Category: News

To celebrate their 40th anniversary this year, Lagoon is going big on parties and events! An that includes the 2024 Lagoon World Escapade, where Lagoon owners meet up over a 3 day event to sail, eat, drink and share stories.

What are the Lagoon Escapades?

Already enjoyed by many Lagoon owners, the Lagoon Escapades have become an unmissable party every year with three days of navigation, socialising and festivities.

To mark Lagoon’s 40th anniversary, owners and future owners are invited to take part in the biggest Escapade yet, spread out over multiple countries and sailing grounds.

This year, a series of World Escapades will take place all over the world at the same time. it’s going to be a global party!

When Is It?

The festivities will take place from the from 17 through 19 May 2024.

How to Get Involved

Just register via your Lagoon dealer. by filling out the form HERE.

Vaan Yachts, the aluminium eco catamaran manufacturer from the Netherlands, has recently presented the first Vaan yacht fininshed in ‘Vivid Alu’ finish.

To get the look, the aluminium hull was sanded to a smooth matte finish, giving it a raw and tough look. Along with the chique and soft cork decking, the large windows and the clean white painted cockpit, it enhances the catamaran’s luxury finish.

As well as looking great, there are functional benefits too as the Vaan Vivid Alu finish does not have to be repainted. You maintain the look with cleaning, and any scratches are re-sanded. What’s more, the Vivid Alu is 100kg lighter than a painted hull.

As well as a stunning finish, the Vaan Vivid Alu is also more eco-friendly. As there is no paint or fairing, the amount of chemicals used and emissions produced in the manufacture of the hull is reduced. It also makes recycling more efficient.

Lagoon have released the first images of their new model, the Lagoon 43.

New for 2024, the Lagoon 43 pulls in design elements of the 55, 51 and 60 into a new forty-three footer sailing catamaran. Read our Lagoon 43 Review for more details on this sailing catamaran.
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More details: on “Club Lagoon“. She’ll be shown at the Cannes Yachting Festival 2024.

Lagoon will be sharing more details at the 2024 International Multihull Show.

With the International Multihull Show, La Grande Motte approaching fast, we thought we would take a look at this French seaside town close to Montpellier and what makes it such an interesting place to visit.

La Grande Motte is a picturesque seaside town nestled on the Mediterranean coast of southern France that boasts a rich history, interesting architecture and plenty for visitors to enjoy. Formerly marshland, it has been transformed into a modern holiday destination and is popular with the sailing community.

It’s the home base for Outremer and Gunboat, and offers something for every traveller, whether it’s admiring its unique buildings, relaxing over lunch of moules, or simply taking in the Mediterranean sun.

History and Location

Located in the Occitania region, La Grande Motte lies between Montpellier and Nîmes, making it a handy stop for travellers exploring the south of France. Despite its modern appearance, the area has an interesting history dating back to ancient times when it was primarily marshland.

In the 1960s, the French architect Jean Balladur helped to transform the area into a modern resort town. His vision came to fruition, and La Grande Motte is now a famous example of avant-garde architecture and urban planning.

The Weather in April, What to Wear

April in La Grande Motte, when the Catamaran Show takes place, brings milder temperatures and blossoming flora. With an average temperature ranging from 11°C to 19°C (52°F to 66°F), April offers pleasant weather for outdoor activities.

You can expect sunny days with occasional showers, so it’s advisable to pack layers and waterproof attire for the boat show. But pack some shorts and t-shirts as well! It can be warm in the sun during the day. Make sure you have something warmer for the evenings.

Top Things to Do

Explore the Architecture
One of the most interesting aspects of La Grande Motte is its distinctive architecture made famous by its futuristic buildings and geometric shapes: the pyramids. Take a stroll along the promenade or rent a bicycle to soak in the works of Jean Balladur, including the iconic pyramids and sail-like shapes. This is a working town, the home base of Outremer and Gunboat, so there is plenty going on.

Relax on the Beaches
With its long sandy beaches lapped by the Mediterranean Sea, La Grande Motte is a great spot for sunbathing if the weather is playing ball, swimming, or enjoying water sports such as sailing and windsurfing. You might need a wetsuit in April though, unless it’s a quick dip. Plage du Couchant and Plage du Ponant are popular for sun-seekers and water sports enthusiasts alike.

