Fantastic information Brent and Ana! Your experience is so varied with locations and conditions from perfect to no way in hell! We’ve always appreciated your balance between comfort and performance. Hope to sail with you in 2021!
It's amazing to hear from you guys again - we absolutely hope to be sailing with you in 2021 - Terry will be very jealous :D !!!! We've been watching you guys struggle to get back to your boat and have been feeling very sorry for you both. You've spent some time on Mikes boat and we have a common friend in Rory Crawford who used to surf with Mike - so well done for supporting him - its been hugely discussed here in the land Down Under. Stay in touch xxxx
Spot on Niki and Jason, Brent and Anna are two of the very experienced live aboard blue water cruising couples with decades of experience and knowledge to share with those who ask. Very interesting to hear that they strengthened structural bulkheads and fitted watertight bulkheads. This video they shared should help many identify some of the points that they need to look at closely when choosing which cat to start their journey on. Glad to see that you guys finally got back to Curiosity after being separated for so long. Hope you guys get back on the water soon and Aussie open up for you guys for cyclone season. Stay safe guys. Cheers
What a great conversation guys. With the Leopard 46, we probably fit more into the Impi camp on the light vs heavy(er) debate. We’d also been in a real storm some while back on our monohull, and when sailing the Outremer or Schionning, I couldn’t shake that memory of the storm and just how violent it was and how difficult it was to control the boat. We haven’t seen the same on the cat, or even close to it, but since we are always just the two of us, I feel a bit better about the risk. Plus, I feel the load carrying ability is just so much better on a boat like ours. But Riley’s points are all good ones, and I can’t really disagree with any of it....just not the compromises for us. Feel like we need a round table or something!
Hi guys - we've sailed many times on the Leopard 46 and loved it too. I will say less than more as I'm keen to read the opinions of the broader community - and yes, for sure - it comes down to what we want to get from our boats as individuals, couples, families ... I do know Outremer are working hard to find a balance between performance and 'carrying weight' so I'm watching this space carefully :) Look forward to seeing you guys on the 'big blue' someday ... Brent and Ana
So glad the O'Kelly's commented. Another valuable perspective. I tend to identify with their thought process on these things. Would be a powerful roundtable!
@@danielcallinan5629 Actually, I regret saying a fly on the wall, I'd love to just have a beer with them all and listen to their discussions with my limited/nil sailing knowledge but just sit and listen...I'll be the bar wench lol
RUclips sailing channels will get better I think with this kind of respectful commentary between channels/boats/needs & desires. My takeaway. Learn how to take advantage of your boats strong features & minimize it's weaknesses.
Possibly one of the most chill couples ever, regardless, whether in everyday life or sailing vlogs. Great measured, objective comments on a subject that can be tortuous to those making sailing decisions.
So nice to see you again! Could you please make a short vid eventually about how your rig is designet to allow reefing downwind and how it is done. That would be very educating for many people, especially me of course.
100% agree, or if you've covered it in another video, would love a pointer. Downwind reefing is an important set up to master. I'd also be interested in other changes to your sail inventory, set up. Reinforcements to the jib for heavy weather? If you are not racing, what is a solid basic set of sails? Main+jib + big code 0/D? or Asym?
Anton Ditt - Thank you and yes for sure - so many people are writing to ask us about this topic so I will see how best to capture us doing it in action :) I have shown it on some of our Facebook vids in the past but I should capture it better and do a full commentary. Please keep reminding me :) - we first need to get our craft back into the water or perhaps I could do this on a friends boat sooner.
@@marklong8608 Hi Mark - We have had many sail set ups since we started sailing. I would conclude that for ocean cruising we find our Hydranet Polyant sails (genoa and Main) are extremely forgiving. Our high performance sails in the past were great but we did not get the life out of them for the price we paid. Our screecher, assymetric, double genoa and spinnaker sails are all used depending on conditions. In stronger blows from astern we use a double genoa. I would say if on a budget - one needs a good main, gneoa and perhaps second genoa (Spinaker can come later and start with double genoa). This way if you loose one genoa there is a spare. I would then have a screecher or asymmetric sail depending on the passage making. An asymmetric sail equipped with a Tylaska Fitting works really well for folks who suddenly find themselves overpowered. I show this in a few videos - here is perhaps one you could find of interest starting at around 3:15 into the video ruclips.net/video/Kq63D4zv_5c/видео.html You can also use this with a spinnaker ... I will make a note to do a video on sail choices we have made when back on the water Cheers mate
Love your balanced and polite views. Our 450F has just arrived, we have SO much to learn and you guys are just an amazing example on all fronts, sailing, maintenance and apparently cooking!
Hey Impi!!! We got turned on to your channel watching Sailing LaVagabonde! My wife and I enjoyed watching this video ! We are in the market for a Lagoon 500 and it's great to hear about your 440! We look forward to watching some of your older videos. And look forward to your channel! Keep up the fantastic work!!!
Very articulate. It strikes me that asking what is the best cruising boat is the wrong question. It’s clear that many types of boat can work well and a big part of that is how the boat is set up and operated.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I have been following both La Vagabonde and you for years. I love the content from both of your channels. To have such a civil and informative discussion is rare. When Riley made his excellent case, my first reaction "Ask Brent" before he did. No boat does it all, a skipper has to be comfortable with his boat and his skills. Both you and Riley are competent skippers. I wouldn't hesitate going to sea with either of you. But, I have never seen anyone that can sail a catamaran like you. You wear that Lagoon.
"No boat does it all"? I disagree...Silent Solar 64/55. No wind, no problem. AC all the time. Full-size fridge/freezer. 8-12 kts all the time, yep, 24/7. Nearly zero maintenance (like you care...money fixes everything)...no gen. You'll need a couple of bucks...but if you can afford this, you can most likely afford the $1K-$4K/month on 512K sat internet.
@@willworknow Forgetting to mention it has a powerful generator for backup and if anything happens to those solar panels, it's basically just another motor yacht.According to company literature, it can only do 24/7 sailing at 6 to 8 knots. 12 to 14 is for short periods. Brent is right, lightning strikes can wreak havoc. If anything goes wrong in a remote area, you are stuck. If you want to see the real future of motor/sailing check out Energy Observer. Solar, Wind, Hydrogen.
What a rich discussion we are experiencing here! Thanks to you guys, people with no experience but real sailing dreams get to learn a lot, and believe that liveaboard is a possible dream! Thank you!
I saw you ploughing through HUGE waves on one of your videos. You speak about it . You guys are high on the list of best sailors I've seen on YT. Your experience really showed through. Fascinating watching you guys . Sailing Ruby Rose are buying a Seawind 1370 customized to their own design. Boats are always evolving
I generally do not watch RUclips videos, but this one popped up, and I gave it a go. I think you presented solid reasons for your purchase and what is important for your family. We’ve been sailing now for almost nine years full time, with our two kids. We live on our Antares 44, and have sailed is many different weather conditions. Like yourself, we’ve never seen the need to ‘outrun’ bad weather. Never. Sarah is always quick to tell me to ‘slow down’ and ‘reef early’ when weather comes our way - and for us, sailing slower (6-8kts) is preferred to faster. It’s more comfortable, and the crew feels a lot ‘safer’. Thanks again for your video. Well done and good luck. We are in the Philippines now, waiting for COVID to pass so we can get to Penang, Malaysia. :)
Thank you for all that great information. Very well said. Every boat is a compromise of some kind. And every new boat is just a blank starting point to build off of. I love your comments on know the strength and weakness of what you are buying , truer words never spoken. Thanks again for sharing so much of your travels, maybe do a video of the improvements and please include those roving bilge pumps! Safe travels.
Thank you very much for both of yours enlightened contribution to the discussion! I think you hit the nail on the head with your opinion that our needs are all different. The key of course is knowing ones needs and researching intelligent options in the never ending compromise game that is sailing. Cheers from Anacortes, Wa.
I agree, for young people one can get by on a shoestring, but from a certain age we do prefer some more comfort, you definitely know your boat and are knowledgeable about its systems, love to listen to your technical videos because you are so passionate and go into such detail that it becomes a pleasure to participate in your enthusiasm. Love you guy and would love to see more of you but I respect your decision to be more private and relaxed. Fair winds and lotsa fun! from the Karoo.
Great video guys. Totally agree with single line reefing - it’s probably one of the most important safety features that you can have with ball bearing batten cars mean that reefing downwind is safe and easy - giving a lower threshold for safety. As to point of sail we use a barberhauler/in haul to pull our Genoa in - giving us 31° apparent upwind. All boats are a compromise. I also think that the larger lagoons with longer water-lines have better performance and the difference between the offerings is much less than in the smaller boats. Good information and complimentary advice giving a rounded advice set between the two videos.
