I have been a great supporter of the brand. After all, with my wife Carla we sailed 26,000 miles in our 400 through the Mediterranean across the Atlantic and back to Portugal.
Apart from the normal cruising issues the boat stood up very well. Even after we hit storm force 10 on our way to Lanzarote I still felt the boat was stronger and more determined than we were. I had complete faith in the boat and the company that had built her.
Earlier this week we arrived at Southampton Boat show with cameras, tripods and microphones to carry our series of interviews with the current crop of boats on offer. Everyone we asked for an interview was willing and polite making an arrangement for a time to suit them. Except one.
We had contacted Ancaster, Lagoon's agent in the UK, by email and phone prior to the show but got nowhere. Three times we visited the stand and eventually we were told as blunt and abrupt as possible, that they were not interested in talking with Bloggers and Vloggers. I said I was surprised as every other company from Oyster, Bali, Hanse to Copper Coat and Ultra Anchors had all agreed, to name a few.
BUT, as we were waiting, we were talking with a Lagoon rep and were asked what boat we had. "We want to buy a 450, even though they have had wobbly bulkheads " I said.
The reply was astonishing. We were told that it was only a few boats that had the bulkhead issue and that they have all been repaired by Lagoon. It was just a couple of bloggers making a fuss that caused the problem.
At that point my lust for a larger Lagoon evaporated, probably forever.
It is well documented the problems the 450 has had, not to mention the 400 main bulkhead problem. As I read the owners of these boats comments on the groups on Facebook, I am astonished that they can say it is all fixed. I have friends with 450s and 400s that are still waiting or paying for the repairs
And if it was not for the Vlogger Parlay Revival Lagoon would probably have done nothing, preferring to sweep the problem under the very thin gel coat.
Their attitude is astonishing for a major brand to speak this way and try to defend their slow and incompetent solutions to a problem that after all, they designed into their boats.
They are still great yachts but do you want to sink your hard earned thousands, if not millions into a boat built by a company that has it's bowsprit stuck up it's transom?
The days of "spinning a line" are well gone with the end of the last century.
The dyslexic writer
Ancasta International Boat Sales
