BoatsValiant Yachts 42

Valiant Yachts 42

Cutter · Fin With Rudder On Skeg · 1992–2010

A Robert Perry-designed offshore cutter featuring a skeg-hung rudder and a heavy displacement hull for blue-water stability

Designed by Robert H. Perry.

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

See her sail

The Valiant Yachts 42, on the water

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

Footage from 59° North 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 35 — a sea-kindly motion in a seaway.

Comfort ratio 35
CoastalBluewater

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

Capsize screening 1.76
LightHeavy

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

Displacement / length 267
EasygoingPowered-up

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

Sail area / displacement 16.1
TenderStiff

39% of her weight is ballast — moderately stiff, a middle-of-the-road stability.

Ballast 39%

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

  • Heavier than ~82% 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 Valiant 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 Valiant Yachts 42 is a Robert H. Perry-designed cutter-rigged sailboat built by Valiant Yachts between 1992 and 2010, featuring a fin keel with a rudder on a skeg. With an LOA of 12.8 meters, a beam of 3.9 meters, and a displacement of 11,158 kg, it has a comfort ratio of 34.9 and a sail area to displacement ratio of 16.1. A deck salon variant, the VALIANT 42RS, was also available. Matt Rutherford sailed a Valiant 42 solo across the Arctic, noting its suitability for solo offshore sailing due to its short path from the aft cabin to the cockpit, and a cutter-ketch rig allowing single-line reefing and full sail trim from the cockpit.31:21 He also observed that fiberglass hulls deflect glancing blows from ice better than steel.55:42 Rutherford's refit included replacing corroded metal holding tanks, repainting both masts, and installing an automotive engine-coolant heater.10:02 The Valiant 42 is considered a properly engineered fin-keel, skeg-hung rudder design built for offshore use, contrasting with production boats not specifically designed for ocean crossings.

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

Seen 4 times across 3 channels of the fleet.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

On the water

The Valiant Yachts 42 on video

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
$235,000Median asking

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
38.6%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Cutter
Ratios
SA / displacement
16.1
Displacement / length
267.4
Comfort ratio
34.9
Capsize screening
1.76
Hull speed
7.9 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
1572
Hull
Hull type
Fin with rudder on skeg
Construction
Fiberglass
Ballast type
Lead
Production
Years built
1992–2010
Designer
Robert H. Perry
Builder
Valiant 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.

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
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
Endeavour 4212.88 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Johan Valentijn-designed masthead sloop with a skeg-mounted rudder, built for stable, comfortable offshore cruising
Sailboat SINKS in SPAIN - A Behind The Scenes Follow up with the Owner of Sea Dogs - Ep. 1140:57from Sailing Zephyr
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 - A Yacht Delivery from Madeira to the UK0:33from Halcyon Yachts - International Yacht Delivery
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 4492:26from Sailing Uma
Pearson Yachts 424 Ketch12.90 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA masthead ketch featuring an aft cockpit layout and a 1.6-metre draft for versatile coastal and offshore cruising
The MIGHTY But CHEAP Pearson 424from Practical Sailor

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.

Valiant Yachts 42RSA raised-saloon cutter offering increased interior volume and headroom for long-range offshore cruisingValiant Yachts 32A Robert Perry-designed cutter with a skeg-hung rudder, built for offshore stability and occasionally rigged as a sloopValiant Yachts 39A Robert Perry-designed cutter evolved from the Valiant 37 with an updated deck, coach roof, and bowspritValiant Yachts 50An evolution of the 47 hull featuring a bowsprit and a forward-shifted mast for improved balance on offshore passagesValiant 47A Robert Perry-designed cutter with a skeg-hung rudder, built for offshore passage-making and later evolved into the 50Valiant Yachts 40-2A Robert Perry-designed cutter built for offshore passage-making, featuring a skeg-hung rudder and a stiff, heavy hull

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