Conceived by Vittorio Garroni in collaboration with Marc Lombard, the 42 DS has a raised deckhouse and sloping raised deck framing the distinctive cat’s-eye windows at the heart of its profile. This is a beamy, substantial cruiser rather than a lithe racer: 42 feet 5 inches overall, with a 13-foot-6-inch beam, a 38-foot waterline, 18,080-pound displacement, considerable freeboard, and a high-volume hull.
Design and Construction
The hull is solid hand-laid fiberglass with a one-piece structural grid. Additional reinforcement is built into the keel area and chainplate mounts as part of the boat’s reinforced hull design. Jeanneau used its Prisma closed-mold resin-injection process to build the deck.
Rather than simply perching a deckhouse on the hull to gain headroom, the designers carried the coachroof lines into the cockpit and deck. The hull’s curve and the coachroof’s inward slope give the boat a sleek, pleasing appearance, while wide side decks make it easy to move forward.
The standard keel draws 6 feet 11 inches and carries 5,628 pounds of cast-iron ballast. A shoal variant draws 5 feet 2 inches and carries 6,131 pounds. Auxiliary power comes from a 54-hp Yanmar driving a three-blade fixed prop through a direct connection.
Rig, Performance, and Handling
A deck-stepped Selden spar carries an expertly designed sail plan. The rig also has a separate groove for the storm trysail. The main and 135-percent genoa provide a total of 872 square feet of sail area, and the boat shows good performance in light air.
Test sailors found the balanced hull eager to stay in the groove. In 8 to 10 knots of wind and a light chop, the helm provided just enough feel. Upwind, they made 6.5 knots and tacked through 100 degrees, with predictable acceleration. Hull number five of the production run close-reached at an effortless 8 knots under main and full genoa in breezes to 20 knots.
Twin wheels provide excellent visibility over the coachroof. The helm seats are particularly comfortable, with sufficient bracing points and easy access to the primary winches and electronics.
Cockpit and Deck
The cockpit seats are deep, and their comfortably tall coamings provide good support. However, a step near the companionway reduces seat comfort, keeping the seating from being as relaxing as a straight bench.
Two large lockers beneath the cockpit seats can swallow fenders and a deflated tender, giving the boat useful stowage for cruising gear. There’s also space for a generator in the aft locker to port.
Accommodations
Large portholes and the cat’s-eye windows bring plenty of natural light and fresh air into the deck saloon. The result is an open, airy interior that one reviewer found impressive.
Forward, the cabin has a smaller berth, its own head, and a roomy, well-thought-out hanging locker with generous shelving. The tanks are stashed beneath the V-berth.
Amidships are the airy saloon, navigation area, and galley. Counter space and food stowage are more than adequate, while the navigation station has room for both a folded paper chart and a chartplotter. The saloon settee seats six and provides two seaberths; the port and starboard settees also make excellent sea berths.
The aft owner’s cabin is thoroughly inviting and feels as though it belongs on a center-cockpit boat. It has a 77-inch-wide bed, excellent headroom over the berth, and plenty of lockers and drawers. Its head is easy to reach and can also be accessed from the companionway steps.
A handsome, durable laminated-wood floor runs through an interior that is both comfortable and functional. There are also abundant handholds throughout. The fit and finish of the joinery is good.
Systems and Service Access
A Scheiber electrical panel provides graphic displays for voltage and fuel and water levels.
Basic engine access is a little tight. However, the companionway-ladder module pulls free at its base, opening up excellent service access. The starter can also be reached through a watertight hatch in the central head.
The Verdict
The Sun Odyssey 42 DS works well as a deck-saloon cruiser, bringing center-cockpit-grade aft accommodations to an aft-cockpit 42-footer. Its reinforced solid-fiberglass hull, injection-molded deck, and thoughtful service access make it a practical platform for extended cruising. The bright saloon and roomy owner’s stateroom define the interior.
Sailing performance in light air and moderate wind is rewarding. The only real compromises are the stepped cockpit seat and tight basic engine access.
Pros
- Aft cabin with a 77-inch-wide berth and the feel of a center-cockpit boat in an aft-cockpit hull
- Bright, airy deck-saloon interior with large windows and abundant natural light
- Solid hand-laid fiberglass hull with a structural grid and additional reinforcement around the keel and chainplates
- Good light-air performance, with predictable tacking and acceleration
- Removable companionway-ladder module and head hatch provide engine service access
Cons
- Step beside the companionway reduces cockpit-seat lounging comfort
- Basic engine access is tight
