Production continued until 1998, when the Lagoon 470 replaced it in the company’s lineup. The Lagoon 47 is now out of production.
Design and Construction
The Lagoon 47 measures 46 feet, 3 inches overall, with a 42-foot, 7-inch waterline, a 24-foot, 11-inch beam, and roughly 19,800 pounds of displacement. It is a twin-keeled recreational catamaran built predominantly from polyester fiberglass, with solid-fiberglass hulls and deck and wood trim.
The hulls have raked stems and reverse transoms fitted with swimming platforms. Its recorded capsize screening ratio is 3.68, its comfort ratio is 9.69, and its displacement-to-length figure is 114.02. Those numbers place the 47 among the more moderate, seakindly cruising cats rather than stripped-out racers.
Van Peteghem and Lauriot-Prévost drew the boat with a fractional sloop rig on a deck-stepped aluminum mast. The rig has two sets of swept spreaders and continuous stainless-steel wire rigging. Multihulls World described it as part of a fast boat that was pleasant to live on and to look at.
Rig and Handling
The Lagoon 47’s two fixed fin keels provide lateral grip, while internally hung spade rudders and wheel steering give the helmsman the authority expected of a cruising catamaran of this size. The fractional sloop rig and swept spreaders favor a manageable sail plan, while the deck-stepped mast simplifies the cabin-top layout.
The design brief explicitly called for a boat that charterers would take out without a crew, indicating the builder’s confidence in its predictable handling. A period review likewise presented the 47 as more manageable than the larger Lagoon 55.
With a 42-foot, 7-inch waterline, the Lagoon 47 was built to cover ground comfortably on a cruise rather than win buoy races. Period reviewers described it as fast, but its overall character remains that of a cruising cat rather than a stripped racer.
Accommodations
The Lagoon 47 was designed from the outset for uncrewed charter use. That role called for intuitive circulation and livable volume rather than sparse offshore minimalism. The nearly 25-foot beam gives the saloon and hull accommodations the width that defines the Lagoon cruising experience.
Aft, the reverse transoms and swimming platforms extend the usable social space. Below, wood trim softens the predominantly polyester-fiberglass interior structure. Multihulls World praised the 47 as pleasant to live aboard as well as to look at, in keeping with the builder’s aim of producing a boat charterers wouldn’t fear taking out without help.
Verdict
The Lagoon 47 is a first-generation Lagoon cruiser that translated VPLP’s design language into a manageable, charterer-friendly production catamaran. It was cheaper than the Lagoon 55 but retained the characterful looks noted by period reviewers. Fast and livable, it reflects early-1990s French production-catamaran thinking. Its 1992–1998 production run and out-of-production status now make it very much a period design.
Pros
- More manageable and cheaper than the Lagoon 55, according to a period review
- Fast under sail and pleasant to live aboard, according to Multihulls World
- Designed for uncrewed charter use, with confident handling and easy circulation
- Solid-fiberglass hulls and deck, with wood trim
- Twin fixed fin keels and wheel-steered spade rudders
Cons
- Out of production and replaced by the Lagoon 470 in 1998, limiting factory-support pathways
- Its polyester-fiberglass construction predates the later vacuum-infusion sandwich methods used by the marque
