Sunbeam 42 DS Buyer's Guide
Shopping the brokerage market for a used Sunbeam 42 DS means considering a J&J-designed, Austrian-built 41.34-foot monohull produced between 1996 and 2007, with only twenty-nine completed — a scarce late-1990s Schöchl cruiser-racer rather than a common production boat. The model carries CE Class A (OCEAN) certification and was designed for extended voyages where conditions may exceed wind force 8 and significant wave heights of 4 m and above but excluding ab, which sets the frame for what a used example should still be able to claim.
Layouts on the Used Market
Owner three-cabin layouts are the more common on the used market, but both are available, and ex-charter examples are common. The boat is equipped with 4 berths and a 570-liter (150 US gallon) fresh water capacity regardless of layout, and the 2.91 length-to-beam ratio gives any configuration more space than 90% of similar designs. A used Sunbeam 42 DS should be assessed for charter wear where an ex-charter history is present, but the core accommodation scale is fixed by the original design.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
On the used market, a used Sunbeam 42 DS will commonly be fitted with a chartplotter, autopilot, life raft, radar, bimini, electric winches, bow thruster, inverter, EPIRB, hot water, swim platform, heating, watermaker, washing machine, lithium batteries, dodger, air conditioning, cockpit shower, solar, AIS, teak decks, dinghy davits, freezer, furling main. A self-tacking jib, gennaker, spinnaker, asymmetric spinnaker, or wind generator are less commonly seen and typically reflect an owner upgrade rather than standard spec. The rig itself uses estimated jib and genoa sheets of 12.8 m (42.1 feet) at 14 mm diameter, a 32.0 m mainsheet at 14 mm, and a 28.2 m spinnaker sheet at 14 mm — any used boat should have running rigging consistent with those lengths and diameters.
What to Inspect
The documented record shows no model-specific structural or systems defects for the 42 DS. The hull is solid fiberglass and requires only a minimum of maintenance during the sailing season, so inspection should confirm that baseline rather than anticipate a known fault. Verify the CE Class A certification is intact and that the immersion behavior is understood: the boat sinks 1 cm per 371 kg loaded, or 1 inch per 2080 lbs, a quantifiable check on any added equipment weight from commonly fitted watermakers, washing machines, or lithium banks.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
Typical markets for the Sunbeam 42 DS are France, Türkiye, Greece, Croatia, and Spain. Because only twenty-nine were built, availability is inherently limited and concentrated in those regions. A buyer's short checklist: confirm three-cabin or alternative layout against intended use, expect ex-charter examples among the common supply, verify commonly fitted offshore equipment is present and functional, and validate the certificated ocean envelope and fiberglass hull condition. The 42 DS rewards the patient shopper with a spacious, light-racer-profile ocean-certified hull of uncommon fleet scarcity.
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Sunbeam 42 DS. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 7 rows
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 25 | 2 | $ 231,589 | — |
| Nov 25 | 1 | $ 263,040 | +13.6% |
| Dec 25 | 1 | $ 194,421 | -26.1% |
| Jan 26 | 1 | $ 383,123 | +97.1% |
| Mar 26 | 1 | $ 200,139 | -47.8% |
| Apr 26 | 3 | $ 245,885 | +22.9% |
| Jul 26 | 1 | $ 250,459 | +1.9% |
Where they're listed
Sunbeam 42 DS listings appear across 5 countries. France has the most listings with 4 (40.0%), followed by Greece and Turkey.
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
10 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Performance Sun Odyssey 45 DS | 45.11' | $ 198,683 | 98 | 15 |
| Jeanneau Sun Sun Odyssey 42 DS | 42.42' | $ 155,000 | 97 | 31 |
| Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 43 DS | 42.13' | $ 129,000 | 74 | 17 |
| SUN Sun Odyssey 40 DS | 40' | $ 111,666 | 60 | 26 |
| Jeanneau Sun Sun Odyssey 44 DS | 43.77' | $ 260,000 | 59 | 16 |
| Jeanneau Sun Sun Odyssey 41 DS | 40.42' | $ 204,713 | 34 | 14 |
| Moody 41 DS | 41.08' | $ 644,955 | 25 | 2 |
| Moody 45 DS | 45.01' | $ 524,476 | 17 | 5 |
| Sunbeam 42 DSYou are here | — | $ 248,172 | 10 | 2 |
| Moody 48 DS | 50.59' | $ 1,177,081 | 10 | 3 |