Cascade 42 Buyer's Guide
The Cascade 42 on the used market is a 1964-origin Robert A. Smith design built by Cascade Yachts in Portland, Oregon, and sold for decades as both finished yachts and semi-complete kit hulls. That kit heritage means the brokerage fleet is less uniform than a typical production 42-footer: the hull and rig are consistent, but the interiors and systems reflect decades of owner interpretation. Shopping one is as much about assessing the completion quality as it is about the well-documented toughness of the shell.
Layouts on the Used Market
Because many Cascade 42 hulls were delivered as semi-kits for owner completion, the used fleet shows highly customized interiors rather than a single factory plan. A buyer should treat each boat's below-decks arrangement as unique, with galley, berth, and salon configurations varying by who finished the work and when. The constant is the 42 ft LOA, 11.92 ft beam, and 34 ft waterline that frame the accommodation volume.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
On the used market, heating and freezer capacity are commonly fitted, alongside radar and chartplotter navigation, a dodger, furling main, bimini, and hardtop canvas and helm protection. For energy and comfort, buyers will frequently find a heater and freezer already installed; on the navigation front, radar and a chartplotter are usual. Canvas clusters typically include a dodger, bimini, and hardtop. Less commonly, a swim platform or dinghy davits appear as owner upgrades rather than factory standard.
What to Inspect
The Cascade 42's defining structural fact is its hand-laid solid fiberglass construction with no hull core and heavy woven roving layers, a build famously described as "bulletproof" after surviving extreme tests anchor. Because many hulls were sold as semi-kits for owner completion, the most consequential inspection is of the interior completion quality rather than the shell. The known fleet-wide constant is the tough, no-hull-core hull; the variable is every owner-finished system and joiner detail behind the companionway.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
Cascade 42s are typically found in the United States. For a shopper, the takeaway is straightforward:
- Verify the quality of owner-completed interior and systems, not just the hull
- Confirm which common cruising equipment (heating, radar, chartplotter, furling main, hardtop) is present
- Treat swim platform or dinghy davits as possible but not expected upgrades
- Expect a stable, stiff bluewater hull with a versatile cutter/sloop rig beneath any custom layout
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Cascade 42. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 5 rows
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 25 | 2 | $119,500 | — |
| Oct 25 | 1 | $58,950 | -50.7% |
| Jan 26 | 1 | $58,950 | 0.0% |
| Mar 26 | 2 | $119,500 | +102.7% |
| May 26 | 1 | $126,500 | +5.9% |
Where they're listed
Cascade 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 | $119,500 | 5 | 0 | 100.0% |
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
4 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tayana Vancouver 42 | 41.75' | $ 119,948 | 50 | 12 |
| Valiant 42 | 42' | $ 299,999 | 18 | 4 |
| Moody 42 | 41.79' | $ 62,045 | 12 | 1 |
| Cascade 42You are here | — | $ 119,500 | 5 | 0 |