Design and Construction
The 42-2 is solid fiberglass with 8,700 pounds of lead ballast in a fin and a skeg-hung rudder. At 18,500 pounds displacement and 47 percent ballast ratio, she is heavier than the Cal 40 and uses that high ballast ratio to advantage anchor. The 11.5-foot beam and 30.5-foot waterline yield a heavy, seakindly profile. Morgan built her as a monohull masthead sloop with 6-foot draft.
Rig and Handling
As a masthead sloop with 767 square feet of sail, her sail-area-to-displacement ratio is about 17.5. The review found her a strong CCA competitor; when it breezes up she beats to weather rail down and plunges through the seas anchor. Her capsize figure is reassuring and comfort ratio good for size, with motion like the Valiant 40 and Whitby 42. She is no longer competitive against modern light racers but fun on club races.
Accommodations and Intended Use
With 70 gallons water, 30 gallons gasoline, and a 30-horsepower Universal-Atomic Atomic 4, she suits coastal or bluewater voyages without disappointing on stability or comfort anchor. The 7.4-knot hull speed and 1.74 capsize screen reflect offshore capability.
Refits and Ownership
Charley Morgan left Morgan Yachts in 1972; Beatrice Foods then owned it, and Catalina acquired the brand in 1984. The 42-2 predates those changes. The Atomic 4 is period-correct; survivors may have seen conversion consideration.
The Verdict
The Morgan 42-2 earned stripes under the CCA rule and across oceans. She is a weighty, high-ballast fin-keeler with reassuring capsize screen, though outpaced by modern racers.
Pros
- High ballast ratio and heavy displacement give weatherly performance anchor
- Proven across oceans over decades
- Solid fiberglass hull, lead fin keel, skeg rudder
Cons
- No longer competitive against light-displacement racers
- Gasoline Atomic 4 not modern diesel
- Modest sail-area-to-displacement ratio
