Lagoon’s Eighty 2 takes the cruising cat to superyacht status

Best known for its ubiquitous small cruising catamarans, Lagoon has been emboldened by a strong customer response to its larger “pocket superyacht” style cats. The French yard sold more than 50 of its 24-metre Seventy 7 model, and has now upped the ante with a new 25-metre Eighty 2.

Five were sold off plan, including one to Swiss entrepreneur and investor Armin Dressler, who appreciated the understated comfort of the yacht. “I like discreet Swiss luxury – it’s just the way I feel,” says Dressler, who previously owned a smaller Lagoon. “This yacht has a quietness – it doesn’t have anything opulent or boastful in it.”

The Eighty 2 continues the long collaboration with industrial designer Patrick le Quément and naval architects at VPLP, who have drawn a yacht with long, fluid lines that do much to disguise the extra height imposed by the big flybridge. Le Quément has also introduced some stylistic cues into these larger boats, which underline the fact they belong to a more exclusive range than the rest of the Lagoon fleet, notably around the strong use of glass in the superstructure and the so-called “Mickey Mouse ear” that unites the coachroof and the deck.

The length adds quite a lot of elegance overall and a better flowing theme,” le Quément says. “The whole character of the boat is transformed by this separation of the hull and the coachroof. The way the glass line flows aft creates a Venturi effect – an acceleration. Just as in automotive design, I want one radius to be dominant, transferring longacquired design rules into the world of boats.”

Lagoon has reprised the large owner’s cabin in the starboard hull with its own fold-down balcony just above the waterline – one of the outstanding features introduced on the Seventy 7. Alongside a king-size bed and bathroom with his-and-hers basins, there is a walk-in wardrobe and vanity table-cum-desk.

“That whole master cabin is crazy,” Dressler says. “I really like to have space to sit and work because I often do video calls and business on the boat. The cabin is so large you don’t feel like you’re locked in.”

There are three more guest cabins, plus room for four crew in the port forepeak. In the galleydown version, a well-equipped space with Miele appliances is positioned in the port hull, by the crew quarters. Dressler says this layout is a must to provide top-quality food for longer charters, and he made far-reaching changes that included four extra freezers and special washing-up equipment. “Michelin cuisine produces a lot of heat and it takes time,” he says. “So, the kitchen was one of the major things.”

Going galley-down allows the saloon above to be turned over almost entirely to guest use, with an elegant walnut dining table for up to eight and a slew of comfy built-in sofas opposite – not to mention a wet bar complete with bar stools, fridges and other paraphernalia. On the other side is the interior helm station, where you can check course details and adjust the autohelm and throttle from sheltered comfort.

The main navigation zone fills the forward end of the flybridge, with the full run of sail controls brought back to big automatic Harken winches amidships. The concept is for a fat-head main with full-length battens allied to a barely overlapping genoa or a staysail on the inner forestay.

A modest bowsprit offers a tack point for a big downwind or code sail. As you’d probably expect for a yacht that displaces more than 70 tonnes loaded, performance is not the primary concern, but she should be capable of double-digit speeds and is described as “easy to sail” by the yard.

Dressler was also drawn by the yacht’s exterior space, notably the 50-square-metre flybridge and the huge 22-square-metre aft platform, which dramatically extends the cockpit social space when in a raised position.

There is also seating along the bulwark either side of the cockpit and a lounge sunken into the foredeck with access from the saloon. “Unless you do Arctic sailing, you spend 90 per cent of the time outside,” he says. “The flybridge is huge and it has an electric barbecue so we can have dinner upstairs. I really like to change for different meals.”

The platform can raise up to 1.3 tonnes of tender and toys up to 6.5 metres long. But it is also a sunbathing spot where you can make the most of the freestanding furniture. Owners are now able to choose from a curated selection that includes brands such as Tribù and Flexform. “We expect 50 per cent of clients to choose the furniture studio route,” says Rosalie Le Gall, Lagoon’s product director. “It doesn’t disturb the production line, because the boat is designed for it; it’s a win-win.”

Nauta has reflected this approach in its styling of the interior. “With the Lagoon Eighty 2, the design moves toward a more high-end residential feel,” says co-founder Massimo Gino. “The design highlights individual furniture pieces: furniture elements are increasingly separated from the structural elements like bulkheads and surfaces, which are now often upholstered in bright colours to enhance this sense of contrast.”

Much of the wood is covered with special finishes, which, according to Gino, results “in a richer and more balanced combination with less exposed wood”. It’s clear how well suited the design is to highend charter, and Dressler plans to offer trips in Egypt. It’s easy, then, to overlook the fact that 40 per cent of the resin used to build the hull is bio-sourced from vegetable oil, cutting carbon emissions compared to resin from synthetic sources. It’s luxury with a conscience.

First published in the June 2026 issue of BOAT International. Get this magazine sent straight to your door, or subscribe and never miss an issue.