Design and Construction
VPLP designed the hulls, Patrick Le Quément handled the exterior styling, and Nauta Design created the interiors. The Lagoon 40 shares the visual language of the larger Lagoon 50.
Construction uses vacuum infusion with polyester resin over balsa coring in the deck, bridgedeck, and hulls above the waterline. Below the waterline, the hulls are solid fiberglass with a layer of anti-osmotic resin to prevent blistering.
The coachroof flows into an upward-angled composite hardtop, while vertical windows wrap around the saloon. Squared-off transoms, each with two shallow steps leading to the cockpit, replace the softer shapes of earlier models. Larger rectangular hull ports and embedded hull windows bring plenty of light into the accommodation.
Rig and Sail Plan
The mast sits well aft, applying a lesson drawn from VPLP’s racing multihulls. This arrangement reduces the mainsail’s size for easier shorthanded handling while allowing larger headsails. The standard upwind sail area is 875 square feet with a self-tacking jib, and an optional square-top main is available. The large foretriangle also accommodates a Code 0 or other downwind sails.
All lines lead to the helm, with the winches close at hand, making singlehanded trimming and tacking straightforward. Writing in SAIL Magazine, testers touched 10 knots on a beam reach in 16–18 knots of true wind under the 706-square-foot Code 0. When the breeze dropped to 15 knots, the boat held 7.9 knots at a 50-degree apparent wind angle.
Cruising World’s reviewer sailed closehauled at 7 knots in 15–20 knots and recorded 7.8–9 knots while surfing on a broad reach with the optional genoa.
Accommodations
The Lagoon 40 is offered with three or four cabins and two to four heads. A charter layout has two equal hulls and two heads, while four heads can be specified so that every cabin has its own bathroom.
In the owners’ version, the entire port hull becomes a master suite. A queen berth aft is cut away on one side for easier access. A head and separate shower sit forward, with a desk and settee amidships. Overhead hatches, opening ports, and long fixed hull windows provide light. The starboard hull contains two guest cabins that share a large head and shower.
In the saloon, the L-shaped galley sits aft and to port, beside the open sliding door. This allows the cockpit table to serve as an extension of the counter. Forward and to starboard, a large dining table is surrounded by an L-shaped settee. The port-side nav station has a movable bench that can provide additional guest seating.
The cockpit gained a transom seat, a dining table to port turned through 90 degrees, and a forward-facing bench spanning the bridgedeck. On the foredeck, an athwartships sunpad sits just abaft the trampoline. Beneath it are two cavernous lockers containing the windlass and water tanks.
Helm and Deck Access
The raised starboard helm can be reached from either the cockpit or the side deck. Its position keeps the driver within the cockpit conversation while providing good sightlines to all four corners when ducking beneath the hardtop.
There are compromises, however. The helmsperson can’t see both bows from the wheel without stepping onto the built-in bulkhead step used when managing the winches. From that perch, the engine throttles are difficult to reach.
A flip-up ladder on the forward cabintop provides access to the hardtop, but it can be challenging to use with wet feet while the boat is bouncing.
Engines and Systems
Standard propulsion comes from twin 29-horsepower Yanmar diesels. The tested boat had optional 45-horsepower engines with saildrives, turning Flexofold folding propellers. In lumpy seas, it made 7.5 knots at 2,400 rpm.
The engine-room hatches hinge aft and open from the cockpit to meet CE rules. Fuel capacity is 106 gallons, while water capacity is 79 gallons; an option doubles the water capacity. The ICW-friendly air draft is 60 feet 5 inches.
The Verdict
The Lagoon 40 brings a generation of lessons derived from VPLP’s racing multihulls into a 38-foot cruising catamaran. Its aft mast and helm arrangement make it easy to sail shorthanded, while the bright, voluminous interior feels more like that of a larger cruiser. The principal trade-offs are at the helm, where limited bow visibility and awkward throttle access may require help from another crew member in close quarters.
Pros
- Aft mast and lines led to the helm make shorthanded sailing genuinely simple
- Vacuum-infused, balsa-cored construction above the waterline, with solid fiberglass below and an anti-osmotic layer
- Owners’ version with a full master hull, plus flexible charter layouts with two to four heads
- Strong light-air and reaching performance for its size
Cons
- Both bows are invisible from the wheel unless the helmsperson uses the winch step, where the throttles are out of reach
- The hardtop access ladder is awkward to use with wet feet while the boat is moving
