From stealing the spotlight in the Sydney International Boat Show to bagging four awards within one year of its launch, the Lagoon 42 catamaran is famous for its almost oxymoronic quality of being remarkably spacious yet compact enough to be easy to navigate. 

DESIGN – EXTERIOR & INTERIOR

The Lagoon 42 catamaran is a powerful yet graceful product of Patrick Le Quement’s exterior designing combined with France’s VPLP Design. The interior has been designed by Italy’s Nauta Design and the Lagoon 42 boasts a generous space not only in the cockpit but also the helm and the saloon, thanks to the unique uniform cockpit to saloon leveling. 

HELM

The Lagoon 42 catamaran’s helm station easily fulfills the need for a large area. The helm station allows for one person to  work the lines while the other helms – making it very convenient for couples or two-person crews. If the need arises, the proximity of the helm station to the line management area even allows the person on the helm to simultaneously do both – manage the lines while also working on the helm.

The equipment at the helm station is not only efficiently angled and placed but is also protected from harsh weather conditions by the hard-top bimini and Plexiglass panels. The Plexiglass panels also provide excellent visibility of the sails, given that the low seat at the helm is not occupied by someone of a short stature which might not make viewing over the high coachroof an easy task. The seat, however, does have room to be comfortably occupied by two people. 

The helm station does have one drawback, though. The helm person is exposed to the sea with nothing but a cockpit tent precluding the fall into the side deck and even potentially into the water on a particularly rough sea day. The safety, therefore, might be something to consider when looking into buying the Lagoon 42 catamaran. 

Another unique feature that the Lagoon 42 catamaran boasts is the replacement of grab rails with the recessed rails around the coachroof. The recessed rails are not characteristically easy to hold onto and might pose a risk to those who do not make holding onto them a strict priority. 

Overall, the helm is spacious, ideally equipped and also easily accessible from the cockpit. 

ACCOMODATIONS

The Pixel glass sliding panels form the way from the cockpit to the saloon for which 3-cabin and 4-cabin versions are available. 

The U-shaped galley does not provide a lot of space with its narrow bench but does have a direct access to the cockpit. It is divided into two parts and has a single sink, three-burner gas stove, an icebox that acts as a refrigerator and a microwave oven. 

The master suite has a 175 cm wide bed, a desk in the middle and a large shower room. The rest of the guest cabins have a relatively smaller  shower rooms but overall there is enough room for 3 couples to be easily aboard the Lagoon 42 catamaran. All hulls, constructed with a Balsa wood core, are light, spacious and bright and have plenty of storage area in the form of underfloor storage as well as cupboards, drawers and shelves. The cabins themselves have multiple opening hatches to allow for ventilation.

The saloon front of the Lagoon 42 catamaran has vertical windows which means there is no unfiltered sunlight but almost a 360° view that can be enjoyed. There is also enough seating space to accommodate a considerable number of people in the cockpit along with an L-shaped settee and an Ottoman.

The build of the interior includes veneer front plywood which is not thin and flaky. The cabinetry is lined with solid wood so the veneer will not peel off very quickly. The joinery also stands out as being of good quality and is considerably fine. The color range is also refreshingly different from the trend of lighter colored interiors. 

ENGINE ROOMS

The engine rooms of the Lagoon 42 catamaran are easily accessible from the stern of the boat without the need for a complete dismantling of the bed. All key steering systems can also be very easily accessed from the engine rooms, making the practical design compatible with safety. The access also means that evaluating filters or belts is not cumbersome and plant machinery can be easily maintained. 

LIFE RAFT

The life raft position is in the middle of the transom which is also very easy to get to and hence definitely a plus point for the Lagoon 42 catamaran.

Perhaps the best part of the Lagoon 42 catamaran design is its compatibility with function. It has been popularly described as being “curvaceous”, owing to the absence of sharp edges. All the corners and edges at the Lagoon 42 catamaran are curved away so there are no hazards if you choose to take the cat into rough seas. 

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

The Lagoon 42 is a 42-foot tall catamaran with an overall length of 12.80 meters and a 7.70 meters beam. It has 300 liters of water and fuel capacity each and a maximum 10 day passenger capacity. The Lagoon 42 catamaran has 45 hp power and a minimum draft of 1.25 meters. The main sail area is 55 sq. meters while the genoa area is 35 sq. meters. 

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, the Lagoon 42 catamaran provides a good value for its money. It is beamy, fast, light and very spacious for a couple. Although there are issues that can be adjusted with varying levels of effort, Lagoon 42 is quite promising for a catamaran of its price, given the amount of comfort and ease it provides to its owners.