On test: Lagoon 65

WIDER WAKE

Sam Jefferson steps aboard the Lagoon 65 and wonders precisely how much space cruising sailors require

Acouple of months ago a vaguely disgruntled reader wrote a moderately miffed epistle in which he described me as ‘big boat’ Sam. I found this ironic, given that I endured the first

Covid lockdown living aboard a

Morecambe Bay Prawner 28 with headroom of 5’3”. However, as I sat down to write up this test, I began to see his point of view. The fact is that new boats are getting bigger and monsieur ‘big boat’ is obliged to test them. I recall some years ago testing the Jeanneau 64, a monohull aimed at cruising couples who happened to need masses of space.

I thinking to myself; ‘well, this will never take off’. How wrong I was. I guess the Lagoon 65 is the multihull equivalent; a production multihull of prodigious dimensions. Does this too spell out what is to come in the multihull market? Well, I’m no Nostradamus – see above quote re Jeanneau 64 but the difference with multihulls is that even a 50’ catamaran provides acres of space so, by the time you get to 65’, my god, you’ve got a mini cruise liner.

In fact, Lagoon perhaps is not pitching to the same sector of the market as, for example the Jeanneau 64. The boat is the smallest in a line of high end multihulls initiated with the Seventy 7. These boats are pitched at a somewhat more luxurious market. In monohull terms think CNB 66 as opposed to Jeanneau 64. It’s a subtle difference but there is a hidden implication that you will probably want a crew for this yacht. Perhaps it’s therefore out of the orbit of most Sailing Today readers but, still, it’s worth a look around and a quick spin.

ABOVE

The 65 has a prodigious 32' beam and acres of space as a consequence

So what have we got here? A massive multihull, that’s for sure. The hull is designed by Marc Van Peteghem of multihull experts VPLP with Patrick Le Quement doing the styling. The boat is not bad looking either given that a lot of 65’ multihulls look like a floating wedding cake. There is a certain sporty aggression to the lines that pleases the eye. The mast is set well back and twin headsails make for a versatile rig. Sail area is a substantial 268m2 but then again it is going to need all that to push its 48,000kg displacement through the water at speed. Make no mistake, this is a pure cruiser.

On deck

You step aboard via low sugar scoops with steps moulded in which makes for a very easy and stress free method of boarding even compared to some

much smaller but still high sided multihull sisters. There are also a boarding ladders integrated into the guard rail on both hulls which provide excellent access where stern to is not possible. Once aboard, you are immediately aware of a great feeling of space. There is huge aft cockpit liberally furnished with teak which gives the whole area a feeling of class. There is a huge table to starboard and to port is a food prep unit with a fridge, sink and worksurface – ideal for canapes. To port there are steps which take you up to the flybridge area which is similarly huge. Lounging areas abound; too many to go through one by one. Let’s just say that you could host a party for 20 people on a sunny evening and people would not feel at all crowded. The tender is on a hydraulic platform which drops down to become a huge bathing deck. Up on the flybridge there are twin helms with binnacles laden with B&G screens and kit. There is a solid bimini to provide protection but this has a sunroof cut into it so that the helmsman can see the mainsail as it is going up. All the running rigging is led to an area between the two helms and everything is push button as you would expect. Aft of this is a large lounging area with excellent views and a second galley area with fridge and sink to prepare those evening sundowners. On top of this is a forward cockpit with yet more lounging space.

Down below

Lagoon state that the 65 has 90m² indoors and 87m² outdoors – a staggering amount of volume. Yet the 65 concept is not just about volume, it’s also about a feeling of luxury and the classy feel of the exterior continues as you step inside. Nauta Design studio, which has extensive knowledge of the superyacht market, has used all its talent to create a soft and convivial atmosphere. The saloon is huge, light and beautifully fitted out with a huge dining table to starboard and lounging area to port. On the test boat, the galley was in the aft section of the port hull with its own small dining table and also an exit leading straight back out on deck to the cockpit: this points to the fact that Lagoon expect that the boat will be crewed – it also means the crew can prepare and serve food without heading through the main saloon. To underline this crewed aspect, at the centre of the port hull was an entirely separate crew suite

ABOVE

Performance was impressive given a displacement of over 40,000kg

BELOW

The saloon oozes quality

with bunk beds and independent bathroom. Forward of this on the port hull was another double cabin with ensuite. To starboard are two more double suites with ensuite bathrooms, the aft berth being the owners saloon which is a huge space at 21m². All berths have masses of natural light and an extraordinary level of comfort - although in a rough sea the fact that all the doubles are laid athwartships might be trying.

Under sail

We sailed from Port Minimes in La Rochelle on a fairly calm morning which looked certain to test this heavyweight’s capabilities in light airs. Manoeuvring a boat of this breadth is no joke but bow thrusters certainly minimise the trauma while the upgraded 175hp Volvo D2’s (150hp is standard) certainly provided plenty of power. Indeed, out of the marina we were soon cruising effortlessly at 10kn at 2,000rpm. Getting that huge main up is sometimes the most tricky part of sailing a big multihull but power winches certainly helped and we soon had full main and the big genoa unfurled. The steering had a pretty decent feel for such a huge yacht and, although we initially struggled in negligible wind, this slowly filled in and we began to move with a sort of stately confidence. With the big gennaker unfurled, we began to make real progress and you could see that this would be an effective mile muncher. The following day, I was out testing another boat in 20kn of winds and again encountered the 65 which was moving at an impressive clip - certainly well over 10kn which was pretty good going.

ABOVE

Genoa, staysail and gennaker makes for a verstile rig

BELOW

The stateroom boasts over 20m² of space

SAM’S VERDICT

Many moons back I briefly worked for The Yacht Week and used to laugh as guests took Instagram selfies of their luxury life while crammed two dozen deep in squalor on, say, a Delphia 37 monohull. This was the boat they actually needed; it oozes luxury and even a touch of bling. I would say that this boat sits rather separate from the Lagoons I have tested in the past. It’s clearly aimed at a different cadre of client who is looking for crewed sailing – even though the boat is reasonably easy to handle short handed. Yet, for one thing, the sheer volume of this boat means cleaning it would be a mammoth task. Anyway, I think Lagoon has achieved its aim in producing a high quality semi-custom yacht and – relatively speaking – it’s good value at €1.825m. Still, for now I will stick with my 28-footer that cost £4,500.

PERFORMANCE: H H H H H BLUE WATER ABILITY: H H HHH LOOKS: H H HHH

THE SPEC

Length: 20.55m (67 ft 5 in) Beam: 10,07m (32’) Draft: 1,55 m (5’) Displacement: 48,8 T Fuel: 2 x 650 l Water: 2 x 500 l Engine: 2 x 150hp Volvo D3 Sail area: 268 m² (2,884 sq.ft) Price: from €1.825m (exc taxes) Contact: ancasta.com