Herreshoff 42 Sailboats for Sale & Market Overview

The Herreshoff 42 represents a collection of designs from one of yachting’s most storied families, primarily encompassing the Mobjack designed by L. Francis Herreshoff and the Arion designed by Sidney DeWolf Herreshoff. While they share a namesake and a 42-foot length, they occupy distinct niches in maritime history. The Sidney DeWolf Herreshoff-designed Arion, launched in 1951, holds a place of profound significance as the world’s first large auxiliary sailing yacht constructed from fiberglass. Conversely, the Mobjack design by L. Francis Herreshoff—detailed in his seminal book Sensible Cruising Designs—is a 42-foot, 6-inch ketch often built in wood, steel, or aluminum. Both variants are defined by the "Herreshoff style": narrow beams, long waterlines, and a commitment to sea-kindliness over raw interior volume. These vessels were not built to a mass-market price point but were instead crafted as high-end custom or semi-custom "proper ships" for offshore passage-making.