I own a 2019,
Lagoon 42. I chartered the 420 for 10 days many years ago and briefly considered the 420 early in my
catamaran search..
People get emotional about their choice of
boats so I will not try to list the cons of the 420. It's fair to say it has a reputation as a poor sailing
boat. The 420 has had a tortured
history because of the failure of the
electric motors when initially introduced. If you're a master at sail trim she may perform for you, but if you aren't you will be challenged by her.
The
Lagoon 420 and the Lagoon 42 are COMPLETELY different
boats.
The various issues with the 420 caused Lagoon to make minor changes and rebrand her as the 421 a few years after she was first introduced. Many 420s and 421s were
sold primarily into
charter fleets and the sales numbers were eventually pretty good. Due to the perceived deficiencies in the 420 and 421, Lagoon stopped manufacturing a 42 foot boat for several years. The Lagoon 42 was introduced in 2017 and was a totally redesigned 42 footer. Lagoon intentionally moved far away from the 420 and 421 designs.
Although still a heavy boat with an underpowered sail plan, the 42 is a much easier boat to sail and her performance is better than either the 420 or 421. When the 42 was introduced a Lagoon executive acknowledged in a Cruising World article that the 42's predecessors had been poorly designed - that was a big admission by Lagoon. With the addition of a screecher/code-0 and an appropriate
spinnaker the 42's sailing performance is greatly enhanced. The 4-cabin 42 lacks a bit for
storage, the 3-cabin version has ample
storage.
The most successful cruising
catamaran in
history by far is the
Lagoon 380. There have been more than 1000 hulls, that is amazing. It took the 380 almost 15 - 16 years to hit that mark. The Lagoon 42 will hit that mark in less than 7 years from the time the first
hull came out of the factory. The Lagoon 42 is well on its way to becoming the most successful cruising catamaran in history. Sales numbers do not mean a boat is great in all respects, the 42 has many compromises and shortcomings. However, the sales numbers do tell you that hundreds of owners have chosen the boat over other boats. Many 42s have been
sold into
charter fleets but her sales numbers to private owners are much, much stronger than the 420 or 421. The private sales are better than those for virtually any other cruising catamaran - period. Lagoon got it right with the 42, in fact they knocked it out of the park. The same cannot be said of the 420.
Again, the Lagoon 420 and the Lagoon 42 are COMPLETELY different boats.