Lagoon 470 Buyer's Guide
The Lagoon 470 occupies a sweet spot in the bluewater cruising catamaran market — large enough to live aboard comfortably with guests or family, yet manageable for a couple on a long-distance passage. Built between 1998 and 2005 by CNB Marine in Bordeaux, it represents a meaningful evolutionary step over the older Lagoon 47, with a thoroughly redesigned hull, deck, and interior. Buyers shopping the used market are acquiring a vessel with a known charter and offshore pedigree, one that crossed oceans on delivery and was built to ISO Category A standards. The construction quality holds up well — vacuum-infused vinylester laminates, solid perimeter deck edges, and carefully bonded hull-to-deck joints mean that well-maintained examples remain structurally sound decades after launch. What you're evaluating on the used market is not whether the boat was well-built, but whether a prior owner or charter operator maintained it accordingly.
Layouts on the Used Market
Three distinct accommodation configurations were offered during production: a four-cabin charter layout, and two personal-use variants — one with the galley up in the saloon and one with the galley moved below into a hull. On the used market, owner three-cabin layouts are somewhat more commonly encountered than the four-cabin charter configuration, though both circulate with reasonable frequency. The galley-up arrangement in the owner layouts mirrors the charter floor plan more closely, keeping the cook integrated into the social space of the bridgedeck saloon. The galley-down option trades social flow for a more dedicated, sea-going galley environment that some bluewater sailors prefer. In all versions, the elliptical saloon table seats eight comfortably, the forward-facing chart table is a practical fixture, and the passage headroom reflects the interplay between the high bridgedeck and raised deckhouse — a genuine strength of the design. Cabins are wide, not merely adequate, and the aft heads in each hull are full-sized by any reasonable measure.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
By the time a Lagoon 470 reaches the used market it has almost certainly been upgraded beyond its original fit-out. Solar panels are a near-universal addition, frequently paired with an inverter and — on the more thoroughly outfitted examples — lithium battery banks that replaced the original lead-acid house bank. Watermakers are commonly fitted; given the boat's range and the charter trade's appetite for fresh water, this is one of the upgrades buyers can reasonably expect to find already installed. Chartplotters, radar, and autopilot are essentially standard across the fleet at this point, though the vintage and brand of electronics vary widely depending on how recently a system was refreshed. Starlink installations have become an increasingly common sight among liveaboard and bluewater-oriented examples, replacing or supplementing older satellite communications equipment.
Light-air sail inventory has been widely upgraded. Asymmetric spinnakers are frequently carried, often with a snuffer sock or furling system that makes short-handed handling practical; gennakers and code zeros appear on a meaningful share of the fleet, particularly on bluewater-equipped examples. Electric winches appear on a good portion of the used fleet, a worthwhile convenience on a boat with this much sail area. Cockpit and living amenities reflect the 470's charter DNA: biminis are essentially universal, cockpit showers appear on many examples, dinghy davits astern are widely fitted for a tender and outboard, and freezer capacity beyond the original refrigeration is a frequent owner upgrade. Teak decks are commonly seen, though their condition varies considerably with age and maintenance history. Air conditioning appears on a meaningful share of the fleet, particularly on examples that spent time in tropical charter service.
What to Inspect
The vertical leading edge of the deckhouse — one of the 470's most visible departures from the older Lagoon 47 — deserves careful attention. The builder reinforced the vertical members between each of the 14 windows, and the glazing itself was set with high-tech adhesive sealant, but after years of offshore exposure this is an area worth inspecting closely for any signs of delamination, crazing, or water ingress around the frames. Shine a light into the corners and recesses here; what you find will tell you a great deal about how the boat has been loaded in heavy weather.
The hull-to-deck joint uses Sikaflex bedding with stainless-steel compression rivets along an inward-turning hull flange. This joint is well engineered, but mechanical fasteners in a composite structure can loosen over time, particularly if the boat has been hauled and relaunched repeatedly without the joint being inspected. Look and feel along the full perimeter for any softness, staining, or movement.
