Vagabond 42 Buyer's Guide
The Vagabond 42 is a George H. Stadel III-designed center-cockpit ketch built by Blue Water Yacht Builders Ltd. in Taiwan from 1978 to 1990, and on the used market she presents as a heavy-displacement cruiser with a documented 14,515-kilogram displacement and 5,443-kilogram ballast. Shopping one means weighing a solid fiberglass hull and ketch rig against period systems and a twelve-year production spread in which fitout evolved. The boat's known specification envelope—rather than rumor—should anchor any purchase decision.
Layouts on the Used Market
Owner three-cabin layouts are the more common on the used market, but both are available; ex-charter examples are common. The standard documented arrangement is two cabins with five berths and a center-cockpit profile, with 530 liters of fresh water and 416 liters of fuel defining the service spaces. Whether a particular boat carries the rarer two-cabin or a converted three-cabin owner layout, the Stadel hull and 10.36-meter waterline remain constant beneath the interior.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
On the used market, inverter, hot water, dinghy davits, radar, autopilot, chartplotter, epirb, and bimini are commonly fitted. Often-seen additions include watermaker, heating, solar, self tacking jib, furling main, freezer, cockpit shower, ais, life raft, and short handed setup. Air conditioning, electric winches, dodger, and teak decks appear less commonly as owner upgrades. The documented base equipment includes an inboard Ford Lehman diesel on 416 liters of fuel and a ketch rig with 33.3-meter, 12 mm halyards.
What to Inspect
The documented record for the Vagabond 42 names no model-specific structural defects, but the encapsulated 12,000-pound ballast and solid fiberglass hull from the builder's method warrant standard survey. The draft variation of 1.68 to 1.78 meters with load should be confirmed against stated condition, and the solid fiberglass hull below the waterline carries no cited blister history but deserves normal osmotic inspection. Rigging at 12 mm halyards and 14 mm sheets is period-specified and should be measured for replacement age.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
Typical markets for the Vagabond 42 are the United States. For a shopper, the takeaway is a checklist: confirm hull soundness, verify load-dependent draft against stated trim, validate Ford Lehman diesel and 530-liter water infrastructure, and assess ketch rigging wear at documented diameters. The boat rewards buyers seeking a stable, load-carrying ketch over a fast coastal cruiser.
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Vagabond 42. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 5 rows
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 26 | 3 | $ 40,000 | — |
| Mar 26 | 1 | $ 45,000 | +12.5% |
| Apr 26 | 1 | $ 40,000 | -11.1% |
| May 26 | 3 | $ 75,000 | +87.5% |
| Jun 26 | 1 | $ 75 | -99.9% |
Where they're listed
Vagabond 42 listings appear across 1 country. United States has the most listings with 8.
Country view
8 listings · 1 country| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | $ 42,500 | 8 | 3 | 100.0% |
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
8 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vancouver Vancouver 42 | 41.75' | $ 119,900 | 51 | 20 |
| Velmare 47 | 46.58' | $ 90,000 | 32 | 5 |
| Whitby Yachts 42 | 42' | $ 60,275 | 22 | 4 |
| Valiant 42 | 42' | $ 299,999 | 17 | 3 |
| Moody 42 | 41.79' | $ 64,187 | 14 | 2 |
| Formosa 47 | 46.42' | $ 109,770 | 14 | 9 |
| Westsail 42 | 42.92' | $ 44,000 | 11 | 3 |
| Vagabond 42You are here | — | $ 45,000 | 9 | 4 |