Affordable standard price that goes up with options
The starting price of the Lagoon 46, set at 443,500 euros ex VAT, is undoubtedly among the least expensive in the category. This price includes a lot of basic equipment and a set of dacron sails composed of a self-tacking Solent and a main sail with a high leech. Nevertheless, the catalog of options has been pampered to transform this placid cruising catamaran into an easy to handle offshore vessel for a family crew. Code 0 or gennaker, mainsail with horn, electric winches and especially the electric mainsail cart make maneuvering much easier. The shipyard also offers a Highfield dinghy with console and a 20 hp Honda outboard which can be raised with a gantry also controlled by the very efficient Harken "Flat Winder" electric system. A sailor's cabin or child's cabin can also be fitted in one of the forward peaks.
Essential comfort options
The way we sail has changed the profile of our modern cruises. Electric toilets, air conditioning and dishwashers have long been essential additions. Combi ovens, big screen TVs, multimedia, and sophisticated audio systems have become the new denominators of a successful cruise. Is this something to celebrate? The fact remains that the supply of dependent energy must also be ordered in addition and our test boat, ready to sail in all comfort, but without the Tenderlift bathing platform, costs 663,252 euros (excluding VAT). The options add up to a good third of the base price, which must be taken into account when signing.
What about the competition?
Its predecessor, the Lagoon 450 F (with fly), sold more than 700 units, compared with only a few hundred of the S version (without fly). This shows that this type of marine decking has won over the hearts of its customers and is of great interest to all the major and lesser manufacturers. In the same price range, Fountaine Pajot is surrounding the Lagoon 46 with its new Elba 45 and the Saona 47 with a mid-position wheelhouse and a lower traditional rig. In the same spirit, the Leopard 45 does well with a door that opens onto the forward cockpit and a very robust construction.
At the entry level and in an even more extreme move towards habitability, the new Bali 4.6 which follows on from the 4.5, has a 100% used pod with a rigid front cockpit (without trampoline), a rear platform and an integral gangway like the 46. Nautitech, which was originally oriented towards more sporty models, offers the Nautitech 46 Fly with a practical roll-up pole.
A trimaran also comes to play the spoilsport in this niche of hyper habitability: the Neel 47 has a superb platform and sport catamaran performance in the same price range.
