long sea voyage. Yep, that means going up the mast - or paying a rigger to do it for you.

It also pays to assume that anything straight from any factory may not be fully up to scratch. Boats are less like highly inspected mass manufactured items (ie cars) and far more like bespoke semi-production items like houses. And we all know that punchlisting a new house is par for the course. Likewise with boats.

3. Maintenance: The dirty fuel problem has nothing to do with the manufacturer. Even if they were tasked with laying the boat up, I don't know of anyone in that role who will check fuel samples. Especially since it was on the hard for such a short period. A good set of fuel filters in an easily accessible location are the way forward.

It's hard to reconcile the general level of work required to keep a yacht in good sailing order with our experience of other complex engineered items such as cars, appliances, computers, etc. Most technical things we all encounter don't need that much maintenance and will withstand a lot of abuse - but then they aren't sitting in a corrosive, electrolytic bath 24 hours a day!

Good luck and enjoy the boat.

[StuckInTexas]

Originally Posted by rjrendemd

My research suggests that the Lightwave is an attractive and well designed boat. I have never sailed one and I have not been able to find anyone who has here in the US. I have noticed that a lot of the respondents above are Aussies so perhaps their own currency makes Lightwave affordable. I am from the US and I find that the exchange rate at this time makes these boats expensive relative to South African and even French Cats. I've been told that the Australian dollar is very high relative to the US dollar because there economy is commodity based and China is keeping the price of raw materials high. I hope that the US dollar gets stronger so I can put Lightwave at the top of my list.

The exchange rate is really a problem for those of us buying in $US. A year ago the LW 45 would have cost about US$590,000, now it's US$815,000. That's a huge increase! By comparison, the new Catana 47 was being sold at the Paris show for US$775,000 and the new Nautitech 442 was US$575,000. It's really hard for a US buyer to justify the purchase of an Australian boat right now.

[marcoh]

The exchange rate makes purchasing imported goods cheaper in Oz now, but these savings are being offset by the huge labour costs!

Why would someone get a boat building apprenticeship paying peanuts when they can earn $100k+ per year driving trucks in outback mines.