This is excellent, I'm researching my next boat and am pretty much in the middle of two almost opposite ideas. My previous experience has been heavy monohulls, and light fast cats. So on one hand I'm very keen on the new 48ft Balance which looks like its going to be quick, and comfortable. On the other hand I'm very much the type of "be prepared" kind of sailor who likes to carry lots of tools, spare parts, swapout-ready units (freshwater pump I'm looking at you), dive-tanks, compressor, extra freezer-space for spearfishing etc. None of which would be welcome on a lighter-weight performance cat. The more that this sort of thing gets discussed, the easier it is for us all to make informed choices.
Very well balanced reply. I can vouch for needing air con in SE Asia. We only had one in our cabin, which we used in marinas initially. At anchor was bearable with fans usually, but eventually we gave up trying to put up with it. We started our Honda 2kva generator with a soft start fitted, and ran it every night for 9 months on our trip from Malaysia back to Brisbane and had 9 hours of air conditioned comfort every night. 4-5 litres of petrol was a cheap price to pay for a good nights sleep, and waking up refreshed.
Great discussion of how the production cat vs. “performance” cat. I like your guys take on being heavy and safe rather than being fast and hope to outrun Mother Nature. Surviving and ability to ride out what the ocean throws at you is a more realistic and safer strategy. Last, I would love to get your list of 440 improvements to Impi.
I would love it too. You guys are doing exactly what I picture, how I picture it. I really appreciate all the things you said. I’m saving this as a great reference video.
James Nguyen - Thank you - Perhaps after our current upgrades / works on Impi I should do a video of what we've done to the vessel, some of our critical projects / less critical projects etc. We have often been criticized for 'over maintenance' , however, in a way we feel it's an investment into our 'enjoyable cruising time' on the islands to not have to constantly be dealing with issues. Our mission is to enjoy our time off the islands and try our best not to be falling into the category of, ' sailing is doing repairs in exotic places'. I guess we choose where and when to do preventative maintenance so we prepare ourselves mentally to plan and get through it. :D Cheers mate
Nice video. It's the old saying of fast, comfortable, inexpensive - pick two. We regularly have 6 to 8 and max at 12 people onboard and simply need the things that go with a heavy boat. You can't wash that many sheets, towels, and clothes without extra's.
Absolutely love hearing both sides, Much thanks to Riley and to you both for the advice given. I'm an older Australian who dreams of spending his later years on a sailboat. I have been watching Riley since his mono whole sailboat. Love you all.
Great balance of information, as always, between technology, rigging, electrics, safety and on the other side, beautiful locations. Thanks for sharing this. New owners could and should feed of off he information provided by you and Riley. Stay safe.
Thank you IMPi love your comments extremely informative restored my love for lagoons going fast is great but I would like a few creature comforts and take my time.
Hey guys, it would be great if you could summarize all the extra work you've done over a video. It would be great fun and a learning episode if you could add your reasoning for those upgrades. Cheers
One of the best sailing channels and I must say you are a most adorable couples. You are both so generous and kind with your comments, classy and straight forward. Cheers to the two of you and happy and safe sailing always!
Now that was Great...Real... Honest...No rubbish...Just Absolutely FANTASTIC... luv it , luv it , luv it & inspired to respond by an Aussie....what's not to luv Cheers
I have been following La Vagabonde since I believe there 4th episode on the Original monohull. I absolutely love this video, sharing your knowledge with the likes of LA Vagabond, Gone with 5he Wynns, and Sailing Zatara. And with all of us landlubbers dreaming of casting off!
Nice video Brent and Ana. I like you like a heavier boat for bad seas. They certainly handle big waves better. Like you I carry at least 100kg of tools , spanner etc including an inverter welder which helped me the other day when my davit bent and I needed to effect a repair out at sea. Having recently converted to LiFePo4 and a full electric galley leaving gas for the braai we love it. You can’t beat an electric oven for consistency. I used to watch sailing vagabond from the monohull days and was taken aback that Riley would not even carry a spare gas cylinder on the cat and they couldn’t cook for a few days. He also stopped a liquidiser being put on board at one stage for weight issues. As you say we have different needs but if I can’t take my diving compressor and all related gear to make me comfortable then I have the wrong boat !!
A saafie here. GF and I signed up first to power boat club. Starting now To Get to the retired ocean crossing couple for our future. Thanks for the info! Skippers course to happen in the new yr.
I seem to have missed this comment - sorry Robert ... We’ve just completed some new upgrades and hoping to be totally done in the next few weeks. Hopefully I can share these upgrades with everyone interested 👍👋
@@stevenwentzell5705 Thank you Steven. I'm not sure about custom rigging as mostly it comes this way as 'standard from the factory'. We did add a lot to the deck gear re directing rigging lines and yes, that is something I can share going forward as it really helps to be able to have all lines secured in particular 'spaces' when reefing in heavy weather. Thank you for your comment ... cheers for now Brent
@@CatamaranImpi apologies, probably a product of my inexperience, was referring to the spreaders and coach top travellers that allow you to point closer to wind, specifically. That bit seems like very useful info. Dankie, for the quick reply!
@@stevenwentzell5705 no problem my friend 👍 Actually the Lagoon 440 comes out standard this way and the reason I pointed it out is because when one is looking to buy a catamaran, this could be one aspect to consider - is how the rig is set up relative to the ‘lines / sheets’ and how that affect on various points of sail. It’s not a critical need as there are always ways to work around manufacturers set up, however, it is interesting that by having the configuration we do that it results in a great close hauled point of sail particularly for a catamaran which many consider not good for a close point of sail. The barber hauler set up is literally a looped section with a pulley we attach to the outside midship hornscleat and this allows with an extra sheet on the Genoa to bring the clew to a position anywhere from close hauled to broad reach sailing . (We play the clew between the two Genoa sheets on each tack ) I hope this makes sense 👍
Great comments your experience shows is what you say I learnt a lot great ideas on your Sailing and the Lagoon modifications. I am new to sailing but have 40 years experience as Captain on small Charter vessels working in very remote places I now have a 65 Fountaine Pajot second owner . Same as the Lagoon Great Multihull very well built but to sail very remote I have spent one year upgrading and changing the Multihull to be completely safe and able to have everything onboard The lightning issues are a worry and any ideas will be great to consider
Another Aussie boat (FP Elba 45) just sailed from France to Aus with basically only a couple of stops due to covid. They just took delivery and then sailed off. Shows that a well found production boat can easily do it. Speed can be great on short passages but then you need comfort and stability, time to sleep and that means slowing down a little. Slow is smooth , smooth is fast.
Really enjoyed listening to your views , your experience shines through.. I also feel LA vagabonds video is also a great tool for learning. Cheer's guys
Excellent discussion. We have a Maxim 380 Catamaran. You probably know it as she was built in Durban. We also reef without pointing to wind but unfortunately we still have to go to the mast to pin the reef. I happen to be the reef alarm as well!
Great to see you guys again. Glad to see you are surviving the apocalypse better than most.You two are looking incredible right now. Ana, what did you do to Brent, he is looking younger, slimmer and better than ever!! Looking forward to more of your content. Take care,be safe. Many Thanks,Dave
Very informative as usual. I'm reminded of my dive boat which we tested at 35knots on the Swan River. That was the only time we ever did that, because we never had flat enough conditions on the sea with it. Often 12 knots was your max if you wanted to have the full set of dentition at the end of a trip. Also we bought a literal hardware store with our current boat. They said, there are no hardware stores out there, so now we have the benefit. Sometimes slow and heavy is good sometimes light and fast. You can't outrun every low every time. Sometimes they just manufacture themselves out of the blue.
Watched this a few times. Taken me ages to decide a 440 is the boat I want. I can’t afford a new boat… but watching your films it’s perfect for what I want. And you have proven it’s a boat which can take it.
Cheers Julian mate - we hope you find a 440 that’s been well looked after and maintained . They are great base boats for cruising the world and like any catamaran sailing heavy seas, they require regular inspection and maintenance and if one does this with the 440 - ‘she will be right mate ‘ as the Australians always say 🙌👌 We absolutely love the feeling of the 440 as a home on the sea which is why we’ve not traded ours in 🙌
@@CatamaranImpi cheers for the reply, just been reading your website on strengthening the bulkheads… I do come and go on monohull vs cat… my sailing experience is mainly dingy racing and I used to own an Aussie made cat dingy and it sailed amazingly… and to wind! I could end up living on the boat for a very long time… and the 440 owners version is top of the list… the only one close to it is an older Leopard… but I still prefer the 440. Your clips of sailing in heavy weather have been an eye opener. I wonder how many of the mono snobs have watched them.
