Whitby Boatworks 42

BoatsWhitby Boatworks 42

See her sail

The Whitby Boatworks 42, on the water

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

Footage from Practical Sailor

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

Comfort ratio 34

CoastalBluewater

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

Capsize screening 1.82

LightHeavy

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

Displacement / length 301

EasygoingPowered-up

13.8 — modest power for her weight; easygoing rather than lively, and happier with a breeze.

Sail area / displacement 13.8

TenderStiff

34% of her weight is ballast — on the tender side; she'll heel readily and want a reef sooner.

Ballast 34%

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

Beamier than ~80% of boats her size on file

Compared with 336 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

What the fleet has seen

The Whitby Boatworks 42, as the fleet has seen it

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

The Whitby Boatworks 42 is a 12.8-meter masthead ketch, designed by Edward S. Brewer and built from 1972 to 1988 by Whitby Boat Works in Ontario and later by Ft. Myers Yacht and Shipbuilding. This long-keel, center-cockpit vessel is known for its spacious interior and liveaboard potential, featuring a 4.0-meter beam and a 1.5-meter draft. It was produced as a sloop, ketch, or staysail ketch, with later derivatives including the Brewer 12.8 and Brewer 44. The Whitby 42 typically has a balsa-cored hull and deck, and common power plants include the Ford Lehman 254 or Perkins 4236.2:24 While it performs well on reaches and runs, it is sluggish in light air and can be tender due to a 34% ballast-to-displacement ratio.3:56 Practical Sailor notes that common refit needs for aging models include replacing glassed-in chainplates, updating electrical and plumbing systems, and reinforcing the mizzenmast step.5:31

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

34.0%

Rig & sail area

Rig

Masthead Ketch

Ratios

SA / displacement

13.8

Displacement / length

300.9

Comfort ratio

33.6

Capsize screening

1.82

Hull speed

7.7 kn

Pounds / inch immersion

1518

Hull

Hull type

Long Keel

Construction

Fiberglass

Production

Years built

1972–1988

Units built

300

Designer

Edward S. Brewer

Builder

Whitby Boatworks, Ft. Meyers Yacht, Shipbuilding

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.

Islander Yachts Freeport 4112.50 mSame hull family0.3 m shorterA long-keeled staysail ketch derived from the Islander 40MS, featuring an interior redesign by Robert Perry

OPB: Islander Freeport 41 sailboat tour and sail to Catalina Island (Dec 2025)0:02 from keeldragger

Morgan Yachts Out Island 4112.57 mSame hull family0.2 m shorterA prolific long-keeled masthead sloop designed by Charles Morgan Jr. that became a staple of the global charter trade

Sailing KYAN II Episode 1 from Sailing KYAN II a Morgan Out Island 41 Ketch

Island Packet 4012.19 mSame hull family0.6 m shorterA 12.19-meter cutter featuring a 1.42-meter draft that balances offshore stability with shoal-water accessibility

$200,000 SAILBOAT SHOWDOWN - Ep 210 - Lady K Sailing6:35 from Lady K Sailing

Hans Christian 38T11.56 mSame hull family1.2 m shorterA traditional cutter with a long keel and high comfort ratio, built between 1976 and 1989 for steady offshore cruising

the BRUTAL take down of a Hans Christian 38T - Ep 237 - Lady K Sailing0:53 from Lady K Sailing

Morgan Yachts 4513.92 mSame hull family1.1 m longerA long-keeled masthead sloop with a high comfort ratio, built by Charles Morgan Jr. between 1966 and 1970

Travelling the Intracoastal Waterway0:05 from Maryland School of Sailing

Baba 4012.14 mSame hull family0.7 m shorterA 13-ton cutter with a 41.5 comfort ratio, built between 1980 and 1982 for steady, long-distance passage making

Full SAILBOAT TOUR [Baba 40, Bluewater, Deep Draft, Around the World Ocean Sailing Monohull]0:05 from Adventureman Dan

The family

Boats like this

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

Brewer 12.8Commissioned by the Knickerbocker Yacht Club, this cutter features a keel/centerboard hull for versatile shoal-water access Whitby 55A Ted Brewer-designed staysail ketch built for heavy-displacement offshore comfort and long-range stability Whitby 45A George Cuthbertson-designed masthead sloop with a high ballast ratio, built for offshore stability and speed Brewer 44A stretched evolution of the 12.8 featuring a reverse transom and a versatile keel-centerboard configuration Brewer 46A heavy-displacement cutter marketed under various names including Pan Oceanic, Seastar, and Mao Ta Westsail 42A William Crealock-designed long-keel cutter sharing its hull mold with the aft-cockpit 43 for heavy-weather stability

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The fleet has more to say

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