Westwind 42 Buyer's Guide
Shopping the used market for a Westwind 42 means looking at a 42-foot ketch designed by George H. Stadel in the early eighties, also sold as the Vagabond 42 and built at multiple yards. She is a solid fiberglass heavy cruiser with a long keel, and the brokerage examples you meet will share the same fundamental hull and rig character even where equipment differs.
Layouts on the Used Market
Because the Westwind 42 was built at multiple yards and is known alternatively as the Vagabond 42, interior finishes and joinery details vary between individual boats, but the constant is the 42-foot hull with a 34-foot waterline and 12.5-foot beam. The ketch rig and long keel define the deck layout; below, expect a heavy-cruiser volume footprint rather than a racer's minimalism. No authority itemizes berth counts or cabin plans, so judge each specimen on its own survey.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
The one engine reference in the record is the optional inboard Ford Lehman diesel, so a buyer should confirm which power plant a given boat actually carries. Beyond that, no source itemizes factory-fitted gear, so equipment expectations stay general: a used Westwind 42 may show owner-added cruising upgrades such as a generator or watermaker for independent power and water, canvas and sail-handling gear suited to the ketch's divided rig, and modern navigation electronics replacing period instruments. None of these should be assumed present without inspection.
What to Inspect
No model-specific defects are established in the available facts, so a buyer's survey should follow normal heavy-cruiser due diligence — hull integrity, keel attachment, and engine condition. The only equipment note is the possible Ford Lehman diesel installation, so verify the engine model and service history on any candidate.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
No regional market data is supplied for this model, so availability can only be described in general brokerage terms. For a buyer, the Westwind 42 offers a comfortable, stable cruising ketch with moderate draft and a proven heavy-displacement hull.
- Confirm the actual engine against the possible Ford Lehman diesel
- Survey hull and long-keel attachment as for any solid fiberglass cruiser
- Verify ketch rigging dimensions if replacing running rigging
- Treat interior layout as yard- and owner-dependent, not standard
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tayana Vancouver 42 | 41.75' | $ 119,948 | 50 | 12 |
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| Moody 42 | 41.79' | $ 62,045 | 12 | 1 |
| Vagabond 42 | 42' | $ 42,500 | 10 | 3 |
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