Visit the Port
This is where you’ll spend most of your time at the show, and a walk around the extended port to check out the yachts is worth the effort. You’ll see a lot of Outremers here of course, and if you are lucky a Gunboat or two. And there are always plenty of Lagoons, Fountaine-Pajots and Catanas tied up. The pace of life is less hectic in April, but there are still plenty of shops and waterfront restaurants to explore.

Discover the Area’s Natural Beauty
It’s also worth exploring beyond the town to discover the natural beauty of the Camargue region. There are some good walks and horseback riding trips through the salt marshes and lagoons to the south-east of La Grande Motte. The area is home to diverse flora and fauna including flamingos and wild horses.

Aigues-Mortes
Not far from La Grande-Motte in the heart of the Camargue, is Aigues-Mortes, a medieval city. The town has a long history linked to the crusades and templars and in the 17th century it was the most powerful port on the Mediterranean coast.

Developed under Louis IX to develop maritime trade, the city protected the kingdom of France from invaders from the East. Walk to the Constance tower, visit the Notre-Dame-des-Sablons church, explore the Place Saint-Louis or check out the chapel of the brotherhood of the Pénitents Gris.

Where to Eat

For a no-frills, delicious lunch or dinner in La Grande Motte, order the local mussels at “Le Roi de la Moule” or Chez Tetel. Near the marina, this restaurant specializes in fresh seafood dishes, with moules marinières (mussels in white wine sauce) being the signature dish. Pair your meal with a crisp glass of local white wine and enjoy the flavours of the Mediterranean.

In addition to “Le Rio de Moules,” other great restaurants in La Grande Motte include:

– Le Marin’Sol. Close to the port, this is the most popular restaurant with the Yacht Show crowd (it’s pretty close to the Outremer yard), so book early. Good pizza and lamb and a buzzy atmosphere, especially on show days.
343 Avenue Robert Fages, 34280 La Grande-Motte, FR. Reservations: 04 99 62 76 32

– Le Flow – lounge bar to chill out in that serves tapas an delicious desserts

– Le Bistrot du Port: A cozy bistro located in the heart of the marina, known for its seafood stews, fresh salads, and desserts.

Summary

La Grande Motte is not a well-known destination to travellers, but that’s all part of the appeal. With the pyramids, the flamingos and its natural beauty, this French town offers visitors a unique coastal experience with history, culture, and good food. Get off the beaten track and have an explore while you are at the boat show!

We spent some time recently at the Lagoon shipyard in Bordeaux, where they build their bigger catamarans (over 50 feet). It was great to hear some of the history behind the yard and meet some of the team behind this successful multihull manufacturer.

Here are some snippets from the day. With thanks to Thomas Gailly, LAGOON Brand Director, Clément Himily, CEO and Quentin Beraut, Lagoon Product Manager.

Celebrating 40 Years

2024 is going to be a big year for Lagoon Catamarans. This year they celebrate their fortieth anniversary and they’ve decided not to celebrate once but to celebrate all year long.

Two weeks ago in Miami, at the boat show they had a big party, had a great time and are now holding another one here in Bordeaux at their HQ.

Lagoon is the biggest catamaran producer in the world. For the first time, they are presenting the full range from 40 to 78 feet with the entire team. It’s a big challenge. They have been organising different boats at boat shows for 40 years, but doing it during the week in the shipyard with hundreds of clients visiting: that’s something different. They have people coming from all around the world Mexico, Norway, Thailand, Sweden, France, everywhere.

Lagoon Cares

One of the drivers for the company is a desire for responsible growth under the banner “Lagoon Cares“. Lagoon is on a mission to prove it cares about the environment, and it cares about the ways its boats are built and used.

In addition to a focus on using ever more sustainable materials, they have entered into a long-term partnership with Coral Guardian, a French NGO that aims to protect and restore coral reefs globally through the empowerment of local communities. They replant corals everywhere in the world. Lagoon is financing this NGO together with many of its clients.

Lagoon has more than 400 clients coming to see the new 60 and the whole range in Bordeaux. Some of them are Lagoon owners, some of them have their boat in build and some of them have a project of buying a boat. They want to have them talk together and get the alchemy working.

