Looking for advice buying a lagoon 380

[SeaBas]

Originally Posted by Cool Hand Luke

Good luck and keep us posted!

Would love to read about your findings...

Thank you. I will report back when the survey is done.

[ixnax]

Originally Posted by SeaBas

The generator is at around 700-800 hours. I think that is considered low, right?

I will be present and paying attention to the surveyor, I'll ask him if he uses a checklist. What should I look for in a surveyor?

That he's surveying the boat, not you. Confirm the genset is since new.

[rabbi]

Originally Posted by SeaBas

Ah! I see. I suppose it's the inside of these fittings. I will be paying close attention to these.

No it's the core around these fittings that gets wet and rots. The tricky part is to interpret the values shown on the moisture meter, as you are measuring near metal fittings which affect the values.
So it's a useless exercise for you.

But this affects only push and pull pits, black water pump out fitting, and any aftermarket deck fittings and gear that is screwed in the cored area. All other deck fittings on the 380 are in uncored areas.


I'd suggest you just look around for things that are broken, detached, cracked, badly repaired, or just show excessive wear and tear.
Whatever you see point your surveyor in that direction and make sure it finds it's way into the report.

The 380 has no structural weak points that a novice can pick up IMO

[team karst]

I bought a 380 this year. Its been a lot of fun. Send me a PM

[boatman61]

The L 380 owners versions were not used in the charter industry, they go for the 4 cabin versions, more Bam to the Cram..
Engine hours can be explained by him doing the loop, as long as they were well maintained no worries, get a mechanic to check them out.
The L 380's are in my opinion the best that Lagoon has churned out.. Enjoy.

[belizesailor]

The 380 is a good boat and a good buy now I think. $190K sounds a little high to me, but being outfitted for cruising already is a BIG bonus. A friend bought a 380 a few years ago for $160K, but it had zero cruising gear...he now has well over $200K into it.

The 380 he bought out of the Dream Yacht Charter fleet in Martinique was very well maintained. No significant problems found in the survey or since putting a few thousand miles on it.

Things to look for in any cat:

- mast step area compression.

- standing rigging condition (note that most surveryors dont go aloft, so you may have to hire a rigger to do a rig inspection). If the standing rgiging is original then its well past time for replacement.

- stress cracks, especially at critical points like around the mast step, where the hulls join the bridge deck (upper and lower), bridge deck (underneath and where accessible on top), around all load bearing deck hardware... Stress cracks per se are not a big deal, but they can be telltale signs of more significant damage to the underlying glass work.

- internal bullheads where accessible, especially the main bulkhead below the mast.

- forward beam corrossion around fittings

- steering gear and auto pilot ram/motor/pump condition.

- sail drives: look for water in oil, state of zincs, and any signs of corrossion, check state of bellows and securing parts (when were they last changed...likely never), run them in gear and check for excess vibrartion (both forward and reverse).

- check keels/hulls for signs of hard groundings/repairs.

- sound the hull/deck, yep every square inch, for problem spots. Moisture meter/IR, in the right hands, can be very useful here. In inexperienced hands they are worse than useless.

If your surveyor is not familiar with, or doesnt want to inspect, any of the above then send him packing.


A few things I dont like on the 380:

"Escape hatches"...just an accident waiting to happen and close to useless for stated purpose.

Big Cabin Windows in top sides. They are nice for light/view in the cabin, but it sure is disconcerting to watch a good cross sea roll into them from the cabin! If they blew out they could move a catastrophic amount of water in seconds.

Davits. Not just on the 380, but many Lagoons, those angled stylish Frenchy davits make it a challenge to secure the dinghy properly.

[Cheyne]

We just bought a 380. The ask was $185k and our offer of $170k was accepted pretty quickly. The previous owner used it for a circumnavigation. They would still be going if it were not for covid. They had just rebuilt both Volvo engines before covid and had taken the bottom to gel coat. Both sail drivers were overhauled. My surveyor found only one real problem and that was when the engines were put back together the tack for the starboard engine was not working. I found a loose wire. Since we took possession of the boat we found a leaking hatch, but it sat unused for about 7 months. We opened them all up to air out the boat and the first rain showed us one leaked. I just replaced it. We pretty much didn't need to bring anything with us to go sailing and live on the boat. The family we bought from moved back to their home country and just left everything except personal stuff on the boat. I asked their broker if they wanted the stuff and she responded they didn't.

Our boat doesn't have the big cabin windows. I agree on the Davits. The old dinghy, about the only thing everyone agreed was junk, had to be replaced and I bought a like size and it was a pain at first to figure out. The old one was advertised as well used. IE it didn't hold air anymore and the fiberglass bottom was pretty rough.

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by SeaBas

I will, thank you.
Where would I test? in the storage bins, closets, and cupboards?
Thank you.

Don't buy a moisture meter...the hands that operate it are more important than the meter itself. Inexperienced users can get totally useless and misleading results. Hire a knowledgeable surveyor who already has the right tools and knows how to use them.

[Morndenkainen]

Going through the survey/buying process right now on a Leopard 48 myself. With a diesel engine, the maintenance is far more important than the hours.

I've seen diesels fall apart with 1,000 hours on them and I've seen them last well beyond 15,000 hours. It's ALL in how they're maintained, even when pushed hard. Do they look clean, run smooth and within temp? I wouldn't worry too much. Change the oil, impeller, and zincs when you get it so you 100% KNOW the last time it was done and sail on sticking to the maintenance schedule. Is there visible corrosion on the bolt heads, oil all around the bilge, and a slight lope to the way it runs? I'd be a bit more hesitant, and do a lot more "maintenance". Filters, water separators, impeller, look for any leaks (fuel too), and check the fuel tanks for signs of that "mystery goo". If things smooth out and the engine purrs, great, it's probably going to be fine. If not, I'd start budgeting for new engines and drives, because if someone's going to skimp on the basics, they're going to skimp on everything, and there's no telling how much damage has been done already.

I strongly suggest with your boat, you also get a moisture reading done. It's going to cost you about $500. You're looking to spend almost $200K. Do you really want to do that and regret not spending the $500 for peace of mind? These cats are balsa cored. If someone put a fitting in wrong, it's better to find it now. Totally up to you, but I spent my money on one.

Also, the boat's 19 years old. For the genny to have 6500 hrs, that's about 342 hours a year. About the equivalent of an hour a day. Does that sound like a lot? IDK. Depends on your electric usage. Some people will run their generator once a month. Others can't survive 5 minutes without the AC on.

Even with the price of the boat, buying a boat isn't cheap. I'm up to about 5K in expenses (survey, moisture check, airfare, motel, covid testing BS, international phone calls, etc) and I haven't even been to the BVI or the strip clubs there yet...