Design Brief & Intent
The original mandate for the Lacoste 42 was to project the sporty elegance and premium lifestyle of the Lacoste brand into the maritime sphere. To achieve this, the designers at Sparkman & Stephens crafted a boat with a dual identity. Above the waterline and beneath the keel, she was a thoroughbred cruiser-racer designed to the tail-end design philosophies of the International Offshore Rule (IOR), featuring a tall, powerful rig and an aggressively honed underbody. Below decks, however, she was configured as a luxurious and highly private cruising sanctuary.
Chantiers Yachting spared no expense on the interior fit-out, matching the elite market segment targeted by the project. Unlike the mass-production French boats of the same era from Beneteau or Jeanneau, which relied heavily on molded liners and standardized modular joinery, the Lacoste 42’s cabin is characterized by traditional, semi-custom craftsmanship. The interior is dominated by premium, hand-rubbed marine teak and high-grade solid laminates, presenting a level of finish reminiscent of Swedish build standards rather than typical French production yachts of the 1980s. The joinery is robustly secured to the hull, and the overheads are finished with high-quality vinyl and wood detailing. This interior split personality often bewildered buyers of the era: hard-core racing crews had little need for the heavy, triplicated heads and rich teak finishes, while casual family cruisers were often intimidated by the complex, race-bred rig. Today, however, this exact combination of high-grade construction and impressive speed has made the boat highly coveted among long-distance blue-water cruising couples.
Variations & Configurations
While sharing the same hull profile, the Lacoste 42 was offered with distinct appendages and interior arrangements tailored to differing cruising grounds and ownership models.
Under the water, the standard configuration is a high-aspect, deep-draft fin keel made of lead, drawing 7 feet 6 inches. This arrangement maximized upwind performance and righting moment, though it limited the boat to deeper harbors. Recognizing the limitations of a deep draft for coastal cruising in areas like the U.S. East Coast, Chantiers Yachting also offered a highly engineered keel-centerboard version. This shoal-draft variant features a shallow lead stub keel drawing 5 feet with the centerboard up, allowing entry into shallow bays and inland waterways, while extending to a massive 9 feet 4 inches with the board fully deployed for ocean passages.
The interior was primarily delivered in two distinct layouts:
- The Owner's Version: This highly sought-after layout features two large, private staterooms and two dedicated heads. The master stateroom is located aft and spans the full beam of the vessel, incorporating a massive double berth and an ensuite head, while the guest cabin is situated forward. This layout maximizes open floor space in the main salon, which features a spacious U-shaped settee to port and a straight settee to starboard around a centerline drop-leaf table.
- The Three-Cabin Version: Configured primarily for European chartering or larger families, this layout splits the aft section of the boat into two symmetrical double cabins and adds a third head. While it increases sleeping capacity to accommodate up to ten individuals when utilizing the salon berths, it reduces storage volume and compromises the spacious feel of the master aft cabin.
Sailing Performance & Handling
The sailing performance of the Lacoste 42 is defined by a highly potent sail plan and an easily driven hull form. With a Displacement-to-Length ratio (Disp/LWL) of 161.56, the vessel falls squarely into the light-to-moderate displacement category for a 42-foot cruiser. This relatively low displacement, combined with a towering masthead sloop rig yielding a high Sail Area-to-Displacement ratio (SA/Disp) of 26.53, ensures that the Lacoste 42 is exceptionally fast, particularly in light-to-moderate air where modern cruising designs often struggle.
The boat's motion in a seaway is lively but predictable. Her Comfort Ratio of 22.46 indicates that she will experience more motion than a traditional, heavy-displacement double-ender, but her long waterline and Sparkman & Stephens-designed hull entry ensure she slices cleanly through chop rather than pounding. The hull’s Capsize Screening Formula of 2.03 sits right at the traditional safety threshold for ocean racing, indicating a well-balanced beam-to-displacement ratio that handles heavy weather capsize risks responsibly while preserving a wide, comfortable cockpit and salon.
At the helm, the Lacoste 42 delivers a highly responsive, dinghy-like steering feel. However, managing her powerful, three-spreader rig requires an active and experienced hand. The standard setup relies on running backstays to support the mast when utilizing the inner forestays. This complex rigging arrangement demands careful coordination during tacks and jibes. When properly trimmed, the boat tracks beautifully and climbs upwind at impressive angles, rewarding active sail trim with remarkable speed.
