Hallberg-Rassy 42 Sailboat Review, Specs, and Listings

Design and Construction

The 42E’s hull is a very strong single-skin laminate stiffened with powerful fiberglass stringers running bow to aft, and the deck is cored with 25 mm PVC foam. The hull-deck joint is glassed over rather than reliant on fasteners, and the yard’s hallmark khaya mahogany interior is built entirely without GRP inner modules, with solid wood berth fronts and cabinets and grain-filled varnishing for onboard comfort. Practical Sailor notes the hull was claimed in an old brochure to be built according to Lloyd’s specifications for Certificate of Hull Construction, and the iron keel was widened to match tank volume and encapsulated in the hull laminate anchor to protect against corrosion. The deck carries a bulwark topped with teak that adds considerably to on-deck safety.

Rig and Handling

In the beginning only a fairly low-aspect ketch rig was offered, with a masthead rig and straight spreaders plus forward and aft lowers for stability at sea; later a sloop option appeared, and by the end almost only sloops were built, with a taller mast and larger genoa sheet winches than the ketch. The mast is deck-stepped to avoid leakage and supported by the main structural bulkhead, and jiffy mainsail reefing was standard. Sailing characteristics were adapted for long-distance voyages and vary with keel and rig choice; the most common deep keel gives fully satisfactory speed and pointing with a good turn of reach, though owners rate upwind and downwind speed as just average while judging seaworthiness and stability above average. Under power the yacht makes about 8 knots.

Accommodations

The center-cockpit layout splits the boat into three separate sections — saloon, forepeak, and aft cabin — with considerably more elbow room than the smaller Hallberg-Rassy models and 6 foot 1 inch headroom in the saloon. The aft cabin has a narrower port berth and a double to starboard, with a head entered via an outward-opening longitudinal door and a second toilet just forward of the mast. Off-watch crew could rest in a sea berth with leecloths, and the galley to starboard sits at an angle with a sink facing aft, an oven with a longitudinal bar, and an opening hull portlight for the cook’s light and air. Curved laminated edge mouldings with built-in handles grace the bulkhead by the chart table and galley.

Equipment and Ownership

A center cockpit yields an engine room large enough to enter, soundproofed and home to generator, heaters, and pumps, with the Volvo Penta MD 31A of 62 hp among the fitted options and easy onboard servicing. Freshwater sits under the motor and diesel under the saloon sole, with a fuel-sludge pump provided — a feature Practical Sailor praises as neglected by lesser builders. Early boats carried Lewmar 48 three-speed sheet winches and genoa cars, some with reel winches for wire halyards, and the yacht was sold well-fitted with an electric windlass, 45-lb CQR, and a Baby Blake toilet. The ketch permits proceeding under jib and jigger with the main struck.

The Verdict

The Hallberg-Rassy 42E is a well-built ocean cruiser whose Enderlein design scaled the yard’s proven formula into a roomy, three-zone passage-maker with a rugged encapsulated keel and a mahogany interior that has aged as a marque signature. Its flush deck and deck-stepped mast draw criticism from traditionalists, and owners note low cabin light, but the boat’s global circumnavigations and above-average stability reports confirm its brief.

Pros