Hallberg-Rassy 42 (Frers)

BoatsHallberg-Rassy 42 (Frers)

See her sail

The Hallberg-Rassy 42 (Frers), on the water

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

Footage from SEILmagasinet

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 38 — a sea-kindly motion in a seaway.

Comfort ratio 38

CoastalBluewater

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

Capsize screening 1.72

LightHeavy

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

Displacement / length 314

EasygoingPowered-up

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

Sail area / displacement 16.9

TenderStiff

38% of her weight is ballast — moderately stiff, a middle-of-the-road stability.

Ballast 38%

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

Heavier than ~84% of boats her size on file

Compared with 2542 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

What the fleet has seen

The Hallberg-Rassy 42 (Frers), as the fleet has seen it

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

The Hallberg-Rassy 42 (FRERS) is a masthead sloop designed by German Frers and built by Hallberg-Rassy between 1990 and 2001. This 13.2-meter (43.3-foot) sailboat has a fin keel with a rudder on a partial skeg, a 4.0-meter beam, a 2.0-meter draft, and displaces 12,500 kg.8:03 The model was produced in two versions: the Mk I (53 units) and the Mk II (128 units), with the Mk II adding a swim platform and a developed transom while retaining the same hull, sailplan, and engine. A 30cm reduced draft keel was an available option. John Neal sailed a Hallberg-Rassy 42 (FRERS version) before spending 22 years teaching aboard a Hallberg-Rassy 46.1:07

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

Seen once across one channel of the fleet.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

The record

Full specifications

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

Dimensions

Weights

Ballast / displacement

37.6%

Rig & sail area

Rig

Masthead Sloop

Ratios

SA / displacement

16.9

Displacement / length

314.1

Comfort ratio

38.2

Capsize screening

1.72

Hull speed

7.8 kn

Pounds / inch immersion

1573

Hull

Hull type

Fin w/rudder on partial skeg

Construction

Fiberglass

Ballast type

Lead

Production

Years built

1990–2001

Units built

181

Designer

German Frers

Builder

Hallberg-Rassy

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.

Westerly Marine Ltd. Ocean 4313.26 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Ron Holland-designed masthead sloop built for offshore comfort with a stable, skeg-mounted rudder configuration

Why did I buy this boat?18:37 from Sailing Gently

Nicholson 4413.18 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthAn extended Nicholson 42 featuring a modified deck molding that creates a convenient walk-through to the aft cabin

Camper and Nicholson 44 - A Yacht Delivery from Falmouth to Gosport0:34 from Halcyon Yachts - International Yacht Delivery

Jeanneau Sun Magic 4413.34 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA high-volume charter veteran also marketed as the Atlantic 44, built for stable cruising with a 2.12-metre fin keel

We found our next houseboat in Newport, USA | Episode 82 - Chez Team5:25 from Chez Team

Sweden Yachts 4213.25 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 13.25-metre fractional sloop featuring a 2.1-metre bulb keel and a 40% ballast ratio for balanced offshore performance

Sweden Yachts 42 - An Atlantic crossing from Sint Maarten to UK as part of the ARC Europe 2025.9:00 from Halcyon Yachts - International Yacht Delivery

Dufour Yachts 430 Grand Large13.24 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 2019 Umberto Felci design with a 2.1-meter bulb keel and a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio for spirited cruising

[Ep 4] First Year Living on a Boat: Water in the Boat, Endless Projects, We Quit!11:41 from SmoCo Sailing

Beneteau Oceanis 42 CC13.23 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA center-cockpit cutter designed by Groupe Finot, featuring a wing keel for shoal draft and a stable, comfortable motion

Sailing Solo to San Clemente Island and buddy boating (June 2024)from keeldragger

The family

Boats like this

Nearby designs by size, type, and era — worth a look alongside her.

Hallberg-Rassy 39Produced in two versions over twelve years, this cruiser evolved from the 1991 MK I to the extended MK II with a bathing platform Hallberg-Rassy 42 (Enderlein)A 12.9-metre blue-water cruiser offered in both ketch and sloop configurations, featuring a skeg-mounted rudder Hallberg-Rassy 43 MKIA masthead-rigged blue water cruiser featuring a skeg-hung rudder and a stable, heavy-displacement hull Hallberg-Rassy 40A German Frers-designed masthead sloop built for offshore stability with a high comfort ratio and a partial skeg rudder Hallberg-Rassy 40 MKIIA German Frers-designed masthead sloop featuring a taller rig and increased sail area over the original HR 40 Hallberg-Rassy 45A heavy-displacement masthead sloop with a 40% ballast ratio, engineered for offshore stability and long-range comfort

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