Centurion 42 Buyer's Guide
Shopping the brokerage market for a Wauquiez Centurion 42 means chasing a scarce 1985–1990 Dubois design with just 52 hulls ever completed. These are French-built performance cruisers, usually offered as ex-charter or privately owned three-cabin boats, and the market for them centers on France and the Netherlands.
Layouts on the Used Market
Owner three-cabin arrangements are the more common version afloat, though both owner and ex-charter layouts appear. The standard interior sleeps eight in three cabins plus the saloon, with green upholstery and a full galley: three-burner stove with oven, hot-water system, pressurized water, and a 12-volt fridge. A 220V generator serves the boat's AC needs. Ex-charter examples are common, so wear from fleet use should be expected in the saloon and heads.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
Most used Centurion 42s carry a deep equipment list oriented to offshore comfort and short-handed control. Commonly fitted systems include heating, inverter, wind generator, autopilot, AIS, radar, and chartplotter — a power-and-navigation cluster that lets a couple run the boat without crew. Canvas and sail-handling upgrades such as bimini, spinnaker or asymmetric spinnaker, and bow thruster show up routinely, as do hot water, cockpit shower, swim platform, and teak decks for the comfort side. Safety gear like a life raft is also a common fit. The takeaway for a buyer is that a well-equipped example will already have the energy and navigation backbone in place.
What to Inspect
The structural concern on these boats is the teak deck and interior timbers, which OceanWaveSail found needed significant work on a surveyed example. On any candidate, look hard at teak deck bonding and the condition of interior wood — these are the weak points against an otherwise solid fiberglass hull and lead keel. Also confirm the standing rigging status, since the example reviewed had hers renewed in 2014.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
Centurion 42s turn up in France and the Netherlands. For a buyer, the short checklist is: verify teak deck and interior timber condition, confirm rigging age, and prefer a three-cabin owner layout unless charter history is acceptable. With only 52 built, patience and a France–Netherlands search radius are required.
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Centurion 42. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 2 rows
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 26 | 1 | $87,396 | — |
| Aug 26 | 3 | $83,900 | -4.0% |
Where they're listed
Centurion 42 listings appear across 3 countries. France has the most listings with 2 (50.0%), followed by Netherlands and United States.
Country view
4 listings · 3 countries| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| France | $86,928 | 2 | 2 | 50.0% |
| Netherlands | $87,396 | 1 | 0 | 25.0% |
| United States | $72,000 | 1 | 1 | 25.0% |
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
9 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Endeavour Yachts 42 | 42.25' | $ 79,500 | 43 | 15 |
| Wauquiez Centurion 47 | 47.33' | $ 68,751 | 19 | 5 |
| Valiant 42 | 42' | $ 299,999 | 18 | 4 |
| Palmer Johnson J/42 | 42' | $ 151,950 | 18 | 4 |
| Moody 42 | 41.79' | $ 62,045 | 12 | 1 |
| Comfortina 42 | 42.19' | $ 196,932 | 11 | 4 |
| Oyster Yachts 42 | 41.83' | $ 201,593 | 7 | 2 |
| Wauquiez Centurion 48 S | 48.88' | $ 150,321 | 6 | 0 |
| Wauquiez 42You are here | — | $ 85,648 | 4 | 3 |