Boris Diaw, the NBA Connection

One of their SEVENTY 7 customers is Boris Diaw who won an NBA championship with the San Antonio Spurs in 2014. Boris is a great ambassador because he’s a real Lagoon user with his SEVENTY 7. Right now the boat is in Auckland NZ.
He’s flying there in one or two weeks joining the boat to do the crossing to Tahiti.

Production & History

Clément Himily, CEO of Lagoon, then shared some fascinating history behind Lagoon and the shipyard.

“We have three shipyards, all in France. Two of them are in Vendee which are specialised in the production of the Lagoon 40 to 46.

Here in Bordeaux, we are focused on the production of Lagoon Catamrans above 50 feet, from the 51 to the Lagoon 78.”

“This shipyard is unique in the world for the production of catamarans of this size.”

A Strong Legacy

“There is more than 150 years of naval history here”.

“The shipyard specialised in the construction of Cruisers and tankers, but this ceased in 1985.”

“Two years after, two guys, Dieter Gust and Olivier Lafourcade, founded CNB which was initially specialised in the production of large aluminium monohulls. This led to the creation of 46 unique one-off yachts building the reputation of the site including the Mari-Cha II in 1989 (Philip Briand custom), and the 117’ Hamilton II.”

Photo Credit Nicolas Claris

“These boats were built here in Bordeaux with many of the team that is here today. That helped build the expertise of this site in the design and manufacture of large sailing yachts.”

JTA
“In the meantime, in Vendee, there was a department called JTA ( Jeanneau Technologies Avancees) a legendary workshop for the development of high-tech sailing yachts. Lagoon Catamarans were quickly recognised for their single-hull and multihull off-shore racing boats.”

“JTA was specialised in racing boats, and multihulls, building very famous ones with VPLP at the design helm.
Because this team was becoming very famous in the production of multihulls, Lagoon became involved in the Waterworld movie. Lagoon built the boat for the movie production team. The guy behind the wheel in the movie is not Kevin Costner!”

The First Lagoon 55

“Following our Hollywood and Hawaii episode, a lady came to us one day, a lady from Bordeaux. She wanted a one-off yacht, but not a racing boat, a cruising Multihull. She wanted to do some chartering on a big catamaran for cruising- 55 feet and in 1984 55 feet was a big catamaran.”

“We looked for a good architect, so naturally asked VPLP. Maybe they could also design a Cruising boat? This was how Lagoon built its first cruising Catamaran. The boat was a success, in charter as well and the lady decided to build another one.”

Napkin Contract
“So, we thought, maybe we can develop a brand, we can start a nice story? But we needed a name. One name came out on top of the others, and it was the name that the lady gave to her first boat: “Lagoon”. We came to an agreement on the corner of the table in a restaurant, a kind of small contract on a napkin to provide some royalties if we sell a few more of them.”

“Luckily, we make a limit on that. We said that after 10 years we stop. So, that was the history!”

“Today, years later, Lagoon is a world leader with dealers everywhere and seven thousand Lagoon yachts sailing worldwide. And that’s starting from our very passionate team.”

By François Meyer | January 2024

Last season’s boat shows allowed us to visit and test several electric and hybrid-electric catamarans. It is now a reality: catamarans no longer necessarily have diesel auxiliary propulsion but can be equipped with electric motors.

But how do they work and how do we compare their performance to more traditional power units? Electric, hybrid, power, voltage, charging, autonomy: there are many questions that arise from these configurations.

The aim of this article is to explain the various technologies and see things more clearly. For example, we will take a look at Electric Engines vs Diesel Engines and compare serial and parallel hybrid power systems.

Definitions

Range and Power Density
Range and autonomy play a key role within cruising catamaran capabilities. Diesel delivers a huge range because of the high power density of this fuel.

For diesel, one 20 litre jerrycan of diesel (25 kg including the can) contains 204 kWh energy, which is very substantial compared to a battery bank. If you wanted to store 204 kWh energy in a battery bank, it would weigh more than 1200 kg.

The high power density of fossil fuels is one of the main reasons for the dependence of the industrialised world on this fuel. Conserving power within batteries costs a lot of weight and money and requires powerful inboard charging.

