Michael Harris of The Catamaran Company – visited both Lagoon factories, the CNB Lagoon facility in Bordeaux and the larger Lagoon production line in the Beneteau factory in St. Gilles was most impressive. Not my first time to either yard, but in truth, seeing how they are able to turn out so many new L380, 410 and 440’s in the Beneteau factory really lets one know how many boats they are really building.
A Catamaran Company broker visited Lagoon’s boat building factory in Bordeaux, France and was able to capture some of the exciting new design features available for their latest models. He also visited the R&D facility where they are building the plugs for the new 406.
Again, it was exceedingly impressive with computer controlled cutting machines making plugs and moulds for the smaller items from blocks of foam and roughly shaped epoxy blanks. These machines never sleep and are able to operate 24/7!
Down in Bordeaux (supposedly known for wine….and now boatbuilding?) the CNB/Lagoon factory is still turning out the larger 570’s and 67’s, along with custom monohulls in aluminum and carbon fiber (Another story there!). Seeking their way into the production line were three new Lagoon 500’s.
Side by side with a 570 its almost hard to tell which is which, they are so big! Outside, the last of about 100 concrete fifty-foot pilings were being pounded into the ground as the foundation for the new custom built factory that will, once up to speed, turn out approximately 25-27 new Lagoon 500’s every year and will also be responsible for the production of the larger 600 within the next 10 months.
The ability to build and launch straight into the Garonne river will greatly speed up the process and make Lagoon self-sufficient. THIS is boatbuilding at its finest and explains why Lagoon has leapt into the forefront of catamaran production by a huge margin. However, even with this massive machinery behind them, availability is limited for the foreseeable future.
By: Alexander Padilla, Mktg Asst
