Lycra saddles can be very comfy. Two of my bikes, including the Ironman, have Lycra fabric over foam saddles -- not just Lycra/foam add-on covers. The Ironman came from the seller with an old Terry Georgena saddle, which resembles a Selle Turbo with a shorter nose.
It's so effective I don't really need padded shorts. In fact, I get more chafing wearing padded shorts with the Lycra/foam saddles. I may try some unpadded tri shorts for the Ironman bike. And I just wear wicking fabric boxer/briefs under my baggy shorts on the hybrid with Lycra/foam saddle.
But it's not a perfect solution. The Lycra/foam saddles get soggy with sweat -- exactly like padded shorts would. And unlike shorts you can't toss 'em in the washer. So I use fabric cleaner/freshener once in awhile on the saddles.
And if you get caught in the rain on a Lycra/foam saddle, it's like sitting in a puddle.
But for mostly dry climates, yup, the Lycra/foam saddles are very comfy. And most seem to be inexpensive enough to replace every year or so. Although Serfas is among the very few suppliers of Lycra/foam saddles, and most are of the heavily padded comfort variety.