Fantastic video Brent and Ana, I am with you on the heavier Cat and basic diesel design. I am also a retired Automotive engineer and just last week was speaking with a second year apprentice who was not sure what contact points were in a petrol engine. He was amazed when I said I cut off a piece of tyre tread and jammed it behind a set of broken points to keep going one time. I said try doing that when your ecm fails. Looking forward to some more videos when you have time, all the best Steve in Tasmania.
Brent and Ana, what a wealth of information and experience you have. It was fascinating to listen about your adventures, but great to listen to your practical solutions to the various weather systems you encountered and the modifications you deemed necessary to maintain a safe cruising life. Thank you for sharing.
Always great to hear from you guys. The most thrilling thing I got from this video was how well you both look. Lloyds said some time ago that the number one reason for yacht sinkings was from rudder damage and you quite rightly include sail drive damage as it's the same thing really. Do you also have a water tight bulkheads forward of your engine rooms. Stay safe and well.
Hi Ana and Brent 🙏 Thank you so much for this and all other videos 💙👍 I also hope that you will find the time to make a video about all your upgrades, from strengthen the bulk head in front cabin, to rig and sails, fair winds, and thank you again!! Kind regards David
Your story and your glory and your glory and your excusitive and interesting like Rilley and Elayna. I'm glad you have a great adventure daily. Thank you.
HI Brent and Ana, I think you've done an amazing job on this video. I am in the school of lighter faster cats--built a 11.7m Pescott cat and sailed around the NSW coast. Your point is really valid regarding what do you really want from your boat--We kept ours very simple, outboards for motors which I would almost certainly do for our next cat due to the simplicity, weight and no drag (and no sail drive vulnerability--we still could sit on 9 knots with full cruising gear on board. Daggerboards is the other thing we loved. The ability to go really hard on the wind with minimum leeway and then the ability to pull them right up and sneak into bays. We certainly did not have the ability to carry the gear you do but I liked the simplicity of how we set her up and the performance under sail. Offshore, true we did have to slow her down, but this was more just taking down sail. We had three solid reefs in the main --and you're right the ability to reef on any point of sail is critical. So horses for courses.. Phil
I remember only too well your passage between Papua New Guinea and Australia. The 3 forecasts each day didn’t indicate any radical weather pattern. Cross referencing the data from the Australian Bureau of Met and info from Windy didn’t show anything unusual. Just goes to show you, you must prepare for the worst and be self sufficient because where you were, there is no water police, coast guard to assist. Enjoyed your video. Thank you.
Great insights and perspective. Would like to know more on your rig set up and how you can reef regardless of point of sail. That’s a great safety feature.
Note to self - will do as soon as we get back in the water :) There is a lot more to it but for now - I show it a little bit on one of the videos on FaceBook at around 1:53 here : facebook.com/cat.impi/videos/1888464021299025 - very short clip shows bringing in the reef line while easing the main halyard TIP: I also have a reflective tape mark on the mast and a corresponding mark for each reef position on the sail. I hope this helps give an idea for now. Please keep reminding me when we are back on the water
@@CatamaranImpi Yes, reefing at virtually any point of sail interested me too. One of the few things that I don't like about our Lagoon 420 Hybrid is that we almost always need two people to be able to reef. I don't really object to turning into the wind, but in some conditions it's not easy to hold her there. Agree with all your reasoning about light vs heavy, although budget deserves a mention, as light tends to be expensive.
Great comments from both videos. Where would we all be without youtube? I have to say that understanding the weaknesses of a boat is so important, the thing about production boats, like the lagoon, is that you can get so much info about them because there are so many on the water. Also, I think folks need to get a little better understanding of risk on a sailboat and optimize for what likely risk. While the weather is a huge risk, ask yourself what is the most likely risks, different for everyone depending on what and where, fire -> marina collision -> land collision -> weather. The weather may not be the first priority to solve for. Pluss $$ has a lot to do with how you mitigate risk. If you have some dollars left over after you buy your boat to prepare it for risk, that is probably a good thing.
Guys, this was an interesting video! Good to hear you talk about all these pros and cons, the things you changed on your boat, and your insights as long term sailors. Thanx! Happy greetingz from Greece, Wim
Hi Brent, as you know I often pass on your knowledge to others as I value your experience ( as well as some others ) far more than anything that a salesman may sprout. I'm not a blue water sailor so I always listen to those with real experience and what i have garnered is this. When cruising it is always best to be prepared for the worst so that it either never happens or if it does it's a lot safer. When looking at your sailing time somewhere between 80 and 90% of the time you are either on the hook or doing a short sail of less than eight hours. The biggest growth area in cruising craft is with a catamaran. Whilst every area of yachting is going electronic and somehow improving and becoming more efficient the humble WC still remains THE single most feared and unimproved device on any yacht. As always take care, stay safe and keep having fun.
Great video guys! Love your videos and all great points you bring up! As an armchair sailor, I look forward to your videos as they are so authentic. Please do more!
Happy to hear your unique and experienced perspective on the design triangle (cost, performance, comfort). Production boats have tremendous value for money in my view. Adding performance upgrades to that platform, as you have done, versus trying to gain added comfort to a more expensive narrow hulled/lightweight/fast boat seems the better route for most cruisers in my view. As you described well, heavier, wider hulled boats do not suffer so much of a performance penalty. I do wish an effective and less expensive alternative to daggerboards existed for production cats. I don't need spritely speeds, but I sure would like to see better upwind vmg on production cats.
I watched this video a year ago and since then watched a video made by the sailing family who sail a light cat and were on a long passage with a privilege that kept up on a broad reach. I agree completely that the more comfortable you are at sea the better and so what if you average two knots faster crossing an ocean, it won't get you out of the way of a storm but satellite weather will. Personally I think Riley was plugging the company that gave him a boat more than anything. Loved your latest video. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Rick and thanks for the comment - you’re awesome 👍 Yes we know the Sailing Family and took their boat up the river to dock it when they went into quarantine - awesome people sailing on Karcher👌 We’ve enjoyed watching La Vagabond grow into huge success and I do think it’s something to be admired - a full time job of video making though which must be tough and they reap the rewards. I’m not sure Riley was given a boat - I believe they were given a deal where the boat was financed by the builder and Riley / Elena had to pay it off which they did do in the end. Thanks for the comment on our latest video - it’s very much appreciated 👌 Have a great time Brent and Ana Impi
Good info from all the Cat lovers. I would be one but the 2006 privilege I wanted was sold the day it arrived in Australia, so I settled for an Amel 54. A cat will be the only replacement for me. But I still enjoy the vids from Impi. But not the times you stop putting out vids. Most times I watch to learn and you do inspire and give knowledge. Stay well and keep enjoying the voyage
Hi Guys, Wow a great follow up to Riley's cat buying video. Education is key and you perfectly described so much in detail. The yachting community is lucky to have you! Randy
Hi 👋 guys Nice to hear from you again - it’s been a while and we’ve been posting less and less with way too little time on our hands 😂 I think the yachting community is fantastic in how everyone shares their experience so we can all learn and enjoy our days cruising the oceans. Thank you for the lovely comment and hope to see you out on the deep blue some day. Cheers Brent and Ana
After watching your vlogs on here, I thoroughly enjoyed your technical skills, especially the bit of engineering you did to replace the impeller with an electric pump. These days I am starting to enjoy watching a new set of cruisers using DIY chart plotters and auto pilots, more the economic stand point of sailing. But for the longest time and still today, I still enjoy watching you and Anna and for what you did for that abandoned puppy. Just letting you know I enjoyed it and hope to hear more from you two. 👍👍👍👍👍🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂
My wife's favorite tip from Impi: Tylaska trigger shackles on the Spinnaker. Absolutely brilliant. I'd love to hear more about things you've done to improve the structural rigidity. My FP needs improvement in that area.
