Able 42 Sailboat Review, Specs, and Listings

Design and Construction

Chuck Paine created the Able 42 in the late eighties, and Able Marine has produced the solid fiberglass hull with lead ballast since 1989 built by the American yard Able Marine. The 4,980 pounds of lead ballast represents about a 23 percent ballast ratio, and the displacement-to-length figure of 277 places her firmly among heavy cruisers; 42 percent of comparable designs weigh more, but her mass is what gives the Motion Comfort Ratio of 31.9 its meaning — she is steadier than 58 percent of similar sailboats in that metric. The fin keel carries a substantial bulb and pairs with a large skeg-hung rudder, a combination that supports both directional stability and a draft near 5.2 feet that lets her into most marinas. A capsize screening value of 1.82 means that by that formula alone she would qualify for ocean racing, a telling index for a boat built as a comfortable voyager.

Rig and Handling

The Able 42 is a masthead sloop with an anodized aluminum mast finished in Awlgrip, stepped on the keel with double spreaders and stainless steel Navtec rod rigging. A removable inner forestay with a Hyfield lever allows a staysail, while a Harken headsail furling system and a LeisureFurl boom ease short-handed handling; an electric mainsail halyard winch on the coach roof and hydraulic backstays with Navtec adjusters in the cockpit round out the control suite. The sailplan is optimized for light air, and the boat can tack through 95 degrees even when the wind drops tack through 95 degrees even in low wind. With a reported sail area near 801 square feet and a sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 16.5 (rising to 19.7 with a 135 percent genoa), she is quicker than 34 percent of similar designs in light wind. Writing in yachtdatabase.com, reviewers noted her rig exceeds every comparable sailboat in the database — significantly overrigged by that measure, which explains the easy light-air manners.

Accommodations

Below, the Able 42 shows a raised salon with forward-facing windows at eye level, giving a clear view from the large starboard nav station with forward-facing seating. The main salon to port has a raised U-shaped settee and dinette, and the varnished cherry woodwork with Ultrasuede upholstery lends a quiet, finished feel. The galley sits forward of the main salon with Formica counters, a tile backsplash, a large stainless sink with a Seagull IV purifier, a Force 10 propane stove with oven, and an engine-drive Seafrost refrigerator/freezer. Forward, the V-berth has standing headroom, a bureau, cedar lockers, and an ensuite head with shower; aft, the cabin holds a double berth with opening ports and a cedar hanging locker. The T-shaped aft cockpit with dual helm stations lets the boat be handled from the raised salon or the well-balanced helms.

Refits and Ownership

The standing rigging was given a complete overhaul in 2015, a useful reference point for any owner tracking remaining service life. Onboard electrical infrastructure includes a 120-volt AC panel with 30-amp shore power, a 12-volt DC system with one starting and two house batteries, a MagnaSine charger, and a galvanic isolator. The custom nav station carries radar, a chartplotter, and Autohelm, supplemented by a Raytheon GPS chartplotter with radar, Raymarine instruments, and a Ritchie compass. USB plugs in both cabins and cabin fans speak to a layout meant for extended living.

The Verdict

The Able 42 is a thoughtfully engineered Paine design that pairs heavy-cruiser stability with a light-air sailplan and a raised salon that makes passage-making comfortable. Her overrigged masthead rig and bulb fin keel reward the voyager, while the Maine-built fiberglass hull and lead ballast speak to traditional bluewater values.

Pros