Efficiency

Diesel Engines

Because of the high power density of fossil fuels used in combustion engines, the efficiency of diesel ones, was not such an important consideration, especially in boating.

The average overall efficiency of a diesel engine rarely goes beyond 40%. It means you “lose” around 60 % of fuel within the process. Lots of internal mobile parts generate friction and heat which is the main loss.

Furthermore, most catamarans use saildrives. This transmission choice, saves space inside the hulls, but comes with around 10% more losses (gears) compared to a shaft drive.

So at the very end of the day, from an energy point of view, a catamaran fitted with diesel saildrives is not very efficient.

Efficiency of Diesel Engines

Electric Engines

On the other hand, there are not as many moving parts in an electric engine that uses a low friction magnetic field to operate. Their overall efficiency is much higher, higher than 90% in the case of the Permanent Magnet electric motors used in marine vessels.

Better efficiency means also avoiding waste! For that reason, most newbuild catamarans are choosing shaft drives, not
saildrives, to achieve better overall efficiency. Electric saildrives, like Oceanvolt Servoprop, are mainly designed for saildrive designed boats whose bilges are simply too small to receive a shaft.

Efficiency of Electric Engines

Downsizing : Diesel and Electric Power Engine Comparison

You may have already noticed this, but electric catamarans are commonly fitted with engines whose power rates well below diesel ones. Firstly there is the conversion factor between horsepower and kilowatt. This is just maths, as 1 kilowatt (kW) is equivalent to 1,36 HP.

The big difference is in torque availability. A diesel engine has its nominal power and torque (the ones that are advertised) at high RPM, at a much higher speed than an engine should be used.

On the graph below, we see power and torque of both diesel and electric engines.
For a traditional setup, the power is represented by the dark purple curve at high RPM of a diesel engine (max at 3200 RPM).

If we look at the light purple curve (electric engine), this shows the power of an electric motor is almost constant, after starting.

Let’s now have a look at the torque curves. Torque is the force which turns the propeller and propels the boat.

At 1800 RPM, both motors benefit from 100% of their torque. To achieve 150 Nm of torque, the electric motor needs only 20 kW while the diesel requires 42 kW!

The combination of high torque-low RPM and better overall efficiency mean that you can downsize electric engines when compared to diesel ones. The downsizing sits between a factor of two and three.

System Tension

One of the basic rules of electricity involves the relationship between power, voltage and current.

Power (W) = Voltage (V) x Current (A). The higher the voltage is, the lower the current. Lower amps means, on a boat, smaller diameter cables. But higher voltage also means lethal danger.

There is a physiological limit for a human being (above 120V DC): the heart can be stopped by electrical shock. In wet conditions, this limit goes to 60V DC. That is why most hybrid catamarans are wired at 48V, well below 60.

Some boatbuilders, like Fountaine-Pajot with the Smart Electric Series (Aura 51, Elba 45…) use a 400V DC setup. It is a boatyard choice, but only very educated and skilled tradesman will work on such systems when any marine electrician will be happy to work the more common 48V system.

Electric, or hybrid?

Electric catamaran
An electric catamaran is a vessel whose principal propulsion is provided by the wind and whose auxiliary propulsion is provided by an electric motor. On board a 100% electric catamaran there is no combustion engine and no other energy than electricity.

There are not many 100% electric catamarans around as their range, dependent on battery capacity and onboard chargers, is too low for cruising.

The story of Jimmy Cornell’s Outremer 4.Zero is interesting as the renowned sailor decided to go, against the will of the yard, with a full electric (ie. not carrying a diesel genset). In the end, power consumption and power production were not in balance and the fossil free circumnavigation project failed. Relying only on a small sized solar panel array
(1,3 kWh) and relatively inefficient regeneration, the boat’s energy consumption was simply too high.

On that boat, fitted with 2 x 10 kW Oceanvolt Servoprop saildrives and 17,5 kWh of batteries, the range, motoring, at mid RPM is less than two hours. Regeneration was delivering around 300 Wh, (0.3 kWh), too few to refill the batteries while using all of the electric appliances.

Hybrid Catamarans
A hybrid catamaran is a vessel whose principal propulsion is provided by the wind and whose auxiliary propulsion is provided by different means including an electric engine. Its system uses two or more power sources on board.