This experience that you have shared would be invaluable to those that are looking into embarking on the cat cruising life. The open and honest discussion that you have shared is going to allow people to look more closely as to what is important for them to choose the vessel best suited for them. It was very interesting to hear the modifications that you have done to make Impi a safer, structurally better, more capable sailing cat than the off the shelf cat. I would be very interested to hear and see (if possible) for you to do an in depth post as to the modifications and modifications, and I think that many others would benefit greatly from that. There are many cats of all builders that have suffered structural failures that have either cost many $ to repair or that have been total losses as a result that possibly could have been avoided by doing some modifications to prevent or minimise these failures. It would be great if experienced owners like yourselves, LaVagabonde, Impi, etc could do a collaboration series as you are starting with the actual in depth experiences that would could lead to possibly some manufacturers looking at building a cat that would incorporate the features to put a better, safer, stronger, better sailing cat available to the public. If only the manufacturers would get all of you experienced live a board cruisers together and compile a brief for a design that addressed all of the points that each put forward they could offer an ultimate cat. Having said that, there will never be a perfect blue water, live a board cruising cat that will suit everyone. There will always be some degree of compromise. Unfortunately for most the design briefs are biased to their leaning and also being built to a price, which is understandable to a point as they need to sell the design to the consumer. For the production builders, most are geared towards the charter industry that systematically upgrade their fleets at around the 5 year age which is before the main shortcomings of the build shortcuts become apparent. Happy to see that you guys are still on Impi and living your dream, albeit for the covid curve ball. Enjoy Aussie and look forward to seeing the occasional vid of your adventures. Cheers
Thanks Alan, feedback from customers to boat builders is very important. I think that this could be greatly improved as some boat builders are very resistant to change!
Well done and indeed very interesting. It is true than most serious, competent and passionate (about sailing/cruising) sailors will upgrade, modify and greatly improve their boat from their initial purchase (new or used; mono or cat) as they discover the boat and further learn to sail their boat. It is impossible to buy a "complete" boat from the beginning... such a boat doesn't exist and will never be built. Whether it's a sail boat or a semi-submersible oil rig, there are always improvements and modifications that are discovered and implemented. Thank you for your great knowledge and insight...
Hi Brent interesting topic. Both you and Riley are talking about “light” and “heavy” and about performance and safety, terms that are equally (ab)used in the cat market as everybody uses them. Riley even summarised the different design ratios. Starting from the position that both of you have a viewpoint as blue water cruiser (not racer) what would in your opinion be the theoretical optimum in these terms for a blue water cruising cat?
How long is a piece of string, it all depends on how and what you want to do? Think of a boat as designing your house, different tastes, uses and needs. Understand what you want to achieve THEN find the boat :) By the way, it won't be out there. Get as close as you can tick of 6/10 points then work on adding the rest of your needs over time. Ask yourself what's important to you.
@@spe2922 my question is more focused on whether it would be possible to give more objective insight to potential cat buyers on what they can expect from a certain model. Of course different people have different tastes, needs and requirements but in the current situation it’s not easy for them to figure out which brand and/or model will be the best fit.
Well Done Impi. A balanced view by adults with sea going experience having been thru the best and the worst. Hard to understand how bad it can get unless you have been there. Be interested to soo a Video on sails, angle coverage & wind ranges if and when you get some spare time. Cheers guys.
Hi Brent and Anna🙂. You forgot to say that your previous boat was a Catana 471. Enjoyed your video and all the points you raised about your boat. Interesting to hear about all the modifications you first did before blue water cruising.
Great content guys. It's nice to outrun the storms but as we have all found out. that isn't always possible. Love seeing all my sailing channels joining the discussion. I also wanted to commend you on the 3,000 engine hours in 11 years. Made me shed a tear. Haha.
Fantastic. No disrespect to Riley... you guys show what a lifetime of experience and learning brings. I’m in the market for a cruising cat and Lagoon is high on my list. The sailing to wind point you make is so true... I grew up sailing small very fast catamaran dinghies and in a stiff breeze I could sail closer to the wind and a lot faster than the monohulls. I think my experience of those boats if anything puts me off lightweight high performance cats... I know what happens when a really freak gusts hits you... I want a heavier boat and like you I want air con and the luxuries that make life nice... I don’t want to be uncomfortable... and if I want thrills I’ll take up kite boarding. I will go back and watch all your previous films and hope one includes how you added strength to the boat? Again thank you...
Great to see you back guys. A very informative video. If I was going to sit someone down with a beer - or two - and seek their advice on anything sailing it would be you two. I guess the saying would be, you've forgotten more than most know! Great stuff - thanks for sharing. Best from NS Canada.
Great stuff, Brent n Ana! I'd love you to lay out your ideal design based on your years of experience. Hull beam, length, bridge clearance, rocker, bow angle, and on and on. Shaft? Sail drive? Keel? Dagger. I'm sure it will be a hit. I lap up most cat video's and glean the best for my future home.
Well done Brent and Anna... Your advice is so sound. I have seen so many mistakes made by people who do not know enough to be able to ask the right questions. I once had a book "For the Love of Sailing "... Your passion is impressive. Short hand sailing and reefing downwind ?? I found this one the hardest especially without autopilot . Nearly collided with a whale !
I'm loving this content on both sides and can see an SLV/Impi series brewing off the back of this. Brent made a brilliant point of the ratio of time spent doing heavy open ocean crossings with the time spent on smaller passages or at anchor in the destinations you want to explore. It makes me rethink any potential requirements as you ultimately need the vessel that can get you across the open oceans safely as well as provide for you, your family and friends the rest in the islands. Your knowledge and experience helps us all out way more than you can ever know! Wasn't a subscriber of yours.......am now ;-)
Great and informative discussion. Can you detail your technique for reefing the mainsail while headed off the wind without turning back into the wind? Or perhaps you covered this in a previous video? Thanks!
Hi from GREECE, It is very useful for people with your experience in catamaran travel to share their knowladge . It would be useful for beginners like me to make some videos about the equipment, what good sails are ,how it is right for catamaran to travel in bad weather, how dangerous some places are from pirates and other events. I think it be useful to say about what it cost to have a catamaran and make long trips and live on the boat for long time.
Yes Mark, when we have finished we must do that. In the meantime you can see some of our adaptations and upgrades on www.catamaranimpi.com. All the best Ana
Nice episode, agree with you totally, in offshore sailing, some times reducing the boat speed is more important than going fast 😁 It will be fantastic if you could make episode to demonstrat how could you reef the main in the brodreach or down wind , 👍
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Fantastic information Brent and Ana! Your experience is so varied with locations and conditions from perfect to no way in hell! We’ve always appreciated your balance between comfort and performance. Hope to sail with you in 2021!
Absolutely agree with GWTW comment. Thanks Brent & Ana for providing a response to La Vagabonde video and providing more context and information.
One great sailing couple to another.
It's amazing to hear from you guys again - we absolutely hope to be sailing with you in 2021 - Terry will be very jealous :D !!!!
We've been watching you guys struggle to get back to your boat and have been feeling very sorry for you both. You've spent some time on Mikes boat and we have a common friend in Rory Crawford who used to surf with Mike - so well done for supporting him - its been hugely discussed here in the land Down Under.
Stay in touch xxxx
Agree with the Wynns, great information, thanks!
Spot on Niki and Jason, Brent and Anna are two of the very experienced live aboard blue water cruising couples with decades of experience and knowledge to share with those who ask. Very interesting to hear that they strengthened structural bulkheads and fitted watertight bulkheads. This video they shared should help many identify some of the points that they need to look at closely when choosing which cat to start their journey on.
Glad to see that you guys finally got back to Curiosity after being separated for so long. Hope you guys get back on the water soon and Aussie open up for you guys for cyclone season.
Stay safe guys.
Cheers
What a great conversation guys. With the Leopard 46, we probably fit more into the Impi camp on the light vs heavy(er) debate. We’d also been in a real storm some while back on our monohull, and when sailing the Outremer or Schionning, I couldn’t shake that memory of the storm and just how violent it was and how difficult it was to control the boat. We haven’t seen the same on the cat, or even close to it, but since we are always just the two of us, I feel a bit better about the risk. Plus, I feel the load carrying ability is just so much better on a boat like ours. But Riley’s points are all good ones, and I can’t really disagree with any of it....just not the compromises for us. Feel like we need a round table or something!
I would love to be a fly on the wall with a few beers during that conversation...it'd be interesting. Love your channel btw.
Hi guys - we've sailed many times on the Leopard 46 and loved it too. I will say less than more as I'm keen to read the opinions of the broader community - and yes, for sure - it comes down to what we want to get from our boats as individuals, couples, families ...
