ME & MY BOAT
The Lagoon 420
Catamarans, like the Lagoon 420, are becoming increasingly popular for offshore cruising. Their most alluring appeal is space – both above and below decks. Once you reach 40ft plus, the hulls are wide enough to provide spacious berths, not dissimilar to those in a centrecockpit monohull, and the heads become more akin to domestic bathrooms.
Although there are a few disadvantages, including the extra initial cost, and increased maintenance due to twin engines, catamarans ride well at anchor so you rarely need to visit costly marinas.
Whatever you may think of the Lagoons’ unusual looks, in particular their vertical saloon windows, they have a huge following, making this La Rochelle-based French boatyard Europe’s most productive catamaran builder.
DOWN BELOW
The Lagoon 420 was offered with a choice of two layouts, a three-cabin Owner’s version, or four cabins for Charter. The former only differs in the port hull, which is a dedicated spacious master suite. In the latter, both hulls are identically laid out with two double cabins and en-suite heads. The aft bunks are fairly high above the sole, though, as the hulls taper quite sharply below the waterline.
In the 420H hybrid models, the space under the berths houses the electric motors and electronics; there are also deep drawers to supplement the already generous stowage.
Large portlights provide a bright atmosphere and each cabin has numerous hatches for ample ventilation. The heads, in the middle of each hull, aren’t particularly roomy, as they need to allow for passage past. Saying that, they’re better than many and the separate shower stalls are a bonus. Hull headroom is excellent at around 2.0m/6ft 7in.
The real seducer of normally dyed-inthe-wool monohullers is the ‘deck saloon’. Lagoons have some of the most generously appointed saloons of all the current production cats, offering a 360° panoramic view. Inside, there is comfortable and practical seating for six to eight around a dining table that can be swapped with a second, smaller coffee table if desired. The cockpit mounting holes accept either table, and short or tall legs are supplied.
The L-shaped, aft-facing galley just to port inside the main door is equipped with a large cooker/oven, twin sinks and plenty of worktop, lockers and drawers, and options included a fridge/freezer, dishwasher and microwave. Natural light and ventilation are excellent and a sliding window into the cockpit enables you to hand food and drinks to guests.
The navigation station is minimalist and not untypical of any modern yacht that relies more on displays than paper. Forward-facing, it comprises a small chart table with instrument console above. But there is also a fridge locker beside the table with a useful flat top, which is ideal for putting a chart on.
ON DECK
Another plus point is the available deck space. The 420 has a wide cockpit with a single, raised helming station to starboard, to which all sail control lines are led. This frees the remainder of the area up for guests and crew. Moving about the boat is easy as the non-slip surface is good and all level changes have wide steps. A solid GRP bimini covers the entire cockpit, which some like and some don’t. The lack of view aloft (except for a small hatch above the helm) and the risk of banging your head entering the cockpit from the sidedeck, can be disconcerting, although it does provide an ideal mounting for the mainsheet and enables you to tidy the mainsail away safely.
Despite the trampolines, there’s heaps of horizontal foredeck space for anchoring and setting spinnakers, as well as cavernous deck lockers beneath. Custom sun lounger cushions were also an option.
RIG & SAILS
She boasts a lofty, seven-eighths fractional rig with a large mainsail and high-aspect jib as standard. The mast is stepped onto the cabin top and the standing rigging includes a complex arrangement of jumpers on the single spreaders, which result in just two aft-swept shrouds terminating right out on the topsides. This removes the need for backstays and allows the use of a deep roach mainsail. The latter is fully battened with single line control on the two reefs and lazyjacks for easy stowing.
While the large mainsail does most of the work, the small jib can be replaced by a much larger gennaker, tacked to the short bowsprit, for increased speed downwind.
UNDER POWER
As with most modern cats, the Lagoon is pretty simple to control under power, whether diesel or electric drive, although like some others the 420 has the props positioned aft of the rudders so you can’t use the propwash for instant direction changes when manoeuvring. Despite being beamy and prone to considerable windage due to her high topsides, having twin props means she will still turn on a sixpence by controlling each engine independently. Putting one engine in forward and the other in reverse results in her simply ‘rotating’ around her own axis.
The electric-drive models didn’t prove wholly reliable and many ended up being converted back to diesel shortly after their launch. Nowadays, with hybrid technology having advanced in leaps and bounds, this system could prove the ideal solution for enabling eco-friendly sailing. Personally, if I were planning to cruise to far-off horizons, I’d probably opt for the reassurance of having the two trusty 40hp Yanmar diesel sail drives that can be repaired almost anywhere.
UNDER SAIL
Going hard to windward isn’t any cat’s favoured point of sail, due to the lack of keel depth, but cracked off to a close reach she starts to show a reasonable turn of speed. In general she is no worse than most modern production cats without leeboards. Expect some 12°-15° leeway, as opposed to a fin-keeled monohull’s 5°-8° in calm seas. In strong winds, this increases as she tends to skid sideways due to the extra windage on her high topsides. This is more than compensated for, however, by her swift and exciting performance off the wind.