BOATS & GEARjune/july 2018cruisingworld.com86
C
onditions in Miami’s
Government Cut
were nearly perfect
for testing the new Lagoon
40’s waterproof hatches. With
a stiff onshore wind blowing
straight down the channel
to meet a brisk outgoing
current, the cat’s bows plowed
repeatedly into seriously
steep waves, sending green
water up and over the cabin
top and raised helm, soaking
Lagoon’s managing director,
Yann Masselot, who happened
to be at the wheel. Beneath
the Bimini, though, sitting at
the teak cockpit dining table
and enjoying the splendid view
— ahead through wraparound
windows and astern across
the wide-open transom — the
ride was thoroughly dry and
comfortable, as it should be
on a catamaran capable of
long-range cruising.
The 40 replaces a 39 -footer
in the Lagoon range as well
as the popular Lagoon 400,
which is being phased out
after a 10-year run. Like its
big sister, the Lagoon 50 (see
Aided and Abetted, page 88),
it bears the look of a new
generation of catamarans from
the French builder.
Both boats were designed
by a longtime Lagoon col-
laborator, naval architectural
fi rm Van Peteghem-Lauriot
Prévost, with exterior styling
by Patrick Le Quément and an
interior by Nauta Design. They
made their North American
debut last winter at the Miami
International Boat Show.
This latest breed of Lagoons
still carries the brand’s ver-
tical saloon windows, but its
cabin roofs and Biminis have
evolved and now seem to fl oat
atop the house. Larger ports
are embedded in the hulls,
bringing loads of light into
the living space within, and
the masts have been located
farther aft (refl ecting lessons
VPLP has learned from its
racing multihulls). The new
sail plan translates into larger
headsails and higher-aspect-
ratio square-topped mains for
increased power.
Once in open water, we cut
the engines and sailed fi rstwith a full main and
the self-tacking jib
set. The breeze wa-
vered between 15 and
20 knots and moved
us along closehauled
at 7 knots through boisterous
chop. On a broad reach and
with the (optional) genoa
unfurled, I saw 7.8 to 8 knots
on the GPS, which jumped to
9 on occasion as we took off
surfi ng. Good stuff.
I found the raised helm
station on the 40 to be quite
user friendly. You could reach
it from both the cockpit and
the side deck, and from the
two-person seat, visibility was
good on all four corners of
the boat. An overhead canvas
Bimini provided protection
from the elements, but was
fi tted with roll-up fl aps and
windows so you could see
the sails overhead. Wincheswere within reach, and
with all lines led to the
helm, trimming and
tacking shorthanded
was straightforward.
Lagoon these days
infuses its balsa-cored hulls
(solid fi berglass below the
waterline), bridgedecks and
decks with polyester resin and
a layer of anti-osmotic resin to
prevent blistering.
Interior furniture on the 40
is made from a walnut-colored
Alpi; the dark woodwork and
leather accents on things like
stainless handrails contrast
smartly with light-colored
fabrics that cover cabin sides
and ceilings.
The boat we sailed had a
single owners cabin in the
port hull. Its queen-size
berth was aft and a head and
separate shower forward, with
storage spaces and a desk inbetween. There were cabins
fore and aft in the starboard
hull, each with queen-size
bunks and hanging lockers.
They shared a large head and
separate shower amidships.
The 40 also comes in a
four-cabin layout, with either
two or four heads.
Upstairs in the saloon, a
large dining table is forward to
starboard and has an L-shaped
couch around it. The nav
station is to port; its bench
can be moved to add more
seats at the table for guests.
The galley, also L-shaped, is
to port and aft, a convenient
location when the sliding
saloon door is open because
the cockpit table is adjacent to
it. Across the cockpit, there’s a
lounging area under the helm
station; another cushioned,
forward-facing bench spans
the bridgedeck from transom
to transom.
The new design refl ects a
change in CE regulations that
require engine rooms to have
hatches that open from the
safety of the cockpit. Previ-
ously, on most cats, hatches
were lifted while standing on
the transom or transom steps.
In a following sea of any size,
the benefi t is obvious.
The 40 comes standard
with two 29 hp Yanmar
diesels. Delivered at the fac-
tory in France, the base price
is just under $330,000. The
boat we sailed had optional
45 hp Yanmars and saildrives.
The power upgrade, plus
a host of other options,
brought the sticker price up
to just over $540,000.
Forty feet is an attractive
size for cruising families
and charterers who want
to enjoy no-heel sailing and
the living space a multihull
provides. The length makes
the boat easy enough for a
shorthanded crew to handle
and maintain, but large
enough for bluewater pas-
sages. The Lagoon 400 had a
good 10-year run of it. As its
replacement, the 40 should
enjoy more of the same, but
with a fresh new look.Mark Pillsbury is CW’s editor.MORE, Better
The LAGOON 40 takes a fresh new approach as it replaces
a popular performer in the French builder’s range.BY MARK PILLSBURYBILLY BLACK