It was hard to imagine that we were going at 8 knots. The speed of the ship was not felt, we walked smoothly as on silk. At first I started to pose as a professional yachtsman, but soon the senior officer offered me a drink and I sat comfortably in the cockpit and felt like a journalist at some important reception. This is how the test of the Lagoon 570 catamaran began.
The new Lagoon 570 catamaran, designed by Marc Van Peteghem and Vincent Lauriot, replaced the Lagoon 57. The new vessel took 8,000 hours to develop. “We have tried to add a little dynamism to this vessel, while maintaining a balance between comfort inside and outside, which is very important for a catamaran,” the developers say.
The Lagoon 57, which has been in production for 12 years, pioneered the concept of combining the cabin and cockpit. The current Lagoon 570 has incorporated these principles and even went further – two L-shaped sofas organically connect the cockpit and the luxurious salon. It is also worth noting that the Lagoon 57 was previously the mainstay of many charter companies.
Now manufacturers hope that the boat with the new design will attract interest from private buyers. “We can offer several layouts and the buyer has a lot to choose from – a layout for one family, and a layout for a family with guests and of course a layout for a charter.”
The French shipyard Lagoon, founded in 1984, is a major player in the catamarans market. Initially, the company was a division of the Jeanneau shipyard, but later, in 1995, it became part of the Beneteau group of companies.
For a long time, the shipyard was known only for serial catamarans from 38 to 67 feet in length, but in recent years, many large projects have also been successfully implemented, such as the construction of the famous racing catamarans “Pierre ler” and “Fleury Michon”, as well as a catamaran for the film “Water world ”with Kevin Costner.
Details
I liked the Lagoon catamarans, especially on the 570, because the height of the sides is not felt. Numerous vertical windows flanking the cabin lend a neo-classical style to this vessel. There is some kind of external connection with old steam steamers, whose wheelhouse was also glazed in a similar way. However, we must not forget that Lagoon 570 is a modern liner and this design solution gives it a special charm, distinguishing it from other modern catamarans.
Although Skipper Gavin Bladen told me that while crossing the Atlantic in Lagoon 570 he occasionally sailed at over 20 knots, the ship is not “light”. The hull lines are sharp enough with long aft overhangs, which makes the hull length at the waterline of the order of 53 feet. Each hull is equipped with a stability keel. The sail area is over 2000 sq. ft including the swirling genoa. Mast height 80 feet.
Lagoon 570 cases are vacuum formed and reinforced with balsa sandwich. It should be noted that parent company CNB (the leader in construction of superyachts from 70 feet) has long been the largest company using this sophisticated technology. It should also be noted that in the production of Lagoon hulls, multi-directional fiberglass technology is used, which allows you to control the excess weight of the vessel, as well as significantly strengthen the places of increased loads and give rigidity to the hulls.
The latter is one of the most important factors in the reliability of the catamaran. The deck and bulkheads are also made of sandwich with a special impregnation of vinyl ester.
The cockpit is equipped with two steering wheels, which are spaced along the sides. This is very convenient, as it allows you to steer upwind and leeward, frees up the cockpit and gives the helmsman an excellent field of view, while many other catamarans are equipped with a single helm at the bulkhead. The winches for the staysail are also very conveniently located – the helmsman can adjust the staysail himself, without resorting to outside help.
Both control stations are equipped with navigation instruments and compasses. In the standard version, the vessel is equipped with an engine control panel on the starboard side only and, of course, I would recommend ordering a helm station on the port side as an option. Wiring from the steering wheels to the steering wheels is carried out by the steering ropes from Vectran. The ballers are mounted on heavy-duty bearings.
The cockpit has an L-shaped sofa on the starboard side and a straight sofa on the port side. Soft pillows are offered as standard. The cockpit will accommodate a large number of guests and the Lagoon 570 will undoubtedly become the center of communication at any anchorage. The floor is covered with teak, very pleasant for the feet. The cockpit has several large, handy equipment lockers. The sun awning is very important for many and Lagoon can offer both soft and hard bimini awning over the cockpit.
On deck
The deck of the Lagoon 570 is, as expected, very wide and spacious. The deck equipment is located ergonomically. I liked the quality of the non-slip coating very much. There are many hatches on the deck. Here the rail would be higher. I also highly recommend ordering bow rails with teak cans as an option. Two lockers near the mast allow you to place a generator, an anchor winch and many more useful things. The forepeak of each hull allows the placement of fenders and mooring lines.
The bow bar is made of aluminum and finished in white lacquer. The nasal mesh is in two parts and is a great place to rest. I will never forget crossing the Atlantic on another large catamaran last year – we were lying on the bow, watching dolphins and small whales right below us!
The passage along the sides to the cockpit is safe and convenient. There are steps for swimming on the transom. There are also hatches to the engine compartment. At the stern between the hulls there are davits for the boat.
Also in the cockpit there is a boom-sheet shoulder strap with a carriage. Controlling the shoulder strap is very important on a catamaran and on the 570 this control is very well thought out – for this, there are 2 Harken 48.2 ST winches on the sides. Headsail winches – two 56.2 ST Harken. As an option, they can be replaced with electrical ones. Very convenient, by the way! Aluminum mast with two pairs of spreaders. Mainsail with through battens and a slider system. Simple and reliable. The mainsail is retracted into a cover.
Below deck
Lagoon offers a variety of layouts. They are similar in many ways, but there are important differences. The main place of the catamaran is of course the magnificent salon. On the Lagoon 570, the salon is a very special place, completely different from the salon of monohulls. The galley is slightly recessed on the port side and this makes the Lagoon 570 saloon simply immense. The table can comfortably accommodate 6 people. An L-shaped sofa on the starboard side offers a cup of coffee.
The navigator’s place is very conveniently located, with an excellent view. At night, the navigational seat looks like a cockpit in an airplane, it is mesmerizing. Shelves for books are located on the port side. Plasma TV was also installed on our catamaran.
I really liked the quality of the wood trim and upholstery. The feeling of spaciousness and light is skillfully created. The hatches do an excellent job with the ventilation function of the cabin, and a large number of lockers allow you to put a lot of things in their places. The galley is on the left side. It is equipped with a two-section sink, a four-hot plate, a refrigerator, a freezer. In the charter version, the galley is on the starboard side and is separated from the saloon by a bar counter.
The Lagoon 570 is powered by two Yanmar 56 hp engines as standard. Equipping these engines allows you to achieve fuel savings in charter mode. However, as an option, you can install and 100-horsepower motors, which will certainly give excellent dynamics to the vessel. (on 55 hp motors the ship develops a speed of 9 knots). The Lagoon 570 has a decent fuel reserve of 500 miles under the engine. The boat handles superbly under the engine, better than many 40ft yachts. Two people are sufficient for mooring.
Under sail
I took the steering wheel in hand. With a wind of 12 knots we walked 9. Not bad for a side haul. We walked on genoa and the grotto. The steering wheel is very light and balanced. According to our skipper, Lagoon 570 travels at a speed of 8 knots in a wind of 10 knots, and in a wind of more than 20 knots – it flies far beyond 10 knots. “Yes, we only take the first reef after 20,” says the skipper. Then we went downwind and placed the gennaker. The catamaran flew like the wind. High ground clearance allows you not to dig a wave, which is important for a catamaran.
Source: Sailing Magazine, 2004
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