I do know Outremer are working hard to find a balance between performance and 'carrying weight' so I'm watching this space carefully :) Look forward to seeing you guys on the 'big blue' someday ... Brent and Ana
So glad the O'Kelly's commented. Another valuable perspective. I tend to identify with their thought process on these things. Would be a powerful roundtable!
@@danielcallinan5629 Actually, I regret saying a fly on the wall, I'd love to just have a beer with them all and listen to their discussions with my limited/nil sailing knowledge but just sit and listen...I'll be the bar wench lol
At the end of the day it's a case of what is fit for purpose. A great discussion.
RUclips sailing channels will get better I think with this kind of respectful commentary between channels/boats/needs & desires. My takeaway. Learn how to take advantage of your boats strong features & minimize it's weaknesses.
Possibly one of the most chill couples ever, regardless, whether in everyday life or sailing vlogs. Great measured, objective comments on a subject that can be tortuous to those making sailing decisions.
So nice to see you again!
Could you please make a short vid eventually about how your rig is designet to allow reefing downwind and how it is done. That would be very educating for many people, especially me of course.
100% agree, or if you've covered it in another video, would love a pointer. Downwind reefing is an important set up to master. I'd also be interested in other changes to your sail inventory, set up. Reinforcements to the jib for heavy weather? If you are not racing, what is a solid basic set of sails? Main+jib + big code 0/D? or Asym?
Anton Ditt - Thank you and yes for sure - so many people are writing to ask us about this topic so I will see how best to capture us doing it in action :)
I have shown it on some of our Facebook vids in the past but I should capture it better and do a full commentary. Please keep reminding me :) - we first need to get our craft back into the water or perhaps I could do this on a friends boat sooner.
@@marklong8608 Hi Mark - We have had many sail set ups since we started sailing. I would conclude that for ocean cruising we find our Hydranet Polyant sails (genoa and Main) are extremely forgiving. Our high performance sails in the past were great but we did not get the life out of them for the price we paid.
Our screecher, assymetric, double genoa and spinnaker sails are all used depending on conditions.
In stronger blows from astern we use a double genoa.
I would say if on a budget - one needs a good main, gneoa and perhaps second genoa (Spinaker can come later and start with double genoa). This way if you loose one genoa there is a spare.
I would then have a screecher or asymmetric sail depending on the passage making.
An asymmetric sail equipped with a Tylaska Fitting works really well for folks who suddenly find themselves overpowered.
I show this in a few videos - here is perhaps one you could find of interest starting at around 3:15 into the video ruclips.net/video/Kq63D4zv_5c/видео.html
You can also use this with a spinnaker ...
I will make a note to do a video on sail choices we have made when back on the water
Cheers mate
Love your balanced and polite views. Our 450F has just arrived, we have SO much to learn and you guys are just an amazing example on all fronts, sailing, maintenance and apparently cooking!
Hey Impi!!! We got turned on to your channel watching Sailing LaVagabonde! My wife and I enjoyed watching this video ! We are in the market for a Lagoon 500 and it's great to hear about your 440! We look forward to watching some of your older videos. And look forward to your channel! Keep up the fantastic work!!!
Very articulate. It strikes me that asking what is the best cruising boat is the wrong question. It’s clear that many types of boat can work well and a big part of that is how the boat is set up and operated.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I have been following both La Vagabonde and you for years. I love the content from both of your channels. To have such a civil and informative discussion is rare. When Riley made his excellent case, my first reaction "Ask Brent" before he did. No boat does it all, a skipper has to be comfortable with his boat and his skills. Both you and Riley are competent skippers. I wouldn't hesitate going to sea with either of you. But, I have never seen anyone that can sail a catamaran like you. You wear that Lagoon.
So Brent is a size 44!🤔
Thanks mate 👍
"No boat does it all"? I disagree...Silent Solar 64/55. No wind, no problem. AC all the time. Full-size fridge/freezer. 8-12 kts all the time, yep, 24/7. Nearly zero maintenance (like you care...money fixes everything)...no gen. You'll need a couple of bucks...but if you can afford this, you can most likely afford the $1K-$4K/month on 512K sat internet.
@@willworknow so how does it cope with a lightening strike?
@@willworknow Forgetting to mention it has a powerful generator for backup and if anything happens to those solar panels, it's basically just another motor yacht.According to company literature, it can only do 24/7 sailing at 6 to 8 knots. 12 to 14 is for short periods. Brent is right, lightning strikes can wreak havoc. If anything goes wrong in a remote area, you are stuck. If you want to see the real future of motor/sailing check out Energy Observer. Solar, Wind, Hydrogen.
What a rich discussion we are experiencing here! Thanks to you guys, people with no experience but real sailing dreams get to learn a lot, and believe that liveaboard is a possible dream! Thank you!
Impi those folks are Legends! Thanks for the opposing view point! Cheers to you two on the GOLD COAST! Fair Winds and Calm Seas! Best from the States!
I saw you ploughing through HUGE waves on one of your videos. You speak about it . You guys are high on the list of best sailors I've seen on YT. Your experience really showed through.
Fascinating watching you guys . Sailing Ruby Rose are buying a Seawind 1370 customized to their own design. Boats are always evolving
I appreciate learning from you. Please share your tips about things to look for when buying a catamaran. A tour of Impi would be awesome👍
As a member of the RUclips sailing audience, I am really enjoying the online interplay between different sailing couples. Thanks for that.
I generally do not watch RUclips videos, but this one popped up, and I gave it a go. I think you presented solid reasons for your purchase and what is important for your family. We’ve been sailing now for almost nine years full time, with our two kids. We live on our Antares 44, and have sailed is many different weather conditions. Like yourself, we’ve never seen the need to ‘outrun’ bad weather. Never. Sarah is always quick to tell me to ‘slow down’ and ‘reef early’ when weather comes our way - and for us, sailing slower (6-8kts) is preferred to faster. It’s more comfortable, and the crew feels a lot ‘safer’. Thanks again for your video. Well done and good luck. We are in the Philippines now, waiting for COVID to pass so we can get to Penang, Malaysia. :)
Hey Field Trip family! Thanks for your comments and all the sharing you do! Your anchoring info came in handy in Indonesia! Stay strong 💪💪💪
Thank you for all that great information. Very well said. Every boat is a compromise of some kind. And every new boat is just a blank starting point to build off of. I love your comments on know the strength and weakness of what you are buying , truer words never spoken. Thanks again for sharing so much of your travels, maybe do a video of the improvements and please include those roving bilge pumps! Safe travels.
Thank you very much for both of yours enlightened contribution to the discussion! I think you hit the nail on the head with your opinion that our needs are all different. The key of course is knowing ones needs and researching intelligent options in the never ending compromise game that is sailing.
Cheers from Anacortes, Wa.
I agree, for young people one can get by on a shoestring, but from a certain age we do prefer some more comfort, you definitely know your boat and are knowledgeable about its systems, love to listen to your technical videos because you are so passionate and go into such detail that it becomes a pleasure to participate in your enthusiasm. Love you guy and would love to see more of you but I respect your decision to be more private and relaxed. Fair winds and lotsa fun! from the Karoo.
Great video guys. Totally agree with single line reefing - it’s probably one of the most important safety features that you can have with ball bearing batten cars mean that reefing downwind is safe and easy - giving a lower threshold for safety. As to point of sail we use a barberhauler/in haul to pull our Genoa in - giving us 31° apparent upwind. All boats are a compromise. I also think that the larger lagoons with longer water-lines have better performance and the difference between the offerings is much less than in the smaller boats. Good information and complimentary advice giving a rounded advice set between the two videos.
This is excellent, I'm researching my next boat and am pretty much in the middle of two almost opposite ideas. My previous experience has been heavy monohulls, and light fast cats.
So on one hand I'm very keen on the new 48ft Balance which looks like its going to be quick, and comfortable. On the other hand I'm very much the type of "be prepared" kind of sailor who likes to carry lots of tools, spare parts, swapout-ready units (freshwater pump I'm looking at you), dive-tanks, compressor, extra freezer-space for spearfishing etc. None of which would be welcome on a lighter-weight performance cat. The more that this sort of thing gets discussed, the easier it is for us all to make informed choices.
Very well balanced reply. I can vouch for needing air con in SE Asia. We only had one in our cabin, which we used in marinas initially. At anchor was bearable with fans usually, but eventually we gave up trying to put up with it. We started our Honda 2kva generator with a soft start fitted, and ran it every night for 9 months on our trip from Malaysia back to Brisbane and had 9 hours of air conditioned comfort every night. 4-5 litres of petrol was a cheap price to pay for a good nights sleep, and waking up refreshed.
