Frers New York Yacht Club 42 Sailboat Review, Specs, and Listings

Design and Construction

The NYYC 42 is a powerful, state-of-the-art yacht built from composites, with a T-shaped keel and a high-aspect-ratio rig. Writing in Sailing World, reviewers described the hull and deck as resin infused with a foam core, a method that ensures one-design tolerances boat after boat and yields an average glass-to-resin ratio of 60-to-40 percent or better resin infused with a foam core. That infused laminate is tougher and more impact resistant than non-infused layups. Structurally, the boat carries a solid glass grid rather than a metal matrix, which should make any grounding repair far simpler than it would be with a fabricated metal frame. Nautor built the class in Estonia using higher-tech methods than its Finnish operations, and the forward double berth is protected by a watertight bulkhead.

Rig and Handling

The fractional two-spreader rig is all carbon fiber, with Navtec discontinuous rod rigging and a retractable carbon bowsprit housed in the hull. A German-style mainsheet runs under the deck to port and starboard winches close to the helmsman, and the mainsail overlaps the backstay by roughly a foot. Short overlapping headsails keep the sail plan manageable, and the class limits owners to three new sails per year to control costs. With a sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 26.63 and a very deep, high-aspect rudder blade showing about 25-percent balance, the boat sails with fingertip control and excels in light air and downwind work. The 8.86-foot draft T-keel was the racing configuration; a 6.63-foot shallow-draft keel was offered for owner retrofit to cruising use. A long racing cockpit and twin wheels complete the deck plan.

Accommodations

Buyers could choose a single-head or two-head interior. The single-head version gives three staterooms plus an extra quarter berth to starboard; the two-head layout reduces this to two staterooms. Neither head has a shower stall. The galley is small for a 42.5-footer, though the nav station matches it in size. Sailing World characterized the interior as simple and clean, more Spartan than earlier Swans and intended for the demands of distance and buoy racing, with pipe berths in the port and starboard aft cabins and a large V-berth that can be lifted out for day racing. Custom stainless fittings, stainless fuel lines, and a headliner giving access to deck hardware round out the details.

Known Issues and Ownership

Early production saw some teething problems, but Nautor's Swan aggressively addressed build and warranty items as they appeared. The one-design rules cap each crew with no more than two professionals, none of whom may steer in class racing, and no paid pros may race class events at all. The class maximum crew weight is 1,870 pounds. To keep expenses in check the sail wardrobe is limited, reinforcing the Corinthian ethos voiced by NYYC Rear Commodore David K. Elwell Jr when he described the project as an answer to owners' worry about professional domination of the sport.

The Verdict

The NYYC 42 is a genuine dual-purpose design: a tightly controlled one-design racer with the bones for offshore passage work and club cruising. Its infused composite construction and glass grid give it durability and repairability, while the carbon rig and balanced rudder deliver light-air performance that outpaced even the Swan 45. The trade-off is a deliberately austere interior and a rulebook that keeps the boat in amateur hands.

Pros

Infused foam-core hull and deck with tough, impact-resistant laminate and consistent one-design tolerances
Solid glass grid structure simplifies grounding repairs versus metal frameworks
Carbon rig, deep balanced rudder, and 26.63 SA/D give fingertip control and strong light-air speed
Watertight forward bulkhead and retractable carbon bowsprit suited to inshore and offshore use
Corinthian class rules limit professional influence and control sail costs

Cons