Spear It Animal

The Refit Continues!

After towing their catamaran to Spice Island Marine Services boatyard in Grenada, the rebuild could commence. But the first stage of the process involves removing everything that had been damaged by water that had gotten in while the boat was upside down in the mangroves of Carriacou after Hurricane Beryl and then dragged out and flipped right-side-up.

Spear It Animal

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Published 03/04/2026

By Mary Nicholas

Issue: 207

Published: may / june 2026

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Who: Raf and Sascha
Where: Grenada, West Indies
Multihull: Lagoon 450S
YouTube: @SpearItAnimal

So, with all the wiring removed, Raf and Sascha were able to start getting a proper look at some of the structural elements. Unfortunately, this led them to discover rot in areas either side of the mast bulkhead where water had been trapped beneath false floors. The upshot of this was the removal of more panels and more trim, bringing the boat almost back to its bare bones. Despite this revealing a whole bunch more work than they had originally thought (something common to every refit project!), this meant that the couple were now able to design a new layout to suit their own requirements. When new from the shipyard, this model was available in a 4, 5 or 6-cabin version, but here, having almost completely gutted the boat, they’ve got the opportunity to create an entirely new interior layout that will make this L450 totally unique. For example, Lagoon never offered a version with an editing suite! As this is going to be their “forever boat”, they’re going the extra nautical mile and plan on creating the most highly customized L450 on the planet. That editing desk is going to go where the port aft bathroom used to be. This means there are through-hulls to block up, and that’s just for starters.
But the fact of having been upside down combined with water damage to the mast bulkhead, one of the big questions is whether the boat is still the right shape, or has it flexed and gotten “twisted”? This question needs an answer before adding strengthening sections and putting it all back together again. Sitting on the hard in the boatyard with most of the weight taken on the keels and with props under the hulls, the loads were never going to be in the right place, so a plan was devised to move to a different location in the yard, where they could create a frame to support the boat under the bridgedeck. Measuring to a fraction of an inch and using a laser level, the catamaran was at last declared even, and the team from Spice Island Marine could finally lower the catamaran down in the Travelift. Blocks could then be put under the keels and the supports and chocks placed under the hulls. This has now given peace of mind for the remedial structural work that needs to be done ahead of creating that new layout. And as if by magic, the new spot in the yard just happened to have an empty shipping container right behind it. Might this become a storeroom, or a workshop…?