Great discussion of how the production cat vs. “performance” cat. I like your guys take on being heavy and safe rather than being fast and hope to outrun Mother Nature. Surviving and ability to ride out what the ocean throws at you is a more realistic and safer strategy. Last, I would love to get your list of 440 improvements to Impi.
I would love it too. You guys are doing exactly what I picture, how I picture it. I really appreciate all the things you said. I’m saving this as a great reference video.
James Nguyen - Thank you - Perhaps after our current upgrades / works on Impi I should do a video of what we've done to the vessel, some of our critical projects / less critical projects etc.
We have often been criticized for 'over maintenance' , however, in a way we feel it's an investment into our 'enjoyable cruising time' on the islands to not have to constantly be dealing with issues. Our mission is to enjoy our time off the islands and try our best not to be falling into the category of, ' sailing is doing repairs in exotic places'. I guess we choose where and when to do preventative maintenance so we prepare ourselves mentally to plan and get through it. :D
Cheers mate
Have a look at our website maybe www.catamaranimpi.com
Nice video. It's the old saying of fast, comfortable, inexpensive - pick two. We regularly have 6 to 8 and max at 12 people onboard and simply need the things that go with a heavy boat. You can't wash that many sheets, towels, and clothes without extra's.
Absolutely love hearing both sides, Much thanks to Riley and to you both for the advice given. I'm an older Australian who dreams of spending his later years on a sailboat. I have been watching Riley since his mono whole sailboat. Love you all.
Great balance of information, as always, between technology, rigging, electrics, safety and on the other side, beautiful locations. Thanks for sharing this. New owners could and should feed of off he information provided by you and Riley. Stay safe.
Thank you IMPi love your comments extremely informative restored my love for lagoons going fast is great but I would like a few creature comforts and take my time.
Hey guys, it would be great if you could summarize all the extra work you've done over a video. It would be great fun and a learning episode if you could add your reasoning for those upgrades. Cheers
absolutely second this! If you have time that would be amazing.
Hi guys, yes we must do that soon!
Very valuable advice from two of the best. Thanks for sharing this Ana and Brent.
One of the best sailing channels and I must say you are a most adorable couples. You are both so generous and kind with your comments, classy and straight forward. Cheers to the two of you and happy and safe sailing always!
Now that was Great...Real...
Honest...No rubbish...Just Absolutely FANTASTIC...
luv it , luv it , luv it & inspired to respond by an Aussie....what's not to luv
Cheers
I have been following La Vagabonde since I believe there 4th episode on the Original monohull. I absolutely love this video, sharing your knowledge with the likes of LA Vagabond, Gone with 5he Wynns, and Sailing Zatara. And with all of us landlubbers dreaming of casting off!
Nice video Brent and Ana. I like you like a heavier boat for bad seas. They certainly handle big waves better.
Like you I carry at least 100kg of tools , spanner etc including an inverter welder which helped me the other day when my davit bent and I needed to effect a repair out at sea.
Having recently converted to LiFePo4 and a full electric galley leaving gas for the braai we love it. You can’t beat an electric oven for consistency.
I used to watch sailing vagabond from the monohull days and was taken aback that Riley would not even carry a spare gas cylinder on the cat and they couldn’t cook for a few days. He also stopped a liquidiser being put on board at one stage for weight issues. As you say we have different needs but if I can’t take my diving compressor and all related gear to make me comfortable then I have the wrong boat !!
A saafie here. GF and I signed up first to power boat club. Starting now To Get to the retired ocean crossing couple for our future. Thanks for the info! Skippers course to happen in the new yr.
Now we need the list of ‘converting your 440 into a proper blue water cat’!
I seem to have missed this comment - sorry Robert ...
We’ve just completed some new upgrades and hoping to be totally done in the next few weeks. Hopefully I can share these upgrades with everyone interested 👍👋
@@CatamaranImpi discovered you this morning. Was going to make a similar request to this, but especially interested in your custom rigging.
@@stevenwentzell5705 Thank you Steven. I'm not sure about custom rigging as mostly it comes this way as 'standard from the factory'. We did add a lot to the deck gear re directing rigging lines and yes, that is something I can share going forward as it really helps to be able to have all lines secured in particular 'spaces' when reefing in heavy weather. Thank you for your comment ... cheers for now Brent
@@CatamaranImpi apologies, probably a product of my inexperience, was referring to the spreaders and coach top travellers that allow you to point closer to wind, specifically. That bit seems like very useful info. Dankie, for the quick reply!
@@stevenwentzell5705 no problem my friend 👍
Actually the Lagoon 440 comes out standard this way and the reason I pointed it out is because when one is looking to buy a catamaran, this could be one aspect to consider - is how the rig is set up relative to the ‘lines / sheets’ and how that affect on various points of sail.
It’s not a critical need as there are always ways to work around manufacturers set up, however, it is interesting that by having the configuration we do that it results in a great close hauled point of sail particularly for a catamaran which many consider not good for a close point of sail.
The barber hauler set up is literally a looped section with a pulley we attach to the outside midship hornscleat and this allows with an extra sheet on the Genoa to bring the clew to a position anywhere from close hauled to broad reach sailing . (We play the clew between the two Genoa sheets on each tack )
I hope this makes sense 👍
As always Team Impi hits it out of the ball park, great video, experienced content, thanks for your perspective, safe seas and fair winds to you guys.
Great comments your experience shows is what you say I learnt a lot great ideas on your Sailing and the Lagoon modifications. I am new to sailing but have 40 years experience as Captain on small Charter vessels working in very remote places I now have a 65 Fountaine Pajot second owner . Same as the Lagoon Great Multihull very well built but to sail very remote I have spent one year upgrading and changing the Multihull to be completely safe and able to have everything onboard
The lightning issues are a worry and any ideas will be great to consider
Another Aussie boat (FP Elba 45) just sailed from France to Aus with basically only a couple of stops due to covid. They just took delivery and then sailed off. Shows that a well found production boat can easily do it. Speed can be great on short passages but then you need comfort and stability, time to sleep and that means slowing down a little. Slow is smooth , smooth is fast.
I watched all those episodes as well, bloody hell, what a trip.
Very good perspective. Owning a performance monohull, I would definitely recommend a heavier displacement boat for extended off shore sailing.
Great to hear from the both of you again
Really enjoyed listening to your views , your experience shines through.. I also feel LA vagabonds video is also a great tool for learning. Cheer's guys
Excellent discussion. We have a Maxim 380 Catamaran. You probably know it as she was built in Durban. We also reef without pointing to wind but unfortunately we still have to go to the mast to pin the reef. I happen to be the reef alarm as well!
Welcome back. I always considered you the Encyclopedia of boat layout. Have missed you!
Great to see you guys again. Glad to see you are surviving the apocalypse better than most.You two are looking incredible right now. Ana, what did you do to Brent, he is looking younger, slimmer and better than ever!! Looking forward to more of your content.
Take care,be safe. Many Thanks,Dave
It's always a good day when I see a video from you two who I consider the best sailing teachers on the Planet. Thanks for this one!
Very informative as usual. I'm reminded of my dive boat which we tested at 35knots on the Swan River. That was the only time we ever did that, because we never had flat enough conditions on the sea with it. Often 12 knots was your max if you wanted to have the full set of dentition at the end of a trip. Also we bought a literal hardware store with our current boat. They said, there are no hardware stores out there, so now we have the benefit. Sometimes slow and heavy is good sometimes light and fast. You can't outrun every low every time. Sometimes they just manufacture themselves out of the blue.
Thanks Phil. Yes we still have a full set of teeth!
Watched this a few times. Taken me ages to decide a 440 is the boat I want. I can’t afford a new boat… but watching your films it’s perfect for what I want. And you have proven it’s a boat which can take it.
Cheers Julian mate - we hope you find a 440 that’s been well looked after and maintained . They are great base boats for cruising the world and like any catamaran sailing heavy seas, they require regular inspection and maintenance and if one does this with the 440 - ‘she will be right mate ‘ as the Australians always say 🙌👌
We absolutely love the feeling of the 440 as a home on the sea which is why we’ve not traded ours in 🙌
@@CatamaranImpi cheers for the reply, just been reading your website on strengthening the bulkheads… I do come and go on monohull vs cat… my sailing experience is mainly dingy racing and I used to own an Aussie made cat dingy and it sailed amazingly… and to wind! I could end up living on the boat for a very long time… and the 440 owners version is top of the list… the only one close to it is an older Leopard… but I still prefer the 440. Your clips of sailing in heavy weather have been an eye opener. I wonder how many of the mono snobs have watched them.
