BoatsRustler Yachts 42

Rustler Yachts 42

Cutter · Fin With Rudder On Skeg · First built 1999

A 12.8-metre cutter with a 40% ballast ratio, engineered for heavy-weather stability and long-range blue water autonomy

Designed by Stephen Jones.

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

See her sail

The Rustler Yachts 42, on the water

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

Footage from Halcyon Yachts - International Yacht Delivery

Is it for you?

Character

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

LivelySea-kindly

Her heavy displacement on a moderate beam gives 35 — a sea-kindly motion in a seaway.

Comfort ratio 35
CoastalBluewater

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

Capsize screening 1.80
LightHeavy

309 — heavy for her waterline, built to carry stores and ride steadily.

Displacement / length 309
EasygoingPowered-up

17.4 — moderate power for her weight; steady, all-round performance.

Sail area / displacement 17.4
TenderStiff

40% of her weight is ballast — moderately stiff, a middle-of-the-road stability.

Ballast 40%

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

  • Heavier than ~84% of boats her size on file
  • Beamier than ~77% of boats her size on file

Compared with 2639 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

What the fleet has seen

The Rustler 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 Rustler Yachts 42 is a Stephen Jones-designed cutter-rigged sailboat built by Rustler Yachts since 1999, featuring a fin keel with a rudder on skeg. It measures 12.8 meters LOA, with a 4.1-meter beam, 1.9-meter draft, and displaces 11,793 kg. Aboard Halcyon Yachts, a Rustler 42 delivery from St. Lucia to Antigua achieved 9.2 knots with a single reef in the main and a reefed headsail in large swells.5:27 The delivery skipper noted the 42's exceptional balance, requiring minimal helm correction for self-steering, and its comfortable ride at seven to nine knots.6:46 The boat performed well in Caribbean trade winds, maintaining speed and balance. Another Rustler 42, *Captain's Lady*, was loaded onto a cargo ship in Antigua, a process that involved sailing downwind at 10 knots over ground under genoa alone with favorable current.2:45 The crew prepared the boat for shipping by removing sails, canvas, and external gear.5:26 A Rustler 42 also completed a 450-mile coastal transit from Falmouth to Oban in challenging weather.7:01

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

Seen 3 times across one channel of the fleet.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

On the water

The Rustler Yachts 42 on video

What they go for

Market signal

Where the fleet has seen this model come up for sale.

1seen for sale

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
39.6%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Cutter
Ratios
SA / displacement
17.4
Displacement / length
308.7
Comfort ratio
35.4
Capsize screening
1.80
Hull speed
7.8 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
1596
Hull
Hull type
Fin with rudder on skeg
Construction
Fiberglass
Ballast type
Lead
Production
Years built
First built 1999
Designer
Stephen Jones
Builder
Rustler 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.

Endeavour 4212.88 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Johan Valentijn-designed masthead sloop with a skeg-mounted rudder, built for stable, comfortable offshore cruising
The Cheap Big Cruising Sailboat - Endeavour 423:10from Practical Sailor
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. 4130:04from Sailing SV Delos
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
The SECRET to DEALS on BOATS14:02from Be The Captain
Pacific Seacraft 4012.85 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA William Crealock-designed cutter built for offshore stability with a conservative capsize screening of 1.73
My Final Sail Aboard Phoenix (and Losing the Drone)31:33from Sailing With Phoenix | Oliver
Moody 4212.74 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA masthead ketch offered with a center cockpit and an optional inside steering station for all-weather cruising
The refit continues [Ep. 136]0:36from Sailing Supernova
Tayana Vancouver 4212.73 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA heavy-displacement cutter with a 40% ballast ratio, designed for stable offshore passage-making since 1979
He's TORN my Kitchen APART! - Isotherm CRUISE 130 Elegance Installation0:30from Sailing Millennial Falcon

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.

Rustler Yachts 44A 13.5-metre cutter with a 2.1-metre draft and a 36% ballast ratio, engineered for deep-water stability and ocean passagesRustler Yachts 37A masthead sloop with a fin keel and skeg-hung rudder, designed by Stephen Jones for modern offshore cruisingRustler Yachts 33A Stephen Jones-designed fractional sloop with a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio built for spirited performanceRustler Yachts 57A modern 17.4-metre cutter featuring a performance-oriented fin keel and spade rudder for precise handlingRustler Yachts 36A Holman and Pye designed masthead sloop featuring a heavy-displacement long keel hull built for offshore stability

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