BoatsTayana Vancouver 42

Tayana Vancouver 42

Cutter · Fin With Rudder On Skeg · First built 1979

A heavy-displacement cutter with a 40% ballast ratio, designed for stable offshore passage-making since 1979

Designed by Robert B. Harris.

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

See her sail

The Tayana Vancouver 42, on the water

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

Footage from Sailing Millennial Falcon

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 44 — a heavy, notably soft motion offshore.

Comfort ratio 44
CoastalBluewater

At 1.63 she sits well under the 2.0 line — a solidly ocean-capable hull for her size.

Capsize screening 1.63
LightHeavy

362 — very heavy for her waterline, a serious load-carrying cruiser.

Displacement / length 362
EasygoingPowered-up

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

Sail area / displacement 15.3
TenderStiff

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

Ballast 40%

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

  • Heavier than ~90% of boats her size on file

Compared with 2668 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

What the fleet has seen

The Tayana Vancouver 42, as the fleet has seen it

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

The Tayana VANCOUVER 42 is a Robert B. Harris-designed cutter-rigged sailboat built by Tayana (Ta Yang Yacht Building Co. Ltd.) since 1979, offered in both aft and center cockpit models. It features a fin keel with a rudder on skeg, measures 12.7 meters LOA, 3.8 meters beam, 1.8 meters draft, and displaces 13,225 kg. Aboard *Sailing Millennial Falcon*, Khiara and Adam undertook extensive refits on their Tayana VANCOUVER 42, including engine realignment, Sigma Drive installation, and a new fridge.1:49 They installed a Dickinson diesel heater, rebuilding the saloon to accommodate it with a hybrid gravity-feed fuel system and a custom flue through a modified Dorade vent.0:09 The couple also rebuilt their saloon couch, adding an ottoman and converting a chart-table area into a transient berth. *Sailing Millennial Falcon* experienced a worn cutlass bearing and consumed zinc after four months, attributed to a previously misaligned shaft and calcium carbonate buildup during a refit in Grenada.9:16 The boat was hauled out in Scotland for long-term storage due to family health reasons, with the owners noting the effectiveness of inexpensive anti-fouling paint applied in Trinidad.2:28 Kyle Jackney, a marine industry veteran, identifies early Tayana 42s as good value for cruising, but advises inspecting black iron tanks common on Asian-built boats.42:53

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

The channels sailing this model, and where they were last seen.

Sailing Millennial FalconAdam and Khiara document the ongoing maintenance, upgrades, and global travels of their Tayana 42, Millennial Falcon, as they navigate life aboard.

Seen 4 times across one channel of the fleet.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

On the water

The Tayana Vancouver 42 on video

The record

Full specifications

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

Dimensions
Weights
Ballast / displacement
40.5%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Cutter
Ratios
SA / displacement
15.3
Displacement / length
362.2
Comfort ratio
43.8
Capsize screening
1.63
Hull speed
7.7 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
1474
Hull
Hull type
Fin with rudder on skeg
Construction
Fiberglass
Ballast type
Cast Iron
Production
Years built
First built 1979
Units built
200
Designer
Robert B. Harris
Builder
Tayana, Ta Yang Yacht Building Co. Ltd

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.

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
Rustler Yachts 4212.80 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 12.8-metre cutter with a 40% ballast ratio, engineered for heavy-weather stability and long-range blue water autonomy
Rustler 42 - Loading onto a ship in Antigua0:31from Halcyon Yachts - International Yacht Delivery
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!)6:36from 59° North Sailing
Grand Soleil 40 (Polli)12.90 mSame hull family0.2 m longerA Matteo Polli-designed fractional sloop optimized for ORC competition with a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio
Sailing Alone in Fog Without Losing Your Cool11:09from The Mariner
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
Sirius 40 DS12.90 mSame hull family0.2 m longerA 12.9-metre fractional sloop built since 2015, offering a deep 2.3-metre draft for performance and stability
Sailing West in the English Channel Isn’t Easy Ep 493:51from Sailing Northern Brees

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.

Vancouver 42A Robert B. Harris-designed cutter built as both center and aft cockpit versions, offering a heavy, stable blue-water hullTayana 47 CCA Robert Perry-designed center cockpit cutter built for offshore comfort with a high sail area to displacement ratioTayana 47 DSA Robert Perry-designed cutter featuring a deck salon and skeg-hung rudder, built for comfortable blue-water cruisingTayana 55A Peter Beeldsnijder-designed cutter with a skeg-hung rudder, built for heavy-displacement offshore cruisingTayana 48A Robert Perry-designed cutter featuring a raised salon and elevated floor for enhanced interior visibility

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