BoatsSpencer 42

Spencer 42

Masthead Sloop · Full Keel · 1965–1983

A John Brandlmayr-designed masthead sloop with a full keel, produced from 1965 to 1983 as both kits and custom builds

Designed by John Brandlmayr.

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Ballast
Hull type
Full Keel

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 narrow beam gives 34 — a sea-kindly motion in a seaway.

Comfort ratio 34
CoastalBluewater

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

Capsize screening 1.70
LightHeavy

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

Displacement / length 314
EasygoingPowered-up

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

Sail area / displacement 16.8
TenderStiff

42% of her weight is ballast — stiff, standing up well to her sails.

Ballast 42%

Built heavy and sea-kindly — a boat made to cross oceans and forgive a rough night.

  • Draws more than ~83% of boats her size on file

Compared with 333 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

The record

Full specifications

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

Dimensions
Weights
Ballast / displacement
42.1%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Masthead Sloop
Ratios
SA / displacement
16.8
Displacement / length
314.1
Comfort ratio
34.4
Capsize screening
1.70
Hull speed
7.3 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
1215
Hull
Hull type
Full Keel
Construction
Fiberglass
Ballast type
Lead
Production
Years built
1965–1983
Units built
26
Designer
John Brandlmayr
Builder
Spencer Boats Ltd

Boats like this, on the water

Nobody has filmed this one — but these are close.

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.

Shannon Yachts 38 PH11.51 mSame hull family1.4 m shorterA long-keeled cutter designed by Stadel for offshore stability, offering a comfortable motion and steady passage-making
Downeaster 3811.58 mSame hull family1.3 m shorterA 1974-era cutter with a 35.4 comfort ratio, built for stable, long-distance voyaging on a heavy-displacement hull
Islander Yachts Freeport 4112.50 mSame hull family0.4 m shorterA long-keeled staysail ketch derived from the Islander 40MS, featuring an interior redesign by Robert Perry
Bristol Yachts 3911.89 mSame hull family1.0 m shorterA 1966 masthead sloop with a long keel, built for five years as a precursor to the long-running Bristol 40
Cabo Rico 3811.58 mSame hull family1.3 m shorterAn aft-cockpit evolution of the Tiburon 36, offering a heavy-displacement cutter platform for stable blue-water sailing
Morgan Yachts Out Island 4112.57 mSame hull family0.3 m shorterA prolific long-keeled masthead sloop designed by Charles Morgan Jr. that became a staple of the global charter trade

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.

Keep looking

Nothing filmed of this one yet

Two ways to keep looking — both search what the fleet has actually recorded.

The newsletter

New boats, new stories, from everywhere.

One email from the fleet — boats newly added, videos newly analyzed. No noise.

Report an issue