Allied XL-2 42 Buyer's Guide
Shopping the brokerage market for an Allied XL-2 42 means looking at a Sparkman & Stephens centerboard cruiser built from 1969 until the builder closed in 1982, with four ownership groups producing the class across that span. These are CCA-era boats with long overhangs and a slim beam, and the defining feature on the used market is the swing centerboard that draws 4 feet 2 inches up and 8 feet 4 inches down. The one fixed-keel outlier, Dauphine, was built in 1981 and is the only 42 with a 5-foot-11-inch fixed keel, so nearly every used Allied XL-2 42 will be a centerboarder.
Layouts on the Used Market
The aft-cockpit interior carries a saloon table that lowers and a V-berth forward, a period cruising arrangement rather than a modern open-plan floor. Because Allied moved from woodgrain Formica veneer to natural wood finishes after 1979, later boats will show different cabin surfaces than earlier ones, and that shift is the easiest in-person clue to a boat’s build-era within the 1969–1982 window. The 100-gallon water and 30-gallon diesel capacities are consistent across the model, and the 40-horsepower Vire diesel is the recorded single engine.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
On the used market, solar, inverter, bimini, and chartplotter are commonly fitted to used Allied XL-2 42s. Watermaker, air conditioning, and AIS are often seen, though less universal than the top tier. The centerboard itself is a point of variation across the build run, so an owner upgrading or replacing the board should identify the existing material before ordering parts. No owner-upgrade tier items are recorded for this model in the brief.
What to Inspect
The documented known issue is the centerboard material ambiguity, since the boats switched from aluminum to bronze or vice versa during the build run and a survey must confirm what is in the trunk. Beyond that, the class is described as heavily constructed and impervious to grounding, reefs, and whale-attacks, so the structural narrative is one of overbuild rather than weakness. The 1981 fixed-keel Dauphine is outside the normal centerboard inspection path but should be confirmed as such if encountered.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
The typical market for these boats is the United States. For a shopper, the short checklist is: confirm centerboard material (aluminum or bronze), note the 4’2”/8’4” draft swing, check whether the interior is pre- or post-1979 finish, and verify aft-cockpit layout with lowering saloon table and forward V-berth. The XL-2 42 is a narrow, classic CCA cruiser with documented toughness and a shoal-draft centerboard — a specific used-market profile rather than a generalist bluewater offering.
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Allied XL-2 42. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 4 rows
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 25 | 1 | $ 28,750 | — |
| Sep 25 | 1 | $ 28,750 | 0.0% |
| Apr 26 | 3 | $ 36,000 | +25.2% |
| May 26 | 1 | $ 28,750 | -20.1% |
Where they're listed
Allied XL-2 42 listings appear across 1 country. United States has the most listings with 5.
Country view
5 listings · 1 country| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | $ 36,000 | 5 | 3 | 100.0% |
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
6 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Valiant 42 | 42' | $ 299,999 | 17 | 3 |
| Tartan 42 | 42' | $ 89,000 | 13 | 9 |
| Rustler 42 | 42' | $ 471,102 | 10 | 1 |
| Allied XL-2 42You are here | — | $ 32,375 | 6 | 4 |
| Morgan 42-2 | 42' | $ 21,500 | 6 | 3 |
| Hinckley Sou'wester 42/43 | 42.75' | $ 225,000 | 5 | 1 |