42 Multihulls Quarterly Volume 10, summer
multihullreview
The self-tacking jib makes this course
change a snap. A downwind sail on
the 40 or any cruising boat can really
add to the fun of sailing and adds
many miles to a daily sailing run.
We chased the 50 for a while then
broke off to put the 40 through a series
of tacks and jibes. The boat handled
very nicely and one person can man-
age both tacking and jibing from the
raised helm. The 40 accelerated well
out of tacks and managed to tack with
100 degrees true.
We fell off onto a beam reach and
watched the speed go from seven
knots hard on the wind to eight and
a half off the wind. There was a bit of
chop that had built during the after-
noon, but we got no slamming in
the bridgedeck. Under the deck
there is a nacelle that adds to the
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dissipates waves that try to slam in
choppy seas.
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Code 0 or reacher in the breeze to
see just how fast the new 40 really
is. I suspect we would be able to
coax 10 knots out of her in the
right conditions. As it was, we were
happy to sail at eight and eight
and half knots at 160 degrees true.
As we headed back for the
channel into Miami, the wind died
a bit so we carried full sail right into the
port. It was very pleasant sailing and
always fun to sail through a busy working
port. The Lagoon 40 handles very easily
under sail and shows a very good turn of
speed for her size. The design seems just
right for a cruising couple since it truly
can be sailed by one person.
LIVING ABOARD
Compared to the 50, the 40 has a
more compact layout focused around
the large cockpit aft and the saloon
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ing space. Two layouts are available,
a three-cabin owner’s version and the
four-cabin version that will appeal to
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The cockpit is roomy and has a bench