Moody 42

BoatsMoody 42

See her sail

The Moody 42, on the water

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

Footage from Lady K Sailing

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 moderate beam gives 32 — a sea-kindly motion in a seaway.

Comfort ratio 32

CoastalBluewater

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

Capsize screening 1.85

LightHeavy

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

Displacement / length 257

EasygoingPowered-up

14.6 — modest power for her weight; easygoing rather than lively, and happier with a breeze.

Sail area / displacement 14.6

TenderStiff

27% of her weight is ballast — on the tender side; she'll heel readily and want a reef sooner.

Ballast 27%

A capable cruiser that sits just inside the offshore line — coastal work with real passages in her.

Heavier than ~81% of boats her size on file
Draws less than ~80% of boats her size on file
Beamier than ~78% of boats her size on file

Compared with 2656 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

What the fleet has seen

The Moody 42, as the fleet has seen it

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

The Moody 42 is a 12.7-meter masthead ketch designed by Angus Primrose and built by A. H. Moody Ltd. between 1977 and 1981. It features a fin keel with a rudder on a skeg, a 4.1-meter beam, a 1.7-meter draft, and displaces 10,976 kg. Moody Yachts, established in 1827, transitioned to fiberglass production in the 1960s, maintaining a reputation for robust, high-end, blue-water cruising sailboats. The Moody 42 was offered with a center cockpit and a MkII version included an additional inside steering station.0:33 Owners of older Moody models frequently replace the original Thornycroft diesel engines with Yanmar, Volvo, or Perkins units.6:55 Moody vessels occupy a premium market segment comparable to Oyster or Discovery, commanding higher prices than production brands like Beneteau or Hunter.0:04

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

Seen 3 times across 3 channels of the fleet.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

What they go for

Market signal

Where the fleet has seen this model for sale, and the asking prices that came with it.

1seen for sale

1channel looked into buying

$75,000Median asking

A 1980 Moody 42 pilothouse for sale at $75,000, considered for purchase
from Lady K Sailingseen January 202110:35

From the fleet's own footage — our observed signal, not broker listings.

The record

Full specifications

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

Dimensions

Weights

Ballast / displacement

27.3%

Rig & sail area

Rig

Masthead Ketch

Ratios

SA / displacement

14.6

Displacement / length

257.5

Comfort ratio

32.2

Capsize screening

1.85

Hull speed

7.9 kn

Pounds / inch immersion

1655

Hull

Hull type

Fin with rudder on skeg

Construction

Fiberglass

Production

Years built

1977–1981

Units built

54

Designer

Angus Primrose

Builder

A. H. Moody Ltd, Moody Yachts (A. H. Moody, Sons)

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.

Valiant Yachts 4212.80 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Robert Perry-designed offshore cutter featuring a skeg-hung rudder and a heavy displacement hull for blue-water stability

Matt Rutherford // Around the Arctic (in a Valiant This Time!)6:36 from 59° North Sailing

Passport Yachts 4212.80 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Stan Huntingford-designed cutter featuring a skeg-mounted rudder and a stable, heavy-displacement hull for offshore work

REUNITED! These Brothers Sailed Around The World For 10 YEARS Together! Sailing Vessel Delos Ep. 4130:04 from Sailing SV Delos

Swan 4212.80 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 12.8-metre cruiser with a 2.38m draft and a 41% ballast ratio, built for offshore speed and stability

Worldwide Partnerships - Berthon USA | Podcast with Alan Baines and Jennifer Stewart (2/8)2:59 from Berthon International

Pearson Yachts 41912.73 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA short-lived 1970s production run designed for the charter trade, featuring a skeg-mounted rudder and shoal draft

We're Cutting Off our Keel (Part 2 of 4) | Step 4492:26 from Sailing Uma

Victoire Yachts 4212.70 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA modern evolution of the 42 Classic, featuring a redesigned deck and interior layout for contemporary cruising

QUANDO O MAR CHAMA - A travessia da regata Recife - Fernando de Noronha2:04 from Bora Velejar Galera

X-yachts Xc-4212.81 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Niels Jeppesen-designed performance cruiser balancing a deep bulb keel with a displacement-heavy hull for offshore stability

#9 | At Sea Reaction | ‘Encountering Storm Force 10’6:45 from The Mariner

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.

Moody 52A 15.77-metre ketch with a long keel and a high comfort ratio, designed for stable, heavy-displacement blue-water cruising Moody 36-1A 1977-1981 masthead sloop with a skeg-mounted rudder, designed for coastal stability and predictable handling Moody 47A 14-metre masthead sloop with a 40% ballast ratio, engineered for stability and offshore passage-making Moody 29An Angus Primrose-designed masthead sloop built for coastal cruising, featuring a fin keel and a stable, balanced hull

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The fleet has more to say

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