Bill Regan of Catamaran Central walks through a heavily kitted-out cruising cat — lithium, solar, watermaker and a bow thruster — that's ready to point south this season.
The Lagoon 42 has become one of the most recognizable cruising catamarans afloat for good reason: it blends genuine sailing performance with accommodations that feel far larger than 42 feet, and it does it with systems a couple can actually manage. In this walkthrough, broker Bill Regan of Catamaran Central tours a 2019 example — S/V Lagoon 42, an Owner’s Version lying in Baltimore, Maryland — and the pitch is straightforward: this is a boat that has already been outfitted for long-range cruising rather than one that still needs to be.
The headline equipment list is substantial. A large solar array feeds a lithium-ion battery bank managed through Victron battery monitoring and solar charge controllers at the nav desk. There’s a Sea Recovery watermaker, an upgraded Cummins Onan 13.5 kW generator, twin Yanmar 57 hp diesels with folding props, an AB dinghy with a 20 hp outboard, brand-new anchor chain, and a regalvanized anchor that Regan notes has never touched the bottom. Four air conditioning units serve the salon, the owner’s suite and each of the port-side guest cabins.
Cockpit, davits and helm
The tour starts at the starboard aft transom, where the wide, low opening and swim ladder make boarding easy and one engine hatch gives access to the starboard Yanmar and the house batteries. Regan singles out the davit system on this generation of Lagoon as a real improvement — a robust stainless bar that lifts the dinghy clear of the water without hand cranking, while still preserving a gunnel seat for extra cockpit seating. A removable barbecue grill stows away for passages, and the port engine locker also houses the watermaker.
At the helm station there’s a full suite of B&G electronics — wind, depth, speed, radar and chart plotter — with the Yanmar engine panels mounted front and center where they belong. Less common on a cruising cat, this boat also carries a bow thruster; catamarans maneuver well on twin engines, but as Regan points out, it’s welcome peace of mind in a tight marina or peeling off a dock in a breeze. The sail-handling area sits slightly apart from the wheel, with two electric winches, line clutches leading aft from the mast, and a sailbag to swallow the tails, so nothing runs across the throttles. A hardtop with a window overhead lets you watch the mainsail, and a full enclosure makes night watches and passing squalls a lot more civilized.
Sail plan and foredeck
Up on the coachroof, the boom sits at a manageable height for flaking the main, and the sailbag has just been restitched. A self-tacking genoa is rigged, and a bowsprit forward carries a top-down furler for the asymmetric spinnaker. There’s also a Code 65 in the inventory for the angles between genoa and kite — the other cruising sails were out for service and new UV strips at the time of filming. Side decks are wide with recessed hatches and stainless lifelines, the trampolines have been replaced, and the gelcoat looks sharp. Forward lockers hold the Onan generator to port and ground tackle and stowage to starboard.
Living aboard
Inside, headroom is generous and the molded windows flood the salon with light. The U-shaped galley has an oven, three-burner cooktop, microwave, ice maker and electric appliances; to port there’s an Isotherm built-in fridge plus a drop-in fridge and a large television. A washer-dryer tucked into the cockpit is a genuinely useful cruising luxury.
The port hull holds two guest cabins — a forward berth with walkarounds and a wet head, and an aft suite with a fully separate shower compartment, sink and electric flush head. Regan is candid that a wet head isn’t everyone’s favorite, but argues the trade buys more berth space, hanging lockers and a more comfortable feel, especially when the cockpit shower does most of the work in the tropics. The starboard owner’s suite is the star: built-in television, its own air conditioning, a settee, a small desk and a slider for privacy.
Where she sits in the market
Regan describes the asking price as under $450,000, which lands her right in the thick of the current Lagoon 42 market.
| Lagoon 42 market | Figure |
|---|---|
| Sold, last 24 months | 22 |
| Median sold price | $400,000 |
| Median time to sell | ~155 days |
| Active listings | 16 |
| Asking range | $299,000–$649,000 (median $449,500) |
| Listings with price cuts | 3 |
| Median sold (24 mo) | $400,000 | |||
| Lowest active asking | $299,000 | |||
| Median active asking | $449,500 | |||
| Highest active asking | $649,000 |
Lying in Baltimore, she’s well placed for a fall on the Chesapeake before heading to the Bahamas or the Caribbean as the season turns — a well-sorted package for a cruising couple or a small family.