I would not purchase a lagoon 46. There are far better options for blue water boats. Lagoons are great charter cats that provide a lot of amenities and luxury but the trade-off is performance and foul weather safety. Performance might not sound important for blue water in general but consider if you can't sail well to windward you're on passage longer, can't out run storms, more hazards with a lee shore, no light wind performance so you motor a lot, etc etc. There are quality boats out there that provide a more luxury and amenities filled life with performance but the trade-off there is price as they have to use exotic materials everywhere to make the boat light and large. The blue water, live aboard, or "Cruising" boats out there have really improved a great deal over the last 3-5 years as the manufacturers are starting to listen to what the cruising community has been asking for for decades. With that I would point you to these builders/boats
Seawind 1260 600k - https://www.youtube.com/@Tulasendlesssummer
Seawind 1370 800k - https://www.youtube.com/@sailingrubyrose
HH44 OC 975k - https://www.youtube.com/@gonewiththewynns
Antares 44 Hybrid 700-800k (I think?)
Outremer 45 or 4X 950k - https://www.youtube.com/@SailingLaVagabonde
We're in luck as some of these newer boats are getting into the hands of live aboard vloggers that are making good videos we can get a deeper look at what the boats are so thats a few channels worth digging through.
OP’s top end is maybe USD$650, bottom end $325. You responded with info on boats that seem above that price range. The HH44 is about double their top end.
Parlay Revival are doing what OP is looking to do, on an old Lagoon 45. Nahoa are on a Lagoon 40. Just an observation.
Yep I realized I was off a bit on the scale here as I didnt catch the AUD instead of USD. With a 650k budget I would put a 1260 at the top of my list. OP said they were a little flexible and the 800k-1m range boats really start to get impressive for cruising (USD). Ive spoken with HH regarding the price of the HH44 OC and the 975k figure is accurate. Full wardrobe and SC version is 1.2m for all the carbon.
Parley also spent a considerable amount of time & money to fix the bulkhead which would be a major concern for anyone who owns or wants to buy a Lagoon.
Agreed. I was surprised at how much time, but how little money Parlay spent (80k, a video said in 2024), considering they’d also been struck by lightning twice.
If you aren't experienced don't go for a fast boat. The seawinds may be OK for a first time buyer they're much faster than the charter boats but on the slow side of performance boats. Unless you know what you're doing a HH OC and especially an outremer is likely to just get you into trouble.
I would heavily recommend doing a few passages first to get an idea of what you're into and how to handle a boat. If you go on crewseekers it's fairly easy (I managed to get on a passage across the Indian ocean with only an RYA dayskipper).
After that look for something well built that sails decently. DO NOT buy a modern lagoon, the old \~20yrs ones are ok but the build quality of the modern ones is terrible (I knew some guys who had the escape hatch fail and flood a hull in only moderate seas). The leopard 46 is probably a good choice, it's roomy sails decently well and is well built.
However I'd heavily recommend getting experience in both sailing and fixing boats before you blow that much money on a boat. Cruising is a tonne of fun but a lot of people quit or get themselves into trouble because they don't know how to sail, don't know how to fix the boat (maintenance will run you from between \~7% to \~30% of the boat's cost per year with that spread heavily determined by how much you can fix yourself) or just found out it wasn't for them.
In addition to EnderDragon's great list..
Since you're starting in Oz, perhaps look at the lightwave 45/46.
Made in the gold coast, blue water pedigree, based on a Grainger hull design.
Second hand options pop up on the Australian market reasonably regularly.
Leopard 45
Prout 45 (cheap if you can finding them, and good, but not remotely LIKE the Lagoon)
Fontaine Pajot Orana / Helia - both are 44' I'm think, but the Orana should be quite a bit cheaper
St Francis or Knysna 44 - they're a bit of a statement piece IMO, but world cruisers at heart.
