BoatsBowman Yachts 42

Bowman Yachts 42

Cutter · Fin With Rudder On Skeg · First built 1998

A 13-metre cutter by Chuck Paine featuring a skeg-hung rudder and a balanced sail area-to-displacement ratio

Designed by C. W. (Chuck) Paine.

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Ballast
Hull type
Fin With Rudder On Skeg

See her sail

The Bowman Yachts 42, on the water

The fleet's own footage — the truest look at how she really moves.

Footage from Hold Fast!

Is it for you?

Character

Where this design lands on the numbers a shopper trusts — read straight from her own ratios.

LivelySea-kindly

Her moderate displacement on a narrow beam gives 32 — a sea-kindly motion in a seaway.

Comfort ratio 32
CoastalBluewater

1.82 — just under the 2.0 offshore line; her beam is modest for her weight.

Capsize screening 1.82
LightHeavy

272 — moderately heavy for her waterline, a balanced cruising weight.

Displacement / length 272
EasygoingPowered-up

18.6 — plenty of sail for her weight; lively and quick to respond.

Sail area / displacement 18.6
TenderStiff

32% of her weight is ballast — on the tender side; she'll heel readily and want a reef sooner.

Ballast 32%

Powered-up and quick to accelerate — this one likes to sail.

What the fleet has seen

The Bowman Yachts 42, as the fleet has seen it

Derived from the videos the fleet has analysed of this model. ▶ marks open the moment aboard.

The Bowman Yachts 42 is a 13.1-meter cutter-rigged sailboat designed by C. W. (Chuck) Paine, built by Bowman Yachts from 1998 to the present. It features a fin keel with a rudder on a skeg, a 3.8-meter beam, a 2.0-meter draft, and displaces 9720 kg. A marine surveyor reviewing a Bowman 40, a similar Chuck Paine design, noted its rarity in the U.S. market.0:11 The surveyor's process for evaluating such a vessel includes an initial walkthrough, systematic inspection with the owner, and operating systems like the engine to observe functionality.2:11 Findings are categorized by severity: A for safety or structural issues, B for malfunctioning systems, and C for cosmetic items.1:40

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

Seen once across one channel of the fleet.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

The record

Full specifications

The complete reference set — tap any figure to switch between metric and imperial.

Dimensions
Weights
Ballast / displacement
31.7%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Cutter
Ratios
SA / displacement
18.6
Displacement / length
272.4
Comfort ratio
31.7
Capsize screening
1.82
Hull speed
7.7 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
1472
Hull
Hull type
Fin with rudder on skeg
Construction
Fiberglass
Production
Years built
First built 1998
Designer
C. W. (Chuck) Paine
Builder
Bowman Yachts

Boats like this, on the water

More boats like her, on the water

Comparable boats the fleet has on camera: same type, within a quarter of her length. Open the boat, or watch the video — a timestamp means she only appears in passing.

Swan 43 (S&S)13.04 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthDrawn for the RORC rule, this masthead sloop features a high ballast-to-displacement ratio for a stiff, stable ride
113. Pedro Millet, the silver medal that changed everything.4:07from A Son de Mar
Columbia 4313.18 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA William Tripp Jr. design featuring a high ballast ratio and a masthead rig, built for offshore performance
Felipe from Velejar Brasil | #SAL #10414:21from Hashtag Sal
Tanton 4313.16 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA versatile 13-meter cruiser also marketed as the Offshore and Explorer 43, available in both standard and pilothouse
Watch if you want to change your life | #SAL #13110:26from Hashtag Sal
Hallberg-Rassy 42 (Frers)13.22 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA German Frers-designed masthead sloop built for blue-water cruising, featuring a stable fin keel and a 181-unit production run.
Hallberg Rassy 42 - Behind the Curtainfrom Practical Sailor
Nicholson 4413.18 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthAn extended Nicholson 42 featuring a modified deck molding that creates a convenient walk-through to the aft cabin
Camper and Nicholson 44 - A Yacht Delivery from Falmouth to Gosport0:34from Halcyon Yachts - International Yacht Delivery
Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 4313.21 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 13.2-meter masthead sloop offered with a shallow draft keel option and also marketed as the Moorings 43
Boats crossing Atlantic0:16from practicalboatowner

The family

Related models

The designs closest to hers — usually the rest of the builder's range, sometimes the same hull sold under another name.

Bowman Yachts 45A high-performance cutter with a 20.89 SA/displacement ratio, engineered for speed and offshore agilityBowman 48A 1981 cutter featuring a 31% ballast ratio and a skeg-hung rudder, designed for offshore stability and comfortBowman Yachts 57/58A traditional counter-stern ketch offering deep keel or centerboard options for versatile offshore cruisingBowman Yachts 46 CorsairA Holman and Pye designed masthead sloop built for offshore stability with a skeg-mounted rudder and deep fin keelBowman Yachts 49 KetchA Holman & Pye designed masthead ketch built for offshore passage-making with a stable, heavy-displacement hull

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