Design and Construction
The hulls are the work of VPLP, with exterior styling by Patrick Le Quément and interiors by Nauta Design, and the new 40 bears 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, while the hulls are solid fiberglass below the waterline and carry a layer of anti-osmotic resin to prevent blistering anchor. The coachroof flows into an upward-angled composite hardtop, the wraparound saloon windows are vertical, and the squared-off transoms with two shallow steps up to the cockpit replaced the softer shapes of earlier models. Larger rectangular hull ports and embedded hull windows flood the accommodation with light.
Rig and Sail Plan
The mast sits well aft—a lesson drawn from VPLP's racing multihulls—which shrinks the mainsail for easier shorthanded handling and lets the headsails grow. The standard upwind area is 875 square feet with a self-tacking jib, and a square-top main is offered as an option; the large foretriangle invites a Code 0 or other downwind sails. With all lines led to the helm and winches within reach, trimming and tacking single-handed is 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, and held 7.9 knots at a 50-degree apparent wind angle when the breeze dropped to 15 knots anchor. Cruising World's reviewer drove her closehauled at 7 knots in 15–20 knots and saw 7.8–9 knots surfing on a broad reach with the optional genoa anchor.
Accommodations
Below, the 40 is offered in three or four cabins with two to four heads, or a charter layout with two equal hulls and two heads, and four heads can be specified so every cabin has its own bath. The owners' version devotes the entire port hull to a master suite: a queen berth aft cut away on one side for easy access, a head and separate shower forward, and a desk with settee amidships, lit by overhead hatches, opening ports, and long fixed hull windows. The starboard hull carries two guest cabins sharing a large head and shower. In the saloon, the L-shaped galley to port and aft sits beside the open sliding door so the cockpit table becomes an extension of the counter; a large dining table forward to starboard has an L-shaped settee, and the nav station to port has a movable bench to add guests. The cockpit itself gained a transom seat, a 90-degree-turned dining table to port, and a forward-facing bench spanning the bridgedeck, while the foredeck carries an athwartships sunpad just abaft the trampoline over two cavernous lockers housing the windlass and water tanks.
Helm and Known Issues
The raised helm to starboard is reached from the cockpit or the side deck and places the driver inside the conversation while keeping good sightlines to all four corners when ducking under the hardtop. But from the wheel you cannot see both bows unless you step onto the built-in bulkhead step where the winches are managed, and from that perch the engine throttles are hard to reach anchor. The flip-up ladder to the hardtop from the forward cabintop is another access route that proves challenging with wet feet on a bouncing vessel.
Engine and Systems
Standard propulsion is twin 29-horsepower Yanmar diesels, with 45-horsepower units and saildrives as a tested option, turning Flexofold folders; in lumpy seas the test boat slipped along at 7.5 knots at 2,400 rpm. Engine-room hatches hinge aft and open from the cockpit to meet CE rules. Tankage is 106 gallons of fuel and 79 of water, with an option to double the water capacity. The ICW-friendly air draft is 60 feet 5 inches.
The Verdict
The Lagoon 40 distills a generation of VPLP racing-derived lessons into a 38-foot hull that punches above its length: aft-masted, easy to drive short-handed, and bright with the volume of a much larger cruiser. The trade-offs are concentrated at the helm, where sightlines and throttle access need a crew member's help in close quarters.
Pros
- Aft mast and led-all-lines helm make shorthanded sailing genuinely simple
- Balsa-cored infusion with solid glass below the waterline and anti-osmotic layer
- Owners' version master hull and flexible two-to-four-head charter layouts
- Strong light-air and reaching performance for the size
Cons
- Both bows invisible from the wheel without the winch step, where throttles are out of reach
- Hardtop access ladder awkward with wet feet in motion
