Design and Construction
Above the waterline, the Lagoon 560’s construction features an infused balsa core and multi-directional roving, while below the waterline solid glass is the rule, with the resin-infused hull described as solid glass to the waterline and balsa coring used in the topside and deck to reduce weight. Isophthalic/NPG gelcoat and vinylester resin is used to resist blister formation. The hulls carry longitudinal chines, and the bridgedeck follows Lagoon’s gull-wing shape, an approach the editorial record notes as mitigating slamming, a problem all cats face to some extent. Vertical windows—which give all Lagoon models their distinctive look—provide 360-degree visibility from the saloon, and the interior woodwork is entirely created in Alpi wood, with buyers elsewhere offered a choice of blonde oak, glossy teak, or matte teak finishes.
Rig, Sail Plan, and Handling
The 560 carries a three-headstay rig and a Park Avenue carbon boom, with an upwind sail area of 2,227 square feet and an optional square-top mainsail of 1,356 square feet. A centerline beam at the bow carries the staysail, a genoa and a Code 0 furler, as well as the anchor roller set well forward. All lines are led to Harken electric winches on either side of the flybridge near the big Carbonautica carbon fiber wheel, and tails from sheets and halyards stow in mesh-fronted boxes built into the deck. Test sailors found the boat easy to handle and recorded 4.2 knots in 6.5 knots of true wind under main and genoa, then nearly as fast as the wind on a giant gennaker at a true wind angle of 75 degrees. Though it displaces close to 70,000 pounds at light ship and 74,900 pounds at full load, the 560 is still very maneuverable; it motored out the cut at nearly 8 knots with both engines running at 2,200 rpm, and an owner report credited a single engine at 2,000 rpm with 6.5 to 7 knots and a range under power of more than 1,700 miles.
Accommodations
Accommodations sit on three levels, with a flybridge reached by a spiral staircase, a main deck saloon, and hull cabins below. The flybridge holds the skipper’s business area forward and a huge sunbathing pad aft under a canvas top, while the teak-decked cockpit below seats six to eight at a U-shaped dinette and is reached from the aft transoms, with steps leading down to the water’s edge. A wide centerline sliding door allows the saloon to flow outdoors; inside, a port dinette seats eight and folds down, a small forward nav station affords all-around visibility, and the L-shaped galley to starboard carries a four-burner propane stovetop above a large separate oven, a double sink, a dishwasher aft, and an island counter with a small refrigerator and flat-screen television.
The starboard hull opens with a sole-to-ceiling wine rack beside a full-size refrigerator/freezer, then a master cabin with an athwartships queen, inboard hanging lockers, and a head forward and outboard, plus a second athwartships-queen cabin forward. In the port hull, the aft VIP cabin is accessed only from the cockpit and pairs a fore-and-aft queen with a large vanity and a separate shower aft, while the forward cabin—larger than its starboard opposite and isolated by hanging lockers—closes off with a sliding pocket door. The five-cabin layout inserts upper and lower single berths with another head and shower between the two port cabins. Hatches and hull ports light every space, and LED fixtures throughout provide a quality night light on small battery draw.
Equipment and Systems
Standard power is a pair of 75-horsepower Yanmar engines with saildrives, though optional 110-horsepower Yanmars with conventional shafts and three-blade Flexofold props appear in the record, and the manufacturer also lists twin 110-horsepower engines. Aft of the tramps, huge lockers stow deck gear and fenders, one housing a generator and electrical panel. The boat can be run from inside via a joystick, autopilot control, and throttles, while the flybridge dashboard pops up a starboard pod with chartplotter and instruments and a port MultiPlex touchscreen for electrical systems and tankage; Raymarine instrumentation on retractable panels serves the lower nav station. A test boat showed a "Tender Lift" hydraulic platform and aft-pointing cameras feeding a bridge display.
Known Issues and Ownership Notes
The record contains no structural defects, recalls, or systemic failures for the 560. The principal cautions are inherent to the type and configuration: the helm station on the flybridge is somewhat exposed in heavy weather, and the bridgedeck slam mitigation is a design response to a catamaran-wide issue rather than a claimed elimination of it. No source documents a failure rate or weak point for the systems carried.
The Verdict
The Lagoon 560 is a thoroughly modern cruising catamaran that trades the spartan ethos for residential volume and sheltered social space, yet keeps credible performance under sail and a manageable helm. VPLP’s hull and rig work, paired with Nauta’s interior planning, produced a boat that feels larger than its 56 feet and remains composed at anchor and under way.
Pros
- Gull-wing bridgedeck and infused balsa construction with solid-glass lower hulls
- Three outside social areas plus a four- or five-cabin three-level layout
- Easy sail handling via all lines to flybridge electric winches and a square-top main
- Strong light-air and powered performance for its near-70,000-pound displacement
Cons
- Flybridge helm is exposed in heavy weather
- High systems complexity from hydraulic platforms, pop-up pods, and joystick control
- Standard saildrive engines less suited to long-range motoring than the optional shaft drives