Hybrid catamarans can be equipped with an auxiliary main diesel propulsion, assisted by a secondary electric one (parallel hybrid or bi-motorization), or with auxiliary electric engines relying on batteries that can be recharged under way by a generator (diesel, hydrogen, methanol), ie a serial hybrid. This greatly increases the range.

Because of the requirement for a good range, most of the so-called electric catamarans like the Windelo 50, HH44, Fountaine-Pajot Smart Electric Series, O-Yachts Class 66 Eco are hybrid catamarans.

Serial Hybrid Catamarans

A serial hybrid catamaran is propelled by two electric motors. Those motors get their power from batteries which are being charged while sailing using various means.

Solar (photovoltaic) panels account for an important share of renewable energy in the energy mix. Hydrogeneration does not depend on light and can deliver power at night, when sailing a passage.

Serial hybrid catamarans always have a back-up power generator to fill the batteries when needed. The generator can be diesel, or in the future hydrogen, ammonia or methanol (fuel cells).

The Windelo 50 is probably the most efficient serial hybrid sailing catamaran on the market.

Light and fast, she sails well and her two 20 kW electric engines with shaft drive deliver the best efficiency possible. Wired in 48 VDC, with 53,8 kWh of battery capacity (propulsion, 6 kWh house bank), the boat boasts a 5,5 kWc photovoltaic array.

Under sail, on a passage, the boat produces enough power to cover its consumption and slowly charges its batteries. Solar gives her between 20 to 30 kWh per day (depending on latitude) and hydro regeneration, around 24 kWh per day when sailing 10 knots.

But, if needed, the generator can be started, delivering 17 kWh to the battery bank to replenish it within hours. Or, if they are empty, to provide 6 knots motoring speed, the genset is used.

Combining those three methods of charging, the yard claims a 1100 NM range, which is twice the range of a Lagoon 42 with its two 57 HP diesels.

Nevertheless, the Lagoon 42 still has the advantage of power as it can increase its RPM when motoring against waves and tide to cruise at 7 knots while burning more fuel. The Windelo cannot do that, and, in such conditions, its motoring speed will lower.

The Lagoon retains a second advantage as if one diesel fails, the boat still has the other to
motorsail.

If Windelo loses its genset at night with depleted batteries, she will have to rely on her sails. Some owners choose a 2 genset configuration for redundancy, but that does add weight and cost.

Parallel Hybrid Catamarans

This set-up uses an electric motor mounted on the diesel engine, both capable of moving the propeller. Where the serial hybrid has two functions (moving and regen), the parallel has four.

The diesel engine can propel the boat. While doing that, it can also move the electric engines which will produce some power, acting as a generator.

The electric engine can move the propeller, diesel off. And, in emergency cases, both electric and diesel engines can move the prop, in a kind of boost mode.

The parallel hybrid yachts do not need any generators as their engines behave as powerful ones. This setup fits particularly well for cruising catamarans as you can enjoy the joy of silent sailing or electric motorsailing but you can always rely on your trusty diesels if needed.

The two systems do not rely on each other and offer an interesting case of redundancy.

A catamaran like the HH44, charges 5,4 kWc from solar and has two 30 HP diesel + 2 10 kW electric motors using a 43,2 kWh battery bank. While diesel motoring, the boat delivers 10 kW to charge the batteries. A sunny day can also fully charge the bank.

Those 43,2 kWh can propel the yacht at 6 knots for a couple of hours. Total range (diesel) is around 628 NM, according to the yard, a range which comes with a good dose of redundancy.

Bi-motorised hybrid catamaran

This third hybrid mixes 2 independent propulsion systems, a diesel one and an electric one.

O-Yachts offers, in its Class 66 Eco, a bi-motorised setup for example. One hull has a conventional diesel with shaft and the other an electric engine with a shaft-drive.

As the two systems are totally separated, the redundancy is there. The boat can be sailed with one engine, diesel or electric, and a small 5° rudder correction will drive the boat straight. Diesel alternator, regeneration and solar replenish the batteries.

This setup, although interesting, suffers from a disadvantage. As the two engines are different, they behave differently and this can cause issues manoeuvring in the marina. The skipper will need plenty of experience in different conditions before fully mastering the boat.

