Hull and Construction
Built predominantly of polyester fiberglass with wood trim throughout, the 47's construction reflects the standards of early-1990s production catamaran building — robust enough for the charter trade, which demands hulls that absorb hard use across tropical seasons. The hulls themselves feature raked stems and reverse transoms fitted with swimming platforms, a layout that became a Lagoon visual signature. Twin fixed fin keels deliver a draft of just 3.58 feet, letting the boat thread into anchorages that would stop deeper monohulls while still providing reasonable lateral resistance under sail. Twin internally mounted spade-type rudders are controlled via a single wheel, a configuration that locates steering loads inboard and simplifies the mechanical run to the helm station.
Rig and Sailing Performance
The 47 carries a fractional Bermuda sloop rig on a deck-stepped mast with two sets of swept spreaders and aluminum spars. Continuous stainless steel wire rigging was standard, which means inspections on older boats should look carefully at the terminals — a common maintenance interval for vessels from this era. The fractional configuration keeps the center of effort manageable and allows the mainsail to be reduced early, which suits the short-handed sailing that Lagoon advertised. Charterers and owners alike would not need additional crew to handle the boat offshore, a practical stamp of approval from those who evaluated it in service. The design's hull speed is 8.75 knots, a creditable number for a catamaran of this beam and displacement that speaks to the VPLP team's efficiency-first approach.
Beam, Deck Layout, and Accommodations
At nearly 25 feet of beam across 46.25 feet of overall length, the 47 offers the wide, stable platform that makes Lagoon catamarans attractive for extended liveaboard use. The reverse transom and swimming platforms aft provide easy water access — practical for anchoring in warm-water cruising grounds where the swim ladder sees daily use. Multihulls World characterized the 47 as pleasant to live on, a characterization grounded in the boat's capacity for social life at sea: wide deck spaces, a generous cockpit, and interior volumes that a catamaran of this width can offer. The design accommodates both charter-configured and owner-version layouts, with the latter attracting buyers interested in ocean voyaging on a fast boat rather than maximizing cabin count.
Propulsion and Maneuvering
Twin Japanese Yanmar 3JH3E diesel engines, each producing 40 horsepower, handle docking and maneuvering — the functional heart of any catamaran's port work. Twin-engine redundancy is among the most compelling safety arguments for a cruising catamaran: if one engine is lost, the other provides both propulsion and steerage. The Yanmar 3JH3E was a well-regarded small marine diesel in this period, with good parts availability and a straightforward service record, though any boat of this age should have its raw-water impellers, heat exchangers, and shaft seals carefully evaluated during survey.
Context in the Lagoon Line
The 47 was designed as a cruiser and its entire operational history plays out in that frame. Multihulls World framed it as worthy of its big brother, the Lagoon 55, and the lineage matters: the VPLP design office brought to the 47 the same instinct for livable interior volume and offshore range that shaped the larger boat. When Lagoon replaced it with the 470 in 1998, the changes were largely iterative rather than wholesale — confirmation that the underlying brief was sound from the start.
The Verdict
The Lagoon 47 is a capable, well-pedigreed cruising catamaran from a period when Lagoon was establishing the template that French production multihulls would follow for decades. Its VPLP design credentials, twin-engine redundancy, shoal draft, and ocean-passage capability make it a credible choice for buyers who want a known quantity in the charter-proven catamaran market. The relatively short production run means examples share a consistent specification, which simplifies due diligence. Survey attention should concentrate on the fiberglass construction, Yanmar engines, wire rigging terminals, and any deck hardware that has seen sustained charter cycles.
Pros
- VPLP design pedigree, same office behind the larger Lagoon 55
- Shoal twin-keel draft opens anchorages unavailable to deeper boats
- Twin Yanmar diesels provide propulsion redundancy offshore
- Charter-proven manageable by shorthanded crews without additional crew
- Fractional rig keeps sail plan controllable for offshore passage work
Cons
- Polyester fiberglass construction of this vintage warrants careful osmotic survey
- Continuous stainless wire rigging on older hulls requires diligent terminal inspection
- Replaced by the 470 in 1998, so spares and support are generation-old
- Hull speed of 8.75 knots is adequate but trails modern performance catamaran designs
