Design and Construction
The 47 is a twin-keeled catamaran with solid fiberglass hulls and deck, built predominantly of polyester fiberglass with wood trim. Her hulls carry raked stems and reverse transoms fitted with swimming platforms, and her recorded capsize screening ratio of 3.68 and comfort ratio of 9.69 against a displacement-to-length figure of 114.02 place her among the more moderate, seakindly cruising cats rather than stripped racers. Van Peteghem and Lauriot-Prévost drew her as a fractional sloop on a deck-stepped aluminum mast with two sets of swept spreaders and continuous stainless steel wire rigging, a rig that Multihulls World characterized as part of a fast boat pleasant to live on and to look at. The design brief was explicitly to make a vessel charterers would take out without a crew, which tells you something about the confidence the builder placed in her predictable handling.
Rig and Handling
On the water, the 47's pair of fixed fin keels and internally hung spade rudders on a wheel give her the lateral grip and steering authority you expect of a cruising cat of this size. The fractional sloop plane with swept spreaders favors a manageable sail plan, and the deck-stepped mast simplifies cabin-top layout. Period review described her as a fast boat that is pleasant both to live on and to look at, and the same source framed her as more manageable than the larger Lagoon 55. With a 42-foot, 7-inch waterline, she is built to cover ground comfortably on a cruise rather than to win buoy racing.
Accommodations
The Lagoon 47 was designed from the outset for uncrewed charter use, a role that demands intuitive circulation and livable volumes rather than sparse offshore minimalism. Her reverse transoms with swimming platforms extend the social deck space aft, and the wood trim throughout softens the polyester fiberglass structure below. Multihulls World's review praised her as pleasant to live on as well as to look at, which aligns with the builder's intent that charterers would not fear taking her out without help. The beam of nearly 25 feet gives the saloon and hull accommodations the width that defines the Lagoon cruising experience.
The Verdict
The Lagoon 47 stands as a first-generation Lagoon cruiser that translated the VPLP design language into a manageable, charterer-friendly catamaran cheaper than the 55 yet blessed with the same characterful looks. She is a fast, livable production catamaran whose out-of-production status and 1992–1998 build window make her a period piece of early-90s French catamaran thinking.
Pros
- More manageable and cheaper than the Lagoon 55, per period review
- Fast under sail and pleasant to live aboard, per Multihulls World
- Designed for uncrewed charter use, giving confident handling and easy circulation
- Solid fiberglass hulls and deck with wood trim; twin fixed fin keels and spade rudders on a wheel
Cons
- Out of production and replaced by the Lagoon 470 in 1998, limiting factory support pathways
- Polyester fiberglass construction predates later vacuum-infusion sandwich methods used by the marque