Windelo Catamaran and Just Catamarans have announced a Partnership for USA Sales & Services.

Windelo Catamaran, based in Canet-en-Rousillon in France, build advanced eco performance catamarans. They have teamed up with Just Catamarans who are based in the US, primarily at their Fort Lauderdale hub.

The Windelo designs are proving popular in the North American market, and Just Catamarans will help the French manufacturer to drive growth of Windelo Catamaran in the US market through their experience in the performance cruising segment.

The new partnership will be officially launched at the International Miami Boat Show with the New Windelo 50 premiering in the US and building on the successful development of the brand in Europe.

Designed in collaboration with the architects Christophe Barreau and Frédéric Neuman and designer Charlotte Schiffer, the New Windelo 50 is a performance blue-water ECO cruising catamaran with an electric propulsion system and a pioneering hull construction method that uses volcanic basalt laminates, a more sustainable alternative to traditional fiberglass matting.

Feedback from the New Partners

Thoughts from Just Catamarans:
“Our entire team looks forward to working with Windelo,” says Thomas Chambers, President of Just Catamarans Sales. “Representing a bespoke brand of performance multihulls that focuses more on sustainability and introducing electric-hybrid propulsion in this market is exciting for us and our clients.”

Thoughts from Windelo:
“We are absolutely delighted to welcome Just Catamarans aboard the Windelo family, » said Gautier Kauffmann, Windelo’s Founder.

“The reputation of Just Catamarans in the US and their expertise in developing and supporting high-end-performance cruising multihulls will be an undeniable strength for the development of Windelo in the US market.”

“Just Catamarans will be a key partner to the service footprint for all our clients visiting the US & Bahamas with a Windelo”.

“Whilst Just Catamarans will boost the visibility and service of our brand in the territory, we understand how important it is for our customers to maintain direct contact with the shipyard throughout the lifecycle of their boat. This is why, together with Thomas’ team, we have set up a partnership that adds up our teams in a joint approach to Sales & Servicing of our owners’ catamarans.”

One of the areas in which Excess Catamarans is working hard to stand out from the crowd is their desire to connect and build relationships with owners and prospective buyers.

This approach seems to be paying dividends – it’s helping them develop their boats with direct feedback from customers and helping people to navigate through the complex process of buying and kitting out a new catamaran.

The end result? Skilful sailors with new friends having fun out on the water.

Excess Campus 2023

Just recently, the team ran the first Excess Campus of 2023. This event, organised by Excess Catamarans, a brand of the Beneteau Group took place in Canet-en-Rousillion near Perpignan in France, and was a series of workshops and seminars that aim to help customers learn more about topics such as predicting the weather, navigation, boat maintenance, safety, and lifestyle on board.

There were 21 owners involved (a mix of English & French speakers) for 3 days of theory and practice to learn all about maintaining an Excess and the must-have tips for sailing.

And of course, the event had a substantial social side, enabling owners and buyers to mingle with other enthusiasts from around the world.

The event is all about learning, sharing, and having fun, a course for experts and novices alike who want to discover the joys of sailing and living on a catamaran.

Topics

Some of the topics covered were:

• Navigation: how to plan your route, use the instruments, read the weather, and handle the sails and engines.
• Boat maintenance: how to check the systems, perform routine tasks, and troubleshoot common issues.
• Safety: how to prepare for emergencies, use the equipment, and communicate with the authorities. This includes a session with SNSM: Les Sauveteurs en Mer, whose raison d’être is saving lives at sea around the French coast, including the overseas départments and territories.
• Lifestyle: how to organise the space, store the supplies, cook the meals, and enjoy yourself on board.
• Boat Handling – this is probably the most popular part of the course – hands-on training on an Excess catamaran perfecting skills such as docking, anchoring, picking up a mooring buoy, raising and trimming the sails and more.

Following the success of the 2023 edition, Excess is already planning the 2024 edition of the Campus, so stay tuned!

Excess Campus 2023 Video

Here’s the summary of the event!

Lagoon has been designing and building catamarans for almost forty years. They will celebrate their 40th anniversary in 2024. We met up with the management team to talk about Lagoon and their plans for the future. Their mission is to remain the world leader, building boats for their customers that are safe, reliable, comfortable and that can travel the world with a respect for the environment.

