Lagoon 40 Catamaran Review and Used Buying Guide

One boat to replace the Lagoon 39 and the Lagoon 400

When the Lagoon 40 arrived in 2017 it had an unusual job description. It replaced two models at once, the Lagoon 39 and the decade-old Lagoon 400, and it had to do so while standing in the shadow of the Lagoon 380, the most successful boat the yard had ever built. Lagoon's answer was not to make it bigger. At 38 feet 6 inches overall the Lagoon 40 is actually shorter than its name suggests, but it carries a waterline of almost 38 feet, a beam of 22 feet 2 inches and a much more modern rig.

The design team was the familiar Lagoon trio: VPLP for the naval architecture, the former Renault design chief Patrick le Quément for the exterior styling, and Nauta Design for the interior. The squared-off transoms, angular coachroof and big hull windows link it visually to the larger Lagoon 42 and Lagoon 50 of the same era.

The mast moved aft, and why that changes how the boat sails

The single most important feature of the Lagoon 40 is where the mast stands. VPLP stepped it farther aft than on previous Lagoons, which opens up the foretriangle and lets the boat use a shorter boom and a smaller, higher-aspect mainsail. The standard headsail is a self-tacking jib, with an overlapping genoa and a square-top main on the options list. A smaller, easier main is a gift to short-handed crews, and the optional sails give the boat more drive than its 875 square feet of upwind sail area suggests.

The other key piece is the 706-square-foot Code 0, flown from a sprit. Testers consistently pointed to the aft-mast rig and the Code 0 as the two reasons this boat feels livelier than the 380 it was meant to follow. If you are comparing listings, a boat with the Code 0 and its furler is a meaningfully better sailing boat than one without.

Air draft is 60 feet 5 inches, which matters for American buyers. That is under the 65-foot fixed bridge height on the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, so the Lagoon 40 can run the ditch between the Chesapeake and Florida, which is not a given on a cruising cat of this size.

What the test boats actually did

Magazine sea trials paint a consistent picture. Off South Beach, Miami, in 16 to 18 knots of true wind, a test boat reached 10 knots on a beam reach and held 7.9 knots at 50 degrees apparent in 15 knots of breeze. In a separate trial out of Government Cut, in 15 to 20 knots with steep waves against an outgoing current, the boat made 7 knots close-hauled and 7.8 to 8 knots on a broad reach with the genoa, surfing to 9 knots at times.

Under power, the optional 45 hp Yanmars pushed the boat at 7.5 knots at 2,400 rpm in lumpy seas. The standard engines are 29 hp Yanmar 3YM30s, which are adequate in protected water but leave little reserve punching into a short chop with a full load of water, fuel and people aboard.

A French review that spent two days and nights aboard on a delivery from Canet en Roussillon to Cannes in 20 to 25 knots of northwesterly described the boat as playful and pleasant in light to medium air, and praised the neat mechanical and electrical installation.

A port-hull owner's suite and other layout quirks

The Lagoon 40 owner's version dedicates the full port hull to the master cabin. It has a queen berth aft, a settee and desk amidships and a forward head with a large shower and a hull window that gives a panoramic view of the sea. Two queen cabins share the starboard hull and a single large head with a separate shower between them, giving three cabins and two heads in all.

The four cabin version comes with either two or four heads. The two-head version is the classic charter compromise, while the four-head version gives each couple a private bathroom at the cost of storage. For a family, the two-head four cabin layout is often the smartest compromise because it keeps more locker space.

Inside, the saloon is finished in walnut-toned Alpi joinery with leather accents, a definite step up from the 380. The galley has direct access to the outdoor table, which has a rotating top and can seat a crowd. Sightlines and ventilation through the saloon are good for a boat this size.

• Owner's version: 3 cabins, 2 heads, master suite in the port hull
• Charter version: 4 cabins with 2 heads
• Four cabin, four head version: maximum privacy, least storage

Raised bulkhead helm and a cockpit built for cruising couples

The Lagoon 40 has no flybridge. The helm is a raised station on the bulkhead, reached from both the cockpit and the side deck, with a two-person seat under a canvas bimini that has roll-up side panels. That placement keeps the skipper close to the crew and makes docking easier than on a flybridge boat, though visibility over the opposite bow still requires a step to the side.

Aft, the redesigned transoms have shallow steps that make boarding from a dinghy easy, and an aft bench serves as a lookout perch under way. Lines are led to the helm, and an electric primary winch is worth looking for on any used listing.

29 hp or 45 hp, and the tankage question

Fuel capacity is a respectable 106 gallons, far better than the 380, but fresh water is only 79 gallons as standard. Lagoon offered a second water tank that doubles that figure, and anyone planning to cruise beyond marina range should look for a boat with that tank or a watermaker, ideally both.

The engine choice is the single biggest mechanical difference between used boats. The 45 hp option makes the boat far more confident in a head sea and keeps cruising rpm lower, which helps longevity. On the brokerage market, boats with the larger engines command a clear premium, and we think they are worth it unless the boat will live in sheltered water.

What a Lagoon 40 costs to keep in the US

Budget roughly $24,000 to $48,000 per year for insurance, a slip, haul-outs, routine engine and saildrive service and modest upgrades. The 22-foot beam is the hinge: some marinas will treat it as a wide single, others will charge a double, and the difference can be thousands of dollars a year in places like South Florida or Annapolis.

Fuel costs are low. With two small diesels and good sailing manners, most owners motor only to clear harbors or in very light air. The big-ticket items to anticipate are sails after eight to ten years of cruising, saildrive diaphragm replacement on schedule, and generator service if fitted.

Why the Lagoon 40 for sale is a used-market sweet spot

The Lagoon 40 sits in an attractive gap. It is far more modern than the Lagoon 380, which many buyers consider at the same time, yet it costs much less than a used Lagoon 42. Asking prices for boats built from 2019 to 2022 typically run from about $300,000 to $490,000, with ex-charter boats from Caribbean bases at the bottom.

Because the model ran for a relatively short time compared with the 380, supply is thinner, so the right boat may take patience to find. The Lagoon 40 no longer appears in the current Lagoon range, where the new Lagoon 38 introduced in 2025 now holds the entry position. That should keep demand for good used 40s healthy, since buyers who want a sub-40-foot Lagoon with a modern aft-mast rig now have only the used market or a much pricier new boat.