Fantastic video Brent and Ana, I am with you on the heavier Cat and basic diesel design. I am also a retired Automotive engineer and just last week was speaking with a second year apprentice who was not sure what contact points were in a petrol engine. He was amazed when I said I cut off a piece of tyre tread and jammed it behind a set of broken points to keep going one time. I said try doing that when your ecm fails. Looking forward to some more videos when you have time, all the best Steve in Tasmania.
Hi Steve!
Brent and Ana, what a wealth of information and experience you have. It was fascinating to listen about your adventures, but great to listen to your practical solutions to the various weather systems you encountered and the modifications you deemed necessary to maintain a safe cruising life. Thank you for sharing.
Always great to hear from you guys. The most thrilling thing I got from this video was how well you both look.
Lloyds said some time ago that the number one reason for yacht sinkings was from rudder damage and you quite rightly include sail drive damage as it's the same thing really. Do you also have a water tight bulkheads forward of your engine rooms.
Stay safe and well.
Hi Ana and Brent 🙏
Thank you so much for this and all other videos 💙👍 I also hope that you will find the time to make a video about all your upgrades, from strengthen the bulk head in front cabin, to rig and sails, fair winds, and thank you again!!
Kind regards
David
Miss you IMPI...
cheers from Toronto
Thanks Brent and Ana . Remember I said years ago if all the youtube channel sailors sailed together Brent would be the best pick for skipper! .
Hey Ian! I (Ana) chartered a cat when I met him as I was looking for a good skipper. He passed with flying colours!
@@CatamaranImpi ana you got a keeper there.
Wow I could listen to you guys talk about sailing all day. Very informative and passionate
Your story and your glory and your glory and your excusitive and interesting like Rilley and Elayna. I'm glad you have a great adventure daily. Thank you.
Sorry I missed this message but thanks so much - we obviously don't put out as many vids as LaVag but I'm finally busy working the next one - cheers
HI Brent and Ana, I think you've done an amazing job on this video. I am in the school of lighter faster cats--built a 11.7m Pescott cat and sailed around the NSW coast. Your point is really valid regarding what do you really want from your boat--We kept ours very simple, outboards for motors which I would almost certainly do for our next cat due to the simplicity, weight and no drag (and no sail drive vulnerability--we still could sit on 9 knots with full cruising gear on board. Daggerboards is the other thing we loved. The ability to go really hard on the wind with minimum leeway and then the ability to pull them right up and sneak into bays. We certainly did not have the ability to carry the gear you do but I liked the simplicity of how we set her up and the performance under sail. Offshore, true we did have to slow her down, but this was more just taking down sail. We had three solid reefs in the main --and you're right the ability to reef on any point of sail is critical. So horses for courses.. Phil
Thank you for all your information - appreciate the time you took and for all the good tips
I remember only too well your passage between Papua New Guinea and Australia. The 3 forecasts each day didn’t indicate any radical weather pattern. Cross referencing the data from the Australian Bureau of Met and info from Windy didn’t show anything unusual. Just goes to show you, you must prepare for the worst and be self sufficient because where you were, there is no water police, coast guard to assist. Enjoyed your video. Thank you.
Great insights and perspective. Would like to know more on your rig set up and how you can reef regardless of point of sail. That’s a great safety feature.
Definitely! 😎🏖🌴☀️🇦🇺
Note to self - will do as soon as we get back in the water :)
There is a lot more to it but for now - I show it a little bit on one of the videos on FaceBook at around 1:53 here : facebook.com/cat.impi/videos/1888464021299025 - very short clip shows bringing in the reef line while easing the main halyard
TIP: I also have a reflective tape mark on the mast and a corresponding mark for each reef position on the sail.
I hope this helps give an idea for now. Please keep reminding me when we are back on the water
@@CatamaranImpi Yes, reefing at virtually any point of sail interested me too. One of the few things that I don't like about our Lagoon 420 Hybrid is that we almost always need two people to be able to reef. I don't really object to turning into the wind, but in some conditions it's not easy to hold her there.
Agree with all your reasoning about light vs heavy, although budget deserves a mention, as light tends to be expensive.
Great comments from both videos. Where would we all be without youtube? I have to say that understanding the weaknesses of a boat is so important, the thing about production boats, like the lagoon, is that you can get so much info about them because there are so many on the water. Also, I think folks need to get a little better understanding of risk on a sailboat and optimize for what likely risk. While the weather is a huge risk, ask yourself what is the most likely risks, different for everyone depending on what and where, fire -> marina collision -> land collision -> weather. The weather may not be the first priority to solve for. Pluss $$ has a lot to do with how you mitigate risk. If you have some dollars left over after you buy your boat to prepare it for risk, that is probably a good thing.
I love learning and your view point of making a boat. your own based on your personal needs!
Guys, this was an interesting video! Good to hear you talk about all these pros and cons, the things you changed on your boat, and your insights as long term sailors. Thanx!
Happy greetingz from Greece, Wim
Hi Brent, as you know I often pass on your knowledge to others as I value your experience ( as well as some others ) far more than anything that a salesman may sprout. I'm not a blue water sailor so I always listen to those with real experience and what i have garnered is this. When cruising it is always best to be prepared for the worst so that it either never happens or if it does it's a lot safer. When looking at your sailing time somewhere between 80 and 90% of the time you are either on the hook or doing a short sail of less than eight hours. The biggest growth area in cruising craft is with a catamaran. Whilst every area of yachting is going electronic and somehow improving and becoming more efficient the humble WC still remains THE single most feared and unimproved device on any yacht.
As always take care, stay safe and keep having fun.
Great video guys! Love your videos and all great points you bring up! As an armchair sailor, I look forward to your videos as they are so authentic. Please do more!
Happy to hear your unique and experienced perspective on the design triangle (cost, performance, comfort). Production boats have tremendous value for money in my view. Adding performance upgrades to that platform, as you have done, versus trying to gain added comfort to a more expensive narrow hulled/lightweight/fast boat seems the better route for most cruisers in my view. As you described well, heavier, wider hulled boats do not suffer so much of a performance penalty. I do wish an effective and less expensive alternative to daggerboards existed for production cats. I don't need spritely speeds, but I sure would like to see better upwind vmg on production cats.
I watched this video a year ago and since then watched a video made by the sailing family who sail a light cat and were on a long passage with a privilege that kept up on a broad reach. I agree completely that the more comfortable you are at sea the better and so what if you average two knots faster crossing an ocean, it won't get you out of the way of a storm but satellite weather will. Personally I think Riley was plugging the company that gave him a boat more than anything. Loved your latest video. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Rick and thanks for the comment - you’re awesome 👍
Yes we know the Sailing Family and took their boat up the river to dock it when they went into quarantine - awesome people sailing on Karcher👌
We’ve enjoyed watching La Vagabond grow into huge success and I do think it’s something to be admired - a full time job of video making though which must be tough and they reap the rewards.
I’m not sure Riley was given a boat - I believe they were given a deal where the boat was financed by the builder and Riley / Elena had to pay it off which they did do in the end.
Thanks for the comment on our latest video - it’s very much appreciated 👌
Have a great time
Brent and Ana
Impi
Thank you guys. Really good information and good to see the sharing of important experience that as beginners we just don't have.
Good info from all the Cat lovers. I would be one but the 2006 privilege I wanted was sold the day it arrived in Australia, so I settled for an Amel 54. A cat will be the only replacement for me. But I still enjoy the vids from Impi. But not the times you stop putting out vids. Most times I watch to learn and you do inspire and give knowledge. Stay well and keep enjoying the voyage
Thanks for sharing your experience!
Hi Guys, Wow a great follow up to Riley's cat buying video. Education is key and you perfectly described so much in detail. The yachting community is lucky to have you! Randy
Hi 👋 guys
Nice to hear from you again - it’s been a while and we’ve been posting less and less with way too little time on our hands 😂
I think the yachting community is fantastic in how everyone shares their experience so we can all learn and enjoy our days cruising the oceans.
Thank you for the lovely comment and hope to see you out on the deep blue some day.
Cheers
Brent and Ana
You guys are fantastic. We are currently in the market for a 440 and hope the be in the water by April. Really appreciate the perspective.
You two just crushed it! Great job conveying a lot of information in a clear and concise manner. Respectful and real life situations.
yup!
Thank you for this very informative video. Once again, I've learned a lot, I love your quiet and always friendly reports.
