Lagoon 420 • Lagoon Catamarans, which is part of Group Beneteau, remains a leader in production cruising catamaran design and construction. The company has supplied hundreds of boats to charter fleets around the world and hundreds of private owners are out there cruising and living aboard their commodious floating homes.
Never shy to develop innovative ideas, this year Lagoon is introducing the new Lagoon 420 with an energy efficient diesel- electric propulsion system. The big cat comes with either three or four sleeping cabins and separate heads. The owner’s version, which will appeal to many cruisers, has a study or office in the starboard hull.
The saloon is huge and has a big galley, a useful chart table and a dinette that will seat eight. The saloon opens onto the back porch where the crew will doubtless spend most of their time while cruising.
The 420 is designed to be simple to sail. The main sheet leads right to the helmsman and the genoa sheets can be trimmed from either side of the cockpit. The main is a large, high roach full-battened sail that will drive the boat well. The genoa, fitted on a roller-furling system, can be reefed or furled from the cockpit.
The significant innovation in the new Lagoon 420 is the hybrid diesel-electric propulsion system. Lagoon has been refining this system for two years and has had a test system aboard a cat in the Caribbean for over a year that is being managed by the Catamaran Company.
The propulsion system depends upon two high power electric motors that draw energy from the large battery bank. When the battery bank begins to lose amperage, the diesel generator automatically starts and provides the amps the motors require. This system is remarkably efficient. The electric motors are virtually main- tenance free over many thousands of hours of use. The single generator replaces two diesel auxiliary engines so engine headaches are reduced. Moreover, because generators run at constant rpms and constant loads, the engines can operate for many thousands of hours before any major maintenance will be required. A generator runs more quietly than auxiliary engines and uses less fuel.
This is the hybrid power system of the future, and Lagoon and the Catamaran Company are paving the way.
The new Lagoon 420 will make a commodious floating home that can cross oceans and will take her crew in deep waters and shoal with style – and very little diesel.