Tankage in the twin hulls runs to 158 gallons of water and 126 gallons of fuel, distributed symmetrically between hulls — check both tank sets and their associated plumbing independently. Saildrive boots on the twin Yanmar installations are a standard inspection point on any catamaran of this era; verify the condition of the flexible bellows and confirm the engine mounts are not deteriorating. The 15-gallon holding tank is modest for a four-cabin boat and many owners have replaced or augmented it — confirm what system is actually installed and whether it meets current standards in the waters where you intend to cruise. The 807-square-foot mainsail and double-headsail rig put meaningful loads on the mast step, forestay chainplates, and traveler track spanning nearly the full beam — inspect all of these carefully, and ask for service history on the standing rigging.
Teak decks, where fitted, can conceal moisture in the underlying deck if coring has been compromised. Tap-test methodically along all cored surfaces, paying particular attention around hardware penetrations and the base of the deckhouse. Survey any boat of this generation with a qualified multihull surveyor who has specific catamaran experience.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
The Lagoon 470 circulates across a genuinely global used market. Inventory concentrations are commonly found in the Mediterranean — particularly Greece and France, reflecting the boat's charter heritage and European origins — as well as in the United States, Australia, and New Zealand. The model's popularity in the charter trade means supply is reasonably consistent, though examples in fully owner-upgraded, offshore-ready condition are naturally less common than those that spent years in commercial service and are priced accordingly.
For a buyer ready to do the homework, the 470 represents a capable, livable, and well-supported bluewater catamaran with a known design lineage and a global community of owners.
Pre-purchase checklist:
- Professional multihull survey including moisture mapping of all cored surfaces
- Independent inspection of both saildrive installations and engine mounts
- Tap-test of deckhouse perimeter and all hardware penetrations
- Review of holding tank system and compliance with local regulations
- Standing rigging age and service history
- Condition of teak decks and any associated deck core under penetrations
- Inventory and condition of light-air sails (spinnaker, gennaker, code zero)
- Battery bank chemistry and age — confirm lithium systems have appropriate BMS
- Watermaker service history and membrane condition
- Electronics vintage — assess what refresh budget may be required
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Lagoon 470. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 9 rows
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 25 | 1 | $ 310,000 | — |
| Jun 25 | 1 | $ 343,232 | +10.7% |
| Jul 25 | 1 | $ 343,232 | 0.0% |
| Sep 25 | 1 | $ 310,000 | -9.7% |
| Oct 25 | 1 | $ 263,131 | -15.1% |
| Apr 26 | 2 | $ 263,131 | 0.0% |
| May 26 | 1 | $ 349,173 | +32.7% |
| Jun 26 | 6 | $ 294,285 | -15.7% |
| Jul 26 | 2 | $ 279,000 | -5.2% |
Where they're listed
Lagoon 470 listings appear across 5 countries. Grenada has the most listings with 4 (30.8%), followed by Greece and French Polynesia.
Country view
13 listings · 5 countries| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grenada | $ 299,995 | 4 | 3 | 30.8% |
| Greece | $ 263,131 | 4 | 0 | 30.8% |
| French Polynesia | $ 279,000 | 3 | 3 | 23.1% |
| Australia | $ 349,173 | 1 | 1 | 7.7% |
| New Zealand | $ 288,575 | 1 | 1 | 7.7% |
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
11 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LAGOON 450 | 45.8' | $ 480,000 | 737 | 185 |
| Beneteau 473 | 46.92' | $ 147,500 | 145 | 47 |
| Dufour 470 | 48.72' | $ 401,517 | 75 | 21 |
| Catalina 470 | 47.67' | $ 210,000 | 55 | 15 |
| Catana Catamarans 471 | 46.92' | $ 439,581 | 28 | 8 |
| Passport 470 AC | 47' | $ 375,000 | 21 | 2 |
| Robertson 47 | 46.83' | $ 290,000 | 19 | 4 |
| Dolphin Catamarans 460 | 45.75' | $ 450,000 | 15 | 9 |
| Lagoon 470You are here | — | $ 283,788 | 14 | 9 |
| Voyage Mayotte 47 | 47' | $ 239,500 | 13 | 3 |
| Lagoon 47 | 46.25' | $ 175,000 | 9 | 6 |