Design and Construction
The US 42 is built predominantly of fiberglass with wood trim, carrying a raked stem, a raised counter, and a reverse transom anchor. The hull form follows the Cooper 416 lineage through shared tooling, giving the boat a skeg-mounted rudder controlled by a wheel and a fixed fin keel. With a ballast-to-displacement ratio near 44 percent and a comfort ratio in the low 30s, the design reads as a steady, weighty cruiser rather than a light-displacement racer. The 60-horsepower British Motor Corporation diesel fitted for docking and maneuvering is sized generously against the 24,000-pound displacement, and the 70-gallon fuel and 150-gallon water capacities support extended coastal or bluewater passage-making without frequent replenishment.
Rig and Handling
The boat carries a masthead sloop rig on a Bermuda rig, with a foretriangle of 51.75 feet hoist and 17.5 feet base, a 45-foot mainsail luff, and a 12-foot foot anchor. Sail area totals roughly 773 square feet, split between a 270-square-foot main and a 453-square-foot jib/genoa, and a symmetrical spinnaker may be fitted for downwind work. The skeg-hung rudder and wheel steering place helm authority aft of the raised counter, while the 7.64-knot hull speed marks the practical upper bound of her displacement-driven pace. A 14-foot beam gives the hull volume that the accommodation plan exploits below.
Accommodations
Sleeping space is provided for six, distributed across an angled double berth in the bow cabin, an L-shaped and a straight settee in the main cabin, and an aft cabin with a double berth to starboard anchor. The head sits just aft of the bow cabin on the starboard side and includes a shower, separating the forward sleeping area from the main saloon. The galley is U-shaped on the port side just forward of the companionway ladder, equipped with a three-burner stove and a double sink — a working triangle close to the hatch for ventilation while cooking. Cabin headroom of 76 inches runs throughout, giving stand-up room that suits liveaboard use.
Refits and Ownership
Owners taking on a US 42 inherit a design with a well-defined cruising layout and a substantial factory ballast package. The shared molds with the Cooper 416 mean that some deck and hull dimensions trace to an earlier Canadian design, though the US Yachts build carried its own fiberglass-and-wood-trim execution in the United States. The out-of-production status places spares and mold-based panels outside active factory support, but the straightforward fiberglass construction and standard rigging sizes keep most maintenance within normal cruiser scope.
The Verdict
The US Yachts US 42 is a conventional, well-proportioned fiberglass cruiser that translated the Cooper 416's hull into a US-built, Huntingford-designed package with generous tankage and a six-berth interior. Her weight and ballast give her the feel of a stable offshore-capable vessel, and the U-shaped galley and separate aft cabin reflect a serious cruising brief rather than a charter layout.
Pros
- Substantial 10,500-pound ballast and 24,000-pound displacement for steady motion
- Six-berth layout with dedicated aft cabin and separate head with shower
- 70-gallon fuel and 150-gallon water capacity for long-range cruising
- 60 hp diesel well matched to displacement for maneuvering
Cons
- Out of production since 1986; no factory support for mold-specific parts
- Reverse transom and raised counter reflect an older styling era some buyers may find dated
