Lagoon 440 Sailboat Review, Specs, and Listings

Design and Construction

The 440's most defining structural idea is the raised helm, described by one reviewer as a flybridge sailboat that frees the cockpit entirely for living space anchor. Access is by steps either side of the cabin roof, and the bridge itself carries bins for line storage, molded trays, and line stoppers. Beneath the bridge deck, Lagoon added a "gull's wing" shape to the underside, a form Multihulls World credited with greatly attenuating the impact of waves on a cruising boat. The deck is enclosed by double wire lifelines on sturdy stainless steel stanchions, and the hulls themselves show considerable volume when viewed from forward, hinting at the accommodation within. The builder's own lineage runs from high-tech French record-setters such as Steve Fossett's Lakota to this comfortable cruising platform, and the 440's cabin roof profile owes more to the motor-boat idiom than to earlier sailing cats in the range.

Rig and Handling

Every sail-handling line on the 440 leads to the bridge, so the skipper can set, trim, and douse without leaving the helm anchor. The anodized Sparcraft rig is dinghy-like, with upper and lower stays set well aft to eliminate the backstay and sweptback spreaders carrying separate diamond stays; the furling headstay is 7/8ths rigged. The full-batten mainsail from the Incidences loft carries a triple jiffy-reefing system, and the roller-furling genoa can be reefed as well, with jib sheets leading well inboard on the cabintop. A traveller spans the hardtop and can act as a vang or depower the sail. Electric Harken winches trim at the touch of a foot button, while standard equipment also includes an electric primary winch and three manual drums; a separate winch at the nav station handles the mainsheet and traveller lines led to the cockpit. Under power, a pair of 40-horsepower Volvo Penta saildrive diesels in separate aft compartments turned up about 9.5 knots at full throttle in testing, and the compact saildrive units minimize drag while giving horizontal thrust. In just over 10 knots of breeze the boat saw speeds in the 6-knot range on a close reach.

Accommodations

The 440 is offered in owner and charter versions, the owner layout giving the entire starboard hull to a private suite with an aft island double berth, padded headboard, and a large one-way glass window for privacy. A midcabin adds a settee, storage, and a vanity with swing-out stool, while the forward head has a separate shower compartment. The port hull carries an aft island double with ensuite head and shower, plus a forward cabin with a smaller berth and its own ensuite. The saloon is surrounded by large windows and cooled by one of four individually controlled air-conditioning systems; the big table nests into a hinged overhead cabinet with gas lifts. The L-shaped galley holds three stainless sinks, a three-burner stove with oven, a sliding pass-through window to the cockpit, fridge under the counter, and freezer under the nav station. Outside, the cockpit sits under a fiberglass hardtop and can take a soft enclosure with air conditioning and heating to become an all-weather living room, with a port-side wet bar console and optional fridge and icemaker. The foredeck spans two trampolines and a recessed settee, and a swim ladder hinges from a hidden transom locker with a warm freshwater rinse nearby.

Known Issues

One practical quirk noted by a tester is that the engine gauges are mounted flat on the nav-station counter, an awkward placement for reading underway anchor. Otherwise the electrical systems are grouped in a console just inside the cockpit door with AC breakers and DC switches separated, and the wiring sits neatly loomed and labeled under a lift-up lid. The Onan 11kW genset rides in a soundbox under a cockpit hatch that gives good access and surrounding storage, while the engines themselves are reached through deck hatches behind the cockpit by folding the floors aside — surprisingly accessible for a catamaran of this size.

Refits and Ownership

Ownership centers on the bridge-deck living concept: the anchor windlass can be worked by remote from the helm or by a corded control on the foredeck, and the small cabriolet top stows in a cabintop recess to cover the skipper. The nav station pairs a chart table with flip-up storage, dual Volvo-Penta throttle and shifters, and a Raymarine autopilot jog stick. With 423 boats built from 2004 through 2010, the 440 is a well-represented platform, and its separate machinery compartments, labeled wiring, and bridgedeck wave-shaping make routine upkeep straightforward for a cruising couple.

The Verdict

The Lagoon 440 took the flybridge helm from larger motoryachts and made it work on a sub-45-foot cruising cat, reclaiming the entire cockpit for living and giving the skipper total sail control without leaving the wheel. Her gull-wing bridgedeck, voluminous hulls, and four-cabin flexibility suit long-term cruising, though the flat-mounted engine gauges and the exposed bridge helm in weather are real compromises.

Pros