Lagoon 38 Aims for Multihull of the Year 2026 With Five Key Reasons

Lagoon Catamarans isn't waiting quietly for award season to unfold. On March 12, 2026, the French builder published a feature making its case directly to the multihull community: five reasons why the Lagoon 38 deserves to win the Multihull of the Year 2026 award, the prize run jointly by Multicoques Mag and Multihulls World. The move is confident, even bold, and it signals just how seriously Lagoon is positioning this model in what is shaping up to be a competitive year for new cruising cats.

The Multihull of the Year contest isn't the Lagoon 38's only awards story. Back on September 5, 2025, Lagoon had already announced that the 38 was nominated for the European Yacht of the Year (EYOTY) 2026 in the Multihull category. These are two distinct competitions with separate jury processes, and it's worth keeping them clearly separated: the EYOTY is evaluated by journalists from 11 leading European sailing magazines, while the Multihull of the Year is the Multicoques Mag and Multihulls World competition. That the Lagoon 38 is in contention for both underlines the breadth of attention the model has attracted since its launch.

The case Lagoon is making

The five specific reasons Lagoon listed in its March 12 feature are, at this point, the core of the story. Lagoon published them as a direct argument to voters and readers of Multicoques Mag and Multihulls World, framing the piece simultaneously as a promotional overview of the model. The full text of those five reasons requires the complete feature to report accurately, and the detail of each argument is what serious multihull sailors will want to interrogate. What the manufacturer has placed on record publicly, across its own communications, gives a clear preview of the themes it is leaning on.

Elegance and space as a design philosophy

The headline Lagoon has attached to the 38 is unambiguous: "Lagoon 38 – Elegance and Space, the Lagoon Signature." The brand describes the boat as having a refined design, seamless circulation, and bright, spacious interiors, and positions these not as isolated features but as expressions of a broader identity. "With its refined design, seamless circulation, and bright, spacious interiors, the Lagoon 38 perfectly embodies the Lagoon spirit," the company states. "It combines comfort, style, and elegance to deliver a sailing experience where serenity meets the joy of the sea." For a builder whose reputation is built on liveaboard-friendly cruising cats that appeal to both charter operators and private owners, that language is strategic: the 38 is being presented as the distillation of everything Lagoon claims to do well, packaged into an accessible size class.

The EYOTY nomination as validation

When the EYOTY nomination landed in September 2025, Lagoon treated it as meaningful institutional recognition. The company called the EYOTY "a benchmark award in the sailing world" that "honors the most outstanding yachts in Europe each year across five categories," with a jury described as journalists from 11 leading European sailing magazines who "highlight excellence and innovation in yacht design and construction." Lagoon's response to the nomination was candid about what it represented internally: "This EYOTY nomination marks an important milestone for the Lagoon 38 and stands as a testament to the expertise of our teams." The follow-on statement sharpened the brand's long-term positioning: "It is a recognition that reinforces our ambition: to design exceptional catamarans that inspire and accompany every journey at sea."

That language matters here because the EYOTY and the Multihull of the Year are not the same competition, and Lagoon has effectively been making a sustained public argument across both. The September nomination established credibility with the European sailing press; the March feature takes that credibility and redirects it toward the Multicoques Mag and Multihulls World audience specifically.

Why this moment matters for the multihull community

Award cycles in the sailing world do real work. For builders, a Multihull of the Year win from Multicoques Mag and Multihulls World carries weight with the French and international cruising cat market in ways that translate directly into showroom conversations and charter fleet decisions. For buyers evaluating a first or next catamaran, these shortlists and wins function as a form of peer review from people who sail and test these boats seriously.

Lagoon publishing five reasons it should win is, on one level, a marketing exercise. The company has been transparent about that: the piece is described as functioning as a promotional overview of the model. But in the multihull space, where Multicoques Mag and Multihulls World readers tend to be informed and demanding, putting five specific arguments into the public record also invites scrutiny. Every claim becomes a benchmark against which the boat gets tested, discussed, and debated at pontoons and on forums.

What's still to come

The Multihull of the Year 2026 result from Multicoques Mag and Multihulls World has not yet been announced, and the EYOTY 2026 outcome is similarly pending. The Lagoon 38 is now competing on two fronts simultaneously, with Lagoon's March 12 feature representing the most direct statement of its award ambitions to date. Whether the five reasons Lagoon has put forward prove persuasive to the Multicoques Mag and Multihulls World jury is the question that will define how this chapter of the Lagoon 38's story closes. For a model that has already drawn nominations from the EYOTY's panel of 11 European sailing magazine journalists, the foundation of external recognition is already there. The next few months will show whether it's enough.