BoatsNicholson 42

Nicholson 42

Masthead Sloop · Fin With Rudder On Skeg · First built 1974

A 12.75-metre masthead sloop with a moderate 1.68-metre draft, balancing offshore capability with coastal accessibility

Designed by Raymond Wall, built by Camper.

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

See her sail

The Nicholson 42, on the water

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

Footage from Hold Fast!

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

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

Capsize screening 1.73
LightHeavy

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

Displacement / length 403
EasygoingPowered-up

18.1 — plenty of sail for her weight; lively and quick to respond.

Sail area / displacement 18.1
TenderStiff

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

Ballast 39%

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

  • Heavier than ~76% of boats her size on file
  • Draws less than ~80% of boats her size on file

Compared with 2655 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

What the fleet has seen

The Nicholson 42, as the fleet has seen it

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

The Nicholson 42 is a masthead sloop designed by Raymond Wall and built by Camper, Nicholson Ltd. and Nicholsons from 1974 to the present. It has a fin keel with a rudder on skeg, measures 12.8 meters LOA, 3.7 meters beam, and 1.7 meters draft, displacing 10160 kg. Aboard *Hold Fast!*, the crew sailed their vessel, SV Quetzal, from Harrington Harbor to St. Michael’s, Maryland, sailing close-hauled at four knots with a furled headsail and later reaching six to six-and-a-half knots under full canvas.14:07 The vessel maintained eight knots entering Harrington Harbor.15:47

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

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
39.4%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Masthead Sloop
Ratios
SA / displacement
18.1
Displacement / length
402.9
Comfort ratio
37.6
Capsize screening
1.73
Hull speed
7.2 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
1268
Hull
Hull type
Fin with rudder on skeg
Construction
Fiberglass
Production
Years built
First built 1974
Units built
14
Designer
Raymond Wall
Builder
Camper, Nicholson Ltd, Nicholsons

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
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
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
4 GREAT Tips Every Cruisers MUST Know: The BEST of the Rest10:45from Sailing Millennial Falcon
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 - 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

The family

Boats like this

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

Nicholson 43A Raymond Wall-designed masthead sloop with a high ballast ratio, built for offshore stability and performanceNicholson 45A 13-metre masthead sloop featuring a skeg-mounted rudder and a deep 2.15-metre draft for offshore stabilityNicholson 44An extended Nicholson 42 featuring a modified deck molding that creates a convenient walk-through to the aft cabinNicholson 35-1A Ray Wall-designed masthead sloop built for offshore stability with a heavy ballast ratio and skeg-hung rudderNicholson 48A heavy-displacement masthead ketch designed by Raymond Wall for comfortable, stable offshore passage making

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