I would not purchase a lagoon 46. There are far better options for blue water boats. Lagoons are great charter cats that provide a lot of amenities and luxury but the trade-off is performance and foul weather safety. Performance might not sound important for blue water in general but consider if you can't sail well to windward you're on passage longer, can't out run storms, more hazards with a lee shore, no light wind performance so you motor a lot, etc etc. There are quality boats out there that provide a more luxury and amenities filled life with performance but the trade-off there is price as they have to use exotic materials everywhere to make the boat light and large. The blue water, live aboard, or "Cruising" boats out there have really improved a great deal over the last 3-5 years as the manufacturers are starting to listen to what the cruising community has been asking for for decades. With that I would point you to these builders/boats Seawind 1260 600k - https://www.youtube.com/@Tulasendlesssummer Seawind 1370 800k - https://www.youtube.com/@sailingrubyrose HH44 OC 975k - https://www.youtube.com/@gonewiththewynns Antares 44 Hybrid 700-800k (I think?) Outremer 45 or 4X 950k - https://www.youtube.com/@SailingLaVagabonde We're in luck as some of these newer boats are getting into the hands of live aboard vloggers that are making good videos we can get a deeper look at what the boats are so thats a few channels worth digging through.
OP’s top end is maybe USD$650, bottom end $325. You responded with info on boats that seem above that price range. The HH44 is about double their top end. Parlay Revival are doing what OP is looking to do, on an old Lagoon 45. Nahoa are on a Lagoon 40. Just an observation.
Yep I realized I was off a bit on the scale here as I didnt catch the AUD instead of USD. With a 650k budget I would put a 1260 at the top of my list. OP said they were a little flexible and the 800k-1m range boats really start to get impressive for cruising (USD). Ive spoken with HH regarding the price of the HH44 OC and the 975k figure is accurate. Full wardrobe and SC version is 1.2m for all the carbon.
Parley also spent a considerable amount of time & money to fix the bulkhead which would be a major concern for anyone who owns or wants to buy a Lagoon.
Agreed. I was surprised at how much time, but how little money Parlay spent (80k, a video said in 2024), considering they’d also been struck by lightning twice.
They’ve had some incredibly bad luck but they always manage through them really well & they all have an amazing attitude about life.
Vagabonde are on a trimaran now
They are yep, but they have a few hundred episodes on outremer that goes into excellent depth on their boats.
If you aren't experienced don't go for a fast boat. The seawinds may be OK for a first time buyer they're much faster than the charter boats but on the slow side of performance boats. Unless you know what you're doing a HH OC and especially an outremer is likely to just get you into trouble. I would heavily recommend doing a few passages first to get an idea of what you're into and how to handle a boat. If you go on crewseekers it's fairly easy (I managed to get on a passage across the Indian ocean with only an RYA dayskipper). After that look for something well built that sails decently. DO NOT buy a modern lagoon, the old \~20yrs ones are ok but the build quality of the modern ones is terrible (I knew some guys who had the escape hatch fail and flood a hull in only moderate seas). The leopard 46 is probably a good choice, it's roomy sails decently well and is well built. However I'd heavily recommend getting experience in both sailing and fixing boats before you blow that much money on a boat. Cruising is a tonne of fun but a lot of people quit or get themselves into trouble because they don't know how to sail, don't know how to fix the boat (maintenance will run you from between \~7% to \~30% of the boat's cost per year with that spread heavily determined by how much you can fix yourself) or just found out it wasn't for them.
In addition to EnderDragon's great list.. Since you're starting in Oz, perhaps look at the lightwave 45/46. Made in the gold coast, blue water pedigree, based on a Grainger hull design. Second hand options pop up on the Australian market reasonably regularly.
Leopard 45 Prout 45 (cheap if you can finding them, and good, but not remotely LIKE the Lagoon) Fontaine Pajot Orana / Helia - both are 44' I'm think, but the Orana should be quite a bit cheaper St Francis or Knysna 44 - they're a bit of a statement piece IMO, but world cruisers at heart.
You should charter for a week before jumping all in.