Design and Construction
McCurdy & Rhodes shaped a heavy-displacement hull for the Sou'wester 42, with a documented displacement of 24,000 lbs and 8,500 lbs of lead ballast, yielding a ballast-to-displacement ratio of 35.42 percent that supports good initial stability and resistance to heeling anchor. The displacement-to-length ratio of 351.09 places her firmly in the heavy-displacement class, implying a robust build, offshore comfort, and useful carrying capacity. Hulls were hand-laid fiberglass, often cored with Airex foam for added strength and insulation, and the yacht carried a fin keel with a skeg-mounted rudder, though some variation in that configuration exists across the build run.
Rig and Handling
The Sou'wester 42 sailed as a masthead sloop or cutter, carrying 817 square feet of sail area between main and a 100-percent foretriangle. The foretriangle itself measured 474.69 square feet beneath a 54-foot-3-inch I dimension and 17-foot-6-inch J, while the main spanned 342.56 square feet on a 47-foot-3-inch luff and 14-foot-6-inch foot. With a sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 15.77, the design reads as a moderately performing cruiser — able to move well across wind ranges without being a racer — and a speed/length ratio of 1.32 suggests she reaches her 7.49-knot theoretical hull speed efficiently. A comfort ratio of 36.99 and a capsize screening figure of 1.74 (well under the 2.0 offshore line) mark her as a stable, seaworthy vessel with a very comfortable motion in a seaway.
Accommodations
The standard layout slept up to seven, but details could vary significantly as boats were often built on a custom basis. Forward, a V-berth anchored the bow, while the head opened from both the forward cabin and the central living space. In that main living area, settees pulled out to berths and pilot berths lined the hull sides, all arranged around a drop-leaf table. The galley was U-shaped, and buyers could specify interior finishes such as varnished mahogany or ash. Draft choices shaped how owners used the boat: a standard deep fin at 7 feet 0 inches, a shoal version as shallow as 5 feet 0 inches, and a centreboard option reaching 9 feet 1 inch maximum were all available.
Refits and Ownership
The 1995 MkII brought meaningful changes rather than cosmetic refresh alone — keel, rudder, transom, and interior layout were all modified, and the hull grew slightly in both waterline and overall length versus the original. For an owner, the custom-build heritage means no two interiors are guaranteed identical, and the MkII is the clear later-generation target for those wanting the updated underwater profile and salon plan.
The Verdict
The Sou'wester 42 is a thoughtfully engineered heavy cruiser with strong stability numbers and a flexible custom interior tradition. The MkII refinement extends the design's offshore credibility without abandoning the original's comfortable brief.
Pros
- Heavy-displacement hull with 35.42% ballast ratio for stable, upright cruising
- Airex-cored hand-laid fiberglass construction for strength and insulation
- Three draft options including a 5-foot shoal keel and 9-foot-1 centreboard
- Comfort ratio of 36.99 and capsize screen of 1.74 for seaworthy motion
Cons
- Custom-build variation complicates comparing any two boats' layouts
- Only 46 built, limiting availability of both original and MkII versions
