Design and Construction
Peterson drew the Olympic Sea 42 with a 32-foot-9-inch waterline and a beam just under 13 feet. The hull and deck are solid fiberglass, with no core to waterlog, while the underwater profile combines a lead fin keel with a spade rudder. It’s a straightforward, repairable construction approach.
Maximum draft is 6.42 feet—about 1.96 to 2.06 meters, depending on load—which limits her to all but major marinas. That’s a real constraint for a gunkholer, though it is a fair trade for the hydrodynamic profile of a fin keel.
Her length-to-beam ratio is 3.25, and her displacement-length ratio of 219 places her among “moderate racers” under the standard classification. Under a 12.92-foot beam, a wetted surface of roughly 473 square feet and an immersion rate of 1,475 pounds per inch describe a hull that settles predictably as stores and crew come aboard.
Rig and Handling
The masthead-sloop rig carries 720 square feet of sail. Running rigging uses a consistent 14 mm diameter for the jib, genoa, mainsheet, and spinnaker sheets. The mainsheet is 105 feet long, the genoa and jib sheets are 42 feet, and the spinnaker sheet measures just over 92 feet. Those published dimensions give buyers a useful starting point when replacing worn lines or having new ones cut to the original specification.
The theoretical displacement-boat maximum is 7.7 knots, while calculated top speed is around 7.3 knots. With a displacement-length ratio of 219, the Olympic Sea 42 should accelerate readily in a breeze but calls for attentive helm work as the gusts build.
Comfort and Intended Use
The Motion Comfort Ratio is 24.6, higher than only 21 percent of comparable designs. She is no sofa afloat, but the database record’s capsize screening value of 1.99 frames her as a boat for lively coastal work rather than offshore passage-making.
The usual rule-of-thumb threshold for offshore ambition is a capsize screening value of 2.00. That figure excludes her from ocean-race acceptance, an important limitation for anyone considering a bluewater crossing.
Within her intended range, she remains a late-eighties Peterson shape: quick, lean, and unsentimental.
The Verdict
The Olympic Sea 42 is a late-eighties Peterson performance cruiser built by Olympic Greece from 1989 onward. Her solid-fiberglass hull and deck, lead fin keel, moderate-racer proportions, and calculated speed point to a handy, lively coastal boat. Against that, her capsize value screens her out of ocean racing, and her deep draft limits access to major marinas.
Pros
- Solid-fiberglass hull and deck with a lead fin keel provide simple, repairable construction.
- Masthead rig with fully published running-rig dimensions makes replacement easier.
- Moderate-racer displacement-length ratio and 7.3-knot calculated speed indicate lively coastal performance.
Cons
- A capsize screening value of 2.00 excludes her from ocean-race acceptance.
- Draft of about 6.4 feet restricts her to major-marina access.
- The Motion Comfort Ratio is higher than only 21 percent of similar designs, suggesting a firm ride rather than plush comfort.
