Design and Construction
The 242 is an ultralight with a narrow hull, fine entry, and wide stern sections aft, a hull form that Canadian Boating characterized by its knuckled forefront and wide, slightly racked transom as something that suggests speed and power. The high-aspect keel and deep inboard rudder give her the bite and balance of a thoroughbred racer rather than a pocket cruiser. Structurally, the hull and deck are cored with balsa and both carry full liners; the hull-deck joint is an outboard rolled flange that has been bonded together. Radiused edges and canted side decks let the crew sit out when sailing, and the whole package — at 2,500 lbs displacement with 930 lbs of lead ballast and an 8-foot beam — is tuned for responsiveness over accommodation.
Rig and Handling
The tall fractional rig with its huge main is a dead giveaway to the boat's intent, paired with a small 110 per cent roller-furling jib and a symmetric spinnaker as the intended inventory. Sailing World called the rig simple, and all sail controls lead aft along the cabin top to each side of the companionway so the crew can trim from the cockpit. That cockpit is huge, divided by a main traveler that spans the cockpit seats — workable once you get used to it, with bench seating that makes it comfortable at the dock. With a sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 24.32 and a PHRF rating of 150–160, she is quick in the right hands and rewards clean boat handling.
Accommodations
Inside, the interior is stark, as befits an ultralight. Canadian Boating noted a very basic layout with two quarter berths and a V berth; Sailing World puts the dimensions at 6-foot 6-inch quarter berths with molded storage lockers under and behind in the main salon, plus a matching 6-foot 6-inch V-berth forward with molded lockers and space for a toilet. An optional interior feature is a portable galley — stove and sink — that slides out from under the cockpit. Standard equipment includes bow and stern pulpits, lifelines, spinnaker gear, an electrical package, cushions, and the three sails.
Known Issues
One basic problem Canadian Boating identified is that the backrests on the quarter berths are too far outboard, so your head meets the cabin side before your back is supported. Owners have reported rot in the balsa core on the foredeck and down the gunwales, a consequence of the cored construction that any survey should examine closely.
Refits and Ownership
For the more demanding offshore rule, buyers could specify a factory MORC variant with inboard shrouds, added hull stiffening, and inboard genoa tracks. Most 242s are out west, where it is a solid one-design class on the West Coast; in Ontario the boats race under MORC and PHRF but a local class had not formed as of the Canadian Boating report. About 150 were built to that account, while later reporting puts more than 350 sold once MG Marine of Marina del Rey, California resumed building the design.
The Verdict
The Martin 242 is a purist's ultralight: a one-design racer with enough berths to suffer a weekend, and a hull that rewards attentive ownership. She is no cruiser, but as a small-boat speedster with strict class rules she remains a coherent concept.
Pros
- Strict one-design rules preserve fleet parity
- Tall fractional rig with huge main is simple and quick
- Huge cockpit with all controls led aft for short-handed sailing
- 6-foot 6-inch berths fore and aft suit tall sailors
Cons
- Quarter-berth backrests too far outboard for comfortable lounging
- Balsa-core rot reported on foredeck and gunwales
- Stark interior limits any cruising ambition