Known Issues & Triage
Because of the model's age and its unique pedigree, prospective owners must look closely at several known areas of vulnerability during a pre-purchase survey:
- Deck Coring Moisture: The decks are constructed using a fiberglass and balsa-wood sandwich structure. Like many boats of this era, hardware fittings, stanchion bases, and track bolts that have not been periodically re-bedded can allow water to penetrate the balsa core, leading to localized delamination and soft spots. Triage requires testing the deck with a moisture meter and sounding hammer, particularly around the chainplates and deck organizers.
- Perkins 4.108 Engine Seals: The standard 50 hp Perkins 4.108 diesel is a legendary, mechanically simple workhorse, but it is notoriously prone to oil leaks, particularly from the rear main thrust seal. Additionally, owners often report cooling loop blockages in the raw-water heat exchanger, which can lead to overheating when running above 1,800 RPM. Regular inspection of the heat exchanger stack and maintaining a dry bilge oil-absorbent pad are standard requirements for this drivetrain.
- Complex Rigging Fatigue: The sophisticated three-spreader rig with running backstays puts significant compressive loads on the deck stepped mast step and the chainplates. The original 1x19 stainless wire standing rigging must be thoroughly inspected for micro-cracking and swage-fitting corrosion, especially if the boat has been raced hard or sailed in tropical waters.
- Osmotic Blistering: The single-skin GRP hull was built before the widespread industry transition to vinylester resins. Consequently, hulls that have spent their lives in warm, fresh, or brackish waters are susceptible to osmotic blistering. A thorough haul-out inspection is necessary to determine if a barrier coat or a full gelcoat peeling peel-and-dry treatment has been completed.
Modernization & Upgrades
Modern owners of the Lacoste 42 have largely focused on simplifying the rig and enhancing off-grid cruising capabilities:
- Rig Simplification: To make the boat more manageable for shorthand or single-handed cruising, many owners have eliminated the complicated inner forestays and running backstays by installing a modern, swept-back spreader mast or retrofitting high-strength, low-stretch synthetic running backs that can be easily tied off when not in heavy weather. Replacing the traditional hank-on headsails with a modern roller-furling genoa is also a standard upgrade.
- Electrical System Overhauls: The original 12V electrical system, which typically relied on two modest lead-acid house batteries, is frequently upgraded to modern Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) banks. Given the spacious lazarettes and engine room access, installing a 400Ah to 600Ah lithium bank paired with high-efficiency solar arrays mounted on a custom stern arch or bimini is a common, highly effective upgrade for extended cruising.
- Repowering: While some owners rebuild the dependable Perkins 4.108, others choose to repower with modern, lighter, and more fuel-efficient diesels such as the Yanmar 4JH series or Volvo Penta D2. These modern engines reduce vibration, eliminate the chronic oil leaks of the old Perkins, and offer vastly improved alternator outputs.
The Verdict
The Lacoste 42 is a rare, high-pedigree cruiser-racer that successfully merges Sparkman & Stephens' naval architecture with French styling and premium craftsmanship. It is not a boat for beginners or those seeking a low-maintenance, simplified harbor day-sailer. However, for the experienced sailor who appreciates traditional wood joinery, sea-kindly performance, and a boat that stands out in any anchorage, the Lacoste 42 represents an outstanding, high-value alternative to more common cruising yachts.
Pros:
- Exceptional sailing performance, especially in light-to-moderate air, with a highly responsive helm.
- Superior build quality, utilizing premium teak joinery and robust semi-custom craftsmanship.
- Designed by Sparkman & Stephens, ensuring timeless aesthetic lines and highly seaworthy hull dynamics.
- Highly versatile draft options, particularly on the highly capable keel-centerboard variant.
Cons:
- Extremely rare model, which makes finding replacement parts or finding a vessel for sale difficult.
- Complex, high-effort rig with running backstays that can be intimidating for short-handed crews.
- The aging Perkins 4.108 engine requires diligent maintenance and is prone to messy oil leaks.
- Potential balsa-core deck moisture issues if deck hardware has not been maintained and re-bedded.
