Why doesn't this beautiful catamaran sell?

[Sand crab]

Frankly, I would seriously consider the Catana 471/472 like 2hulls boat or the newer 47. There's none on the west coast however.
2Hulls has lotsa vids on YouTube BTW and they are double handling it pretty easily.

[44'cruisingcat]

Anyone who buys a second-hand boat could ask the same question - "why didn't someone else buy this boat before I did?"

[Training Wheels]

Eric le rouge, Brazapi, Awesome boat! Me thinks the West Coast isn't the place to sell that kind of performance cruiser. As a former Gorge sailboarder (Swell City was was my hang out), I doubt you'd be happy with a lagoon or even a Catana. We made a lot more compromises to get the the performance we demanded in a cruising boat. If I could afford it, I'd buy it. If you took it to the Med you could probably sell it for a lot more! By the way, the Brazapi 41 was on our short list.


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[leftbrainstuff]

Dont fall in love too early. It will cloud your judgement.

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[leftbrainstuff]

Also don't fall for unsubstantiated stories about all the famous legends who touched the boat. Its not relevant to a rational purchase.

If the boat passes a survey, haulout, sea trial and is at a price that is ok for both parties then you have something to work with.

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[socaldmax]

It is a very spacious, luxurious boat. If you think you and your wife can handle sailing it for the next few years, that's a plus for it.

It's entirely up to you, if you could get the price down to what you're willing to pay, then I say go for it. Another consideration is if you think you're going to end up somewhere a cat of that size will find more qualified buyers, you might stand a good chance of not losing too much on it. Considering you will have enjoyed the luxury of living on it for the time that you owned it, then it might not really be much of a loss over that period of time. Every boat is going to depreciate some, if you can get a decent price on it, then it won't be much more of a loss than a smaller boat, % wise.

[duefocena]

I can see a few reasons why she would still be for sale. As a fellow Southern California cat owner I wonder if you are aware of the lack of slips for a cat that size? I had to wait 9 years for an end tie for a 42' Lagoon. Another issue is the haul out.You have one place in San Diego that can pull that beam. Most of the marinas in So Cal are going to a sq. ft. use for charging slip fees. It has a foreign hull ( my Lagoon was built at the Tillotson / Pearson plant in Rhode Island ) which eliminates it from charter use in the US. Depending on how much work was done in the US for commissioning you might beat the Jones act. It is more likely to require crew in long crossings and big weather than smaller cats. The price isn't that high but it is a lot more than boats that might be easier to handle.

[TacomaSailor]

"I had to wait 9 years for an end tie for a 42' Lagoon. "

I guess thing have changed for the better here in San Diego.

I have two marinas offering me (bidding against each other) better and better deals on a 55' end tie. I can get one in my wife's favorite marina for just $320/month more than we currently pay for our 40' slip in Sunroad.

The marina where the boat is currently moored will also let us stay in the slip at a "decent" price.

"Also don't fall for unsubstantiated stories about all the famous legends who touched the boat."

Both people are current captains who are involved in full time operations of catamarans and both spent hundreds of hours sailing the boat. They have also spent many hours on the boat with me discussing many of the concerns that others have addressed here. Both individuals have done multiple ocean crossings in catamarans so I do listen to what they tell me.

"Dont fall in love too early. It will cloud your judgement."

I do have a tendency to leap in with both feet when I feel the love. Two days after I met my wife (little did I know she had just turned 18) sitting by a fountain I asked her to marry me - that was in October 1974 and things worked out OK.

We have been looking at and considering this boat deal for over 6-months. We are probably over thinking the whole thing but it is really scary going from a paid for 40-foot boat that we have owned and loved for 20-years to a 51' foot boat that has all the positive and negative aspects discussed here.

Oh - what to do - there is no rational way to decide.

"As a former Gorge sailboarder (Swell City was was my hang out)"

Doug's in the old days when hardly anyone went there and it was a nasty hike across the tracks and down the hill. I spent most of the summers in '82 - 86' camped at Memaloose and living out of the back of my SAAB. When we couldn't stay in the Gorge we would drive from Seattle to Dougs or Cilio, sail our brains out, and then drive home - all in the same day! 3.7 Pryde on a 8'3" pintail.

[snort]

Simply make an offer you can live with, and if it that works out, full speed ahead.

Although, winching in the genoa in a 25-knot wind would be a bit much. Did you say 'electric winches'?

[TacomaSailor]

"Although, winching in the genoa in a 25-knot wind would be a bit much. Did you say 'electric winches'?"

Yes - lots of electrics and a tiny little RF staysail on the inner forestay.

And a newly designed RF (boom) mainsail controlled by an electric winch.

[TacomaSailor]

Originally Posted by Ishmael

At 67, with bad knees and worried about resale value, I think I'd just look for an early 2000's Nordhavn. Cheaper, easier on the old joints, easier to dock/moor and haul out etc, beautiful, luxurious and strong resale value.

Interesting you suggest that. I have been trying to talk my wife into an N46 for years. I would love to have one!

My wife's attitude is that a good 45'+ sailing catamaran will have a pair of 40+ HP engines and will motor faster than an N46 and will also be more full efficient. When the wind is "Nice" she can sail and when it is not - we can motor.

Adagio has a pair of Yanmar 74 HP engines and motors at 8.5 knots at about 1.5 GPH. That is 1.7 knots faster than an N46 and about 1 GPH less fuel burn. And, when need be, Adagio can motor at 11 knots for quite a while on those big fuel tanks.

Wife says "sailing cat or no new boat"

[snort]

You're allowed to furl at the point too.
Nice boat! and dock fees are pretty good too!

[Training Wheels]

Loved my 8' 2" Open Ocean and hurricane sails. Three Mile Canyon on a 3.2 day!


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[beauris]

there are around 3 lerouge designed freydis for sale around 300k in france...brazapi& baramundi ( same boat same builder but sri lanka instead of belgium) went under...at that price point i would look into a preowned freydis


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[yeloya]

Originally Posted by TacomaSailor

Adagio has a pair of Yanmar 74 HP engines and motors at 8.5 knots at about 1.5 GPH. "

That seems a lot to me for 51 ft light and slim catamaran..Are you sure about ? For this cat 45 HP would just do the job, 55 HP is OK. 74 HP ??

Lerouge designs have an excellent reputation but not in the US. As someone suggested, bring her to Med, it would be 10-15% more worth than she is right there..

I disagree with the comments that she's too big and you should call for a smaller Lagoon or whatsoever. I am not saying that Lagoons or FP's are not good, but someone who is going after Lerouge would hate them. The alternatives could be Catana, Outremer, etc.
Most of Lerouge designs have a self tacking gib and singlehanding or shorthanded sailing shouln't be a problem at all, particularly if you have enough electrical winches around.

The only thing you should be careful about is the generally limited payloads of Lerouge designs. Freydis 49 is even worse..

The right price for me should be around K 450-460 USD..

Good luck

Yeloya