Have so missed your vids during lock down in Melb Aust, Glad your both well, take care Pete
After watching your vlogs on here, I thoroughly enjoyed your technical skills, especially the bit of engineering you did to replace the impeller with an electric pump. These days I am starting to enjoy watching a new set of cruisers using DIY chart plotters and auto pilots, more the economic stand point of sailing. But for the longest time and still today, I still enjoy watching you and Anna and for what you did for that abandoned puppy. Just letting you know I enjoyed it and hope to hear more from you two. 👍👍👍👍👍🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂
My wife's favorite tip from Impi: Tylaska trigger shackles on the Spinnaker. Absolutely brilliant.
I'd love to hear more about things you've done to improve the structural rigidity. My FP needs improvement in that area.
Thank you John and yes we must do a movie on that soon.
This experience that you have shared would be invaluable to those that are looking into embarking on the cat cruising life. The open and honest discussion that you have shared is going to allow people to look more closely as to what is important for them to choose the vessel best suited for them. It was very interesting to hear the modifications that you have done to make Impi a safer, structurally better, more capable sailing cat than the off the shelf cat. I would be very interested to hear and see (if possible) for you to do an in depth post as to the modifications and modifications, and I think that many others would benefit greatly from that.
There are many cats of all builders that have suffered structural failures that have either cost many $ to repair or that have been total losses as a result that possibly could have been avoided by doing some modifications to prevent or minimise these failures.
It would be great if experienced owners like yourselves, LaVagabonde, Impi, etc could do a collaboration series as you are starting with the actual in depth experiences that would could lead to possibly some manufacturers looking at building a cat that would incorporate the features to put a better, safer, stronger, better sailing cat available to the public.
If only the manufacturers would get all of you experienced live a board cruisers together and compile a brief for a design that addressed all of the points that each put forward they could offer an ultimate cat. Having said that, there will never be a perfect blue water, live a board cruising cat that will suit everyone. There will always be some degree of compromise.
Unfortunately for most the design briefs are biased to their leaning and also being built to a price, which is understandable to a point as they need to sell the design to the consumer.
For the production builders, most are geared towards the charter industry that systematically upgrade their fleets at around the 5 year age which is before the main shortcomings of the build shortcuts become apparent.
Happy to see that you guys are still on Impi and living your dream, albeit for the covid curve ball. Enjoy Aussie and look forward to seeing the occasional vid of your adventures.
Cheers
Thanks Alan, feedback from customers to boat builders is very important. I think that this could be greatly improved as some boat builders are very resistant to change!
Well done and indeed very interesting. It is true than most serious, competent and passionate (about sailing/cruising) sailors will upgrade, modify and greatly improve their boat from their initial purchase (new or used; mono or cat) as they discover the boat and further learn to sail their boat. It is impossible to buy a "complete" boat from the beginning... such a boat doesn't exist and will never be built. Whether it's a sail boat or a semi-submersible oil rig, there are always improvements and modifications that are discovered and implemented. Thank you for your great knowledge and insight...
Hi Brent interesting topic. Both you and Riley are talking about “light” and “heavy” and about performance and safety, terms that are equally (ab)used in the cat market as everybody uses them. Riley even summarised the different design ratios. Starting from the position that both of you have a viewpoint as blue water cruiser (not racer) what would in your opinion be the theoretical optimum in these terms for a blue water cruising cat?
Love your channel. Looking forward to the new boat.
How long is a piece of string, it all depends on how and what you want to do? Think of a boat as designing your house, different tastes, uses and needs. Understand what you want to achieve THEN find the boat :) By the way, it won't be out there. Get as close as you can tick of 6/10 points then work on adding the rest of your needs over time. Ask yourself what's important to you.
@@spe2922 my question is more focused on whether it would be possible to give more objective insight to potential cat buyers on what they can expect from a certain model. Of course different people have different tastes, needs and requirements but in the current situation it’s not easy for them to figure out which brand and/or model will be the best fit.
Well Done Impi. A balanced view by adults with sea going experience having been thru the best and the worst. Hard to understand how bad it can get unless you have been there. Be interested to soo a Video on sails, angle coverage & wind ranges if and when you get some spare time. Cheers guys.
Hi Brent and Anna🙂. You forgot to say that your previous boat was a Catana 471.
Enjoyed your video and all the points you raised about your boat. Interesting to hear about all the modifications you first did before blue water cruising.
Good to see you both in front of the camera again. Great solid information in response to Riley's video
Great content guys. It's nice to outrun the storms but as we have all found out. that isn't always possible. Love seeing all my sailing channels joining the discussion. I also wanted to commend you on the 3,000 engine hours in 11 years. Made me shed a tear. Haha.
Fantastic. No disrespect to Riley... you guys show what a lifetime of experience and learning brings.
I’m in the market for a cruising cat and Lagoon is high on my list.
The sailing to wind point you make is so true... I grew up sailing small very fast catamaran dinghies and in a stiff breeze I could sail closer to the wind and a lot faster than the monohulls.
I think my experience of those boats if anything puts me off lightweight high performance cats... I know what happens when a really freak gusts hits you... I want a heavier boat and like you I want air con and the luxuries that make life nice... I don’t want to be uncomfortable... and if I want thrills I’ll take up kite boarding.
I will go back and watch all your previous films and hope one includes how you added strength to the boat?
Again thank you...
I have soooooo missed you guys. Great to see another video from you. Happy to see you both well.
Cheers
Steve
Wonderful response and thanks for sharing your views and experiences. Fair Winds from Boston!!
Thanks for engaging with us all the way from Boston 👌🙌 and always a pleasure to share as we learn … ✨👋
Great to see you back guys. A very informative video. If I was going to sit someone down with a beer - or two - and seek their advice on anything sailing it would be you two. I guess the saying would be, you've forgotten more than most know! Great stuff - thanks for sharing. Best from NS Canada.
Great video. . . followed you over here from the Cruisers Forum while researching the Lagoon 440, which is the cat we have settled on.
Great stuff, Brent n Ana! I'd love you to lay out your ideal design based on your years of experience. Hull beam, length, bridge clearance, rocker, bow angle, and on and on. Shaft? Sail drive? Keel? Dagger. I'm sure it will be a hit. I lap up most cat video's and glean the best for my future home.
thanks for the insights! Would you be able to do an in-depth look at your boat?
Well done Brent and Anna... Your advice is so sound. I have seen so many mistakes made by people who do not know enough to be able to ask the right questions. I once had a book "For the Love of Sailing "... Your passion is impressive. Short hand sailing and reefing downwind ?? I found this one the hardest especially without autopilot . Nearly collided with a whale !
Yes the whales were heading north as we were heading south. We just had the one near miss!
I'm loving this content on both sides and can see an SLV/Impi series brewing off the back of this. Brent made a brilliant point of the ratio of time spent doing heavy open ocean crossings with the time spent on smaller passages or at anchor in the destinations you want to explore. It makes me rethink any potential requirements as you ultimately need the vessel that can get you across the open oceans safely as well as provide for you, your family and friends the rest in the islands. Your knowledge and experience helps us all out way more than you can ever know! Wasn't a subscriber of yours.......am now ;-)
Thanks Phil!
Great and informative discussion. Can you detail your technique for reefing the mainsail while headed off the wind without turning back into the wind? Or perhaps you covered this in a previous video? Thanks!
Hi from GREECE,
It is very useful for people with your experience in catamaran travel to share their knowladge . It would be useful for beginners like me to make some videos about the equipment, what good sails are ,how it is right for catamaran to travel in bad weather, how dangerous some places are from pirates and other events. I think it be useful to say about what it cost to have a catamaran and make long trips and live on the boat for long time.
You guys are the real deal!
Longtime Fan!
WOOHOO!!!
What a wonderful community the sailing community is. Great information from all.
You guys, always the best for me, thanks for the discussions over the years you are truly an inspiration.
Good info, thanks - It would be very interesting to hear more about your upgrades, conversions & improvements etc from a technical perspective
Yes Mark, when we have finished we must do that. In the meantime you can see some of our adaptations and upgrades on www.catamaranimpi.com. All the best Ana
Nice episode, agree with you totally, in offshore sailing, some times reducing the boat speed is more important than going fast 😁
It will be fantastic if you could make episode to demonstrat how could you reef the main in the brodreach or down wind , 👍
Thanks from a monohull sailor. Very informative. I'm becoming a convert. Very interested in the upwind setup.
Of all your great videos I've watched, I think this is my favorite. Thanks!