Design and Architecture
The 500's headline innovation is its flybridge steering station positioned on centerline above the saloon roof, a concept Lagoon had introduced on the 440 and here scaled to the 50-foot realm. The elevation yields a practical bonus: no parallax error from an off-center helm, so the helmsman always knows precisely where the bows are pointing. Below the flybridge, what would traditionally be the cockpit becomes a pure lounging and dining space under a solid roof, sheltered from sheets and halyards entirely.
The hull form itself reflects systematic hydrodynamic research. Van Peteghem and Lauriot Prévost studied wave interaction between hulls and bridgedeck, and the result is a gull-wing configuration fairing the hulls into a nacelle under the bridgedeck centerline. Observed on the water in a moderate chop, whenever a wave appeared large enough to slam, the center of the gull wing deflected it with a gentler impact. Lagoon's rectangular vertical windows, a deliberate brand signature, admit less direct sunlight and heat than angled glazing while preserving full headroom at the saloon perimeter.
The Lagoon 500 was built in fiberglass and replaced by the Lagoon 52.
Rig and Sailing Performance
The 500's fractional sloop rig carries 1,193 square feet of sail area on a mast that clears 78 feet above the waterline, elevated still further to clear the flybridge sun protection. The sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 16.72 places the boat firmly in the reasonably capable performance tier for a cruising cat of this displacement class.
Off the wind, results are impressive. In 20 knots, the test boat was zooming along at 10 knots and over, steady as a ferryboat — a credible preview of trade-wind passage-making. The fixed-keel configuration (twin keels, no daggerboards) is an honest tradeoff: it simplifies beaching and shoal-draft anchoring but means the boat won't cling close to the wind, and tacking lacks the drama of a fin-keeled monohull. The boat handled chop very well, a direct benefit of the gull-wing bridgedeck geometry.
The sailhandling demands respect commensurate with the boat's scale. As one Cruising World evaluator put it, the Lagoon 500 is equivalent to a 75-foot monohull in every aspect, from sail plan to living space. Electric winches are not merely a convenience on this boat — they are effectively a requirement for short-handed or less athletic crews, and Lagoon's dealers recommend the electric option for the primary winches as well as the mainsheet/traveler winch.
Accommodations and Interior
The saloon's rectangular, vertical windows give a sedate, unhurried feeling rather than the speed-graphics of a performance boat. Combined with simply styled but well-executed furniture — including a handsome expandable table — and dark mahogany bulkheads set off by white gelcoat, the space lends itself to widely different owner interpretations of comfort and décor.
The galley is positioned a step below the main saloon level, bringing the cook's head near to the same level as seated company and providing a view outside without stooping. It is compact but supported by an adjacent pantry area in the port hull with extra work surfaces and storage. A nav station to starboard of the galley carries duplicate engine controls for driving the boat from inside — a genuine convenience on dreary, wet, windless days when steering from the flybridge would be better for the complexion than for the spirits.
Three layout variants were offered. All keep the port hull as two staterooms with private heads plus pantry. The starboard hull was configured as a charter version mirroring port with a small crew cabin, an owner's version with a larger aft stateroom and forward cabin, or a full owner's version giving the entire starboard hull to one suite. The gull-wing form benefits the cabins directly: extra width along the upper inboard hull sides adds stowage space and eases access to athwartships berths in the forward cabins. Water and fuel tankage run to 254 gallons each, proportionate to extended offshore passages.
Systems and Propulsion
Twin Yanmar diesels provide auxiliary power, with the original specification offering either 75-horsepower Yanmars with saildrives or a pair of 55-horsepower Volvos. Under power at moderate throttle, at 2,800 rpm the boat made 8.3 knots and generated 75 decibels in the main saloon — placing her among the quieter third of the boats tested in Cruising World's Boat of the Year evaluation.
A generator is housed in a machinery space forward of the mast in the bridgedeck, accessed through the sunning cockpit forward of the house alongside propane storage and other auxiliary equipment. The main electrical panel is on the aft saloon bulkhead, with the back of the cockpit seat hinging up on gas springs to provide generous access to the panel's inner workings. Engine compartments are entered via hatches in the deck at the top of the transom steps, offering excellent access in calm conditions.
Known Issues and Considerations
Visibility from the elevated helm requires active crew management: the flybridge position makes it impossible to see rapidly approaching hazards behind the jib. Lagoon addressed this partly through a clear window in the genoa, and a practical passage-making protocol places a crew member in the bow-pulpit seating on watch. This is not a flaw so much as a design characteristic that experienced owners learn to manage with procedure.
The propane installation sits in a larger machinery compartment shared with the generator, which runs afoul of ABYC standards requiring a self-contained, self-draining, isolated propane locker. Lagoon contends the propane bottles are sealed within a ventilated sub-locker with drainage running directly to under the bridgedeck, but buyers accustomed to strictly ABYC-compliant installations should evaluate this independently.
The sheer scale of systems maintenance should be factored into ownership planning. The builder's own representative described the 500 as right on the edge between experienced-owner management and professional-crew management — a candid acknowledgment that this boat's high-end equipment inventory rewards having a skilled hand aboard or on retainer.
The Verdict
The Lagoon 500 is one of the most complete expressions of the modern cruising catamaran formula: vast interior volume, a genuinely useful flybridge, a well-researched hull form that softens bridgedeck slamming, and sufficient sail area to make trade-wind passages feel effortless. Its production run across multiple years reflects real-world validation from both private owners and the charter market. It is unambiguously a large boat — one whose systems, rig, and maintenance demands sit closer to a proper ship than to a weekend daysailer — but for buyers ready to commit to that level of ownership, or to employ the crew who can, it rewards handsomely.
Pros
- Centerline flybridge eliminates parallax steering error and provides excellent visibility in clear water
- Gull-wing bridgedeck geometry measurably reduces slamming in chop
- Three interior layouts accommodate private ownership or charter operation
- Quiet under power, comfortable at anchor, with generous 254-gallon water and fuel tankage
- Large, well-sheltered cockpit/saloon area free of sailhandling clutter
Cons
- Fixed keels limit upwind pointing compared with daggerboard-equipped competitors
- Forward visibility from the helm is blocked by the jib; requires crew on forward watch underway
- Propane installation does not conform to ABYC standards without modification
- Electric winches are a practical necessity, not a luxury option, adding cost and maintenance complexity
- Scale of systems places the boat at the upper limit of confident shorthanded management