Lagoon shared some remarkable numbers at the Cannes International Yachting Festival.

First of all, with the 51 and 55, the last two new models, they have reached a milestone in September 2023 of 250 units sold. Both boats are built in Bordeaux, where they are increasing production capacity. And in August they delivered the 500th Lagoon 46 to Australian clients.

What is the Top Seller Ever in the Sailing Catamaran Market?

It used to be the Lagoon 380 which was later overtaken by the 450. Now the best-seller, the world champion is the Lagoon 42. In October 2023 they will deliver the 1000th Lagoon 42 to French owners who joined them for the party on Friday night in Cannes.

And more than forty-two Lagoon SEVENTY are sailing worldwide with orders to come, a much bigger number than Lagoon was expecting in their initial business plan for this luxury market segment.

Every year, Lagoon shows a SIXTY & SEVENTY at the Cannes Yachting Festival and every year the boat is different: these are fully customised yachts. They have a dedicated team for this luxury market segment, working closely with the captains and crew to continuously optimise the boat.

The luxury charter segment has been very successful, with these yachts commanding a one-week charter price of between $70k to $80k in high season.

7000 Lagoons Sailing

In the coming month, Lagoon expects to hit another milestone: seven thousand Lagoons sailing worldwide. Their ambitious goal is to be in touch with all of these owners through the Club Lagoon with a lot of services for all clients. This is a key service they want to develop over the coming years.

With the SIXTY and SEVENTY, each boat has a dedicated after-sales team, a point of contact, direct with the factory and owners can follow the construction of their boat online.

1) Customers have direct contact with Lagoon’s SIXTY 5, SIXTY 7, SEVENTY 7, SEVENTY 8 Specialists: a Premium Service
2) They follow their boat in production
3) Customers have a dedicated after-sales team

Lagoon Furling Boom

One of the latest innovations to be offered on Lagoon catamarans (46′ and 51′) is the mainsail furling boom. This has been developed by the Lagoon team with Incidence Sails and Groupe Wichard.

One of the main advantages of the Lagoon system is its simplicity: the furling spindle is not enclosed in a housing, so it is easy to monitor and control hoisting, reefing and furling manoeuvres. And it’s lighter than a standard set-up.

To use it, the main sheet must be eased, the topping lift employed, you must be headed into the wind (or at least a 30-degree TWA), and you must keep a fair tension on the luff while adjusting the sail. The system has been thoroughly tested over 2 years and has proven to be very reliable. On the 46 and 51 which have the flybridge, this system makes a lot of sense with their higher booms. This will help owners to use their sails more often.

This is an exclusive system, installed by Lagoon and covered by their warranty.

Reducing their Footprint: Lagoon – Awarded ISO 14001

What Is ISO 14001? ISO 14001 is a set of standards from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).

It aims is to define the best practices for organizations that wish to reduce their environmental footprint by adopting an effective environmental management system (EMS). They have also been awarded ISO 50001, a standard intended to help organizations develop and implement an energy management system.

What does this mean in practice? The resin used on Lagoons is becoming more and more bio-sourced, the kitemark looks at the raw materials that Lagoon uses, with a target to use 100% recycled materials on the upholstery and work on using recycled materials for the sails continues.

Hemp fibre is replacing fibreglass in many panels on the boats. They are replacing teak with a new type of wood from sustainable forests. A water purification system will be installed on all Lagoons, helping people to move away from water in plastic bottles as you can drink the water from the tank.

Lagoon delivers with every boat launch a pack of eco-friendly cleaning equipment, to help educate clients on the best eco-friendly products that are available in the market.

Other areas they are working on include black water treatment, solar panel efficiency, wind turbines, hydro-generators, and more efficient A/C.

They continue to test electric power and hybrid power extensively to develop a system that is very reliable and safe.

The Future is Bright

So, the future is bright for this market-leading French catamaran manufacturer and they continue to grow responsibly across many different market segments.

We are looking forward to seeing the new Lagoon 60 on the water in 2024, the year that they celebrate their 40th anniversary. The next target? 8000 yachts on the water, all active members of the Lagoon Club!