At 41.5 feet overall, the US 42 falls squarely into the midsize cruising category. Its substantial displacement, generous tankage, and six-berth interior point to a boat intended for extended coastal or bluewater passages rather than light-displacement racing.
Design and Construction
The US 42 is built predominantly of fiberglass with wood trim. Its profile includes a raked stem, raised counter, and reverse transom. The hull shares its tooling with the Cooper 416 and carries a fixed fin keel and a skeg-mounted rudder controlled by wheel steering.
The boat is 41.5 feet long overall, with a 32.5-foot waterline and a 14-foot beam. It displaces 24,000 pounds, including 10,500 pounds of lead ballast, and its fixed fin keel draws 6.58 feet. 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.
A 60-horsepower British Motor Corporation diesel provides power for docking and maneuvering. It is generously sized against the boat’s 24,000-pound displacement. Fuel capacity is 70 gallons, while the water tanks hold 150 gallons, supporting extended coastal or bluewater passage-making without frequent replenishment.
Rig and Handling
The US 42 carries a masthead sloop on a Bermuda rig. The foretriangle measures 51.75 feet in hoist and 17.5 feet at the base. The mainsail has a 45-foot luff and a 12-foot foot.
Total sail area is roughly 773 square feet, divided between a 270-square-foot mainsail and a 453-square-foot jib or genoa. A symmetrical spinnaker may also be fitted for downwind sailing.
The skeg-hung rudder and wheel steering place helm authority aft of the raised counter. A hull speed of 7.64 knots marks the practical upper limit of the boat’s displacement-driven pace.
Accommodations
The 14-foot beam provides the volume used by the accommodation plan below. The US 42 sleeps six, with an angled double berth in the bow cabin, an L-shaped settee and a straight settee in the main cabin, and a double berth to starboard in the aft cabin.
The head is on the starboard side, just aft of the bow cabin, and includes a shower. Its position separates the forward sleeping area from the main saloon.
A U-shaped galley sits to port, just forward of the companionway ladder. It includes a three-burner stove and a double sink, creating a practical working triangle close to the hatch for ventilation while cooking. Headroom is 76 inches throughout the cabin, providing stand-up space suited to liveaboard use.
Refits and Ownership
Owners taking on a US 42 inherit a well-defined cruising layout and a substantial factory ballast package. Because the boat shares molds with the Cooper 416, some hull and deck dimensions trace back to that earlier Canadian design. US Yachts, however, gave the model its own fiberglass-and-wood-trim execution in the United States.
Production ended in 1986, placing spares and mold-based panels outside active factory support. Even so, the straightforward fiberglass construction and standard rigging sizes keep most maintenance within the normal scope of cruiser ownership.
Verdict
The US Yachts US 42 is a conventional, well-proportioned fiberglass cruiser that translated the Cooper 416 hull into a US-built, Huntingford-designed package. Generous tankage and a six-berth interior support its cruising role.
Its weight and ballast give it the feel of a stable, offshore-capable vessel. Below, 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 a 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 the displacement for maneuvering
Cons
- Out of production since 1986, with no factory support for mold-specific parts
- Reverse transom and raised counter reflect an older styling era that some buyers may find dated
