The Bluewater Sailboat Beneteau Oceanis 42CC, which began construction in November of last year, has a new hull and some cutting-edge design elements that set her apart from her stablemates. Beneteau’s current range includes sizes from 36 to 44 feet.
When you approach this Bluewater Sailboat, her large rear end is the first thing you notice.
It is simple to believe that the Beneteau Oceanis 42CC’s high counter stern was designed with retro styling in mind, but one of the boat’s key improvements lies beneath this traditional exterior.
The Bluewater Sailboat 42CC’s high-volume hull provides lots of capacity and is designed as a home away from home for two to four people, as are most Bénéteau center-cockpit types. She has ample stowage, a comfortable galley, and a roomy aftercabin. She has steps and a fold-down boarding platform on the deck. Despite her average sailing ability, she is a spacious, pleasant yacht that a small crew can readily handle.
The 42CC is a stylish bluewater passagemaker with many standard advances at an affordable price, designed by renowned naval architects Groupe Finot. A Sail Area/Displacement Ratio of 20.9 predicts that the Beneteau Oceanis 42CC will have adequate performance in the right hands to outperform the majority of other sailboats with comparable waterline lengths.
She’s a Bluewater Sailboat with a ballast/displacement ratio of 28.0 that will tend to heel excessively in a gust and will require early reefing to maintain upright sailing in a moderate breeze unless the majority of the ballast is concentrated in a bulb at the foot of her keel. With a displacement/length ratio of 185, the Beneteau Oceanis 42CC is unmistakably a sailboat of light displacement.
If she is carrying too much heavy cruise gear, it will significantly affect how she performs. For those who are prone to seasickness, Ted Brewer’s Comfort Ratio of 26.7 indicates that crew comfort on a Beneteau Oceanis 42CC in a seaway is comparable to what you would expect from the motion of a coastal cruiser with modest stability.
A Beneteau Oceanis 42CC would be a safer sailboat to choose for an ocean journey than one with a CSF of greater than 2.0, according to the Capsize Screening Formula (CSF) of 1.9.
The 42CC’s high-volume hull provides lots of capacity and is designed as a home away from home for two to four people, as are most Bénéteau center-cockpit types. She has ample stowage, a comfortable galley, and a roomy aftercabin. She has steps and a fold-down boarding platform on the deck. Despite her average sailing ability, she is a spacious, pleasant yacht that a small crew can readily handle.
This Bluewater Sailboat deck lines are reminiscent of the latest Beneteau yacht generation, which features the 473 and 393 aft cockpit designs. The 42CC catches the traditional yachtsman’s attention with the elegance of her elegant transom. The smooth deck line of this brand-new design, never before seen in the Beneteau Center Cockpit series, gives it a lean, attractive profile while maintaining maximum practicality.
“There is a resurgence of the traditional recognizable shape combined with contemporary evolutionary grace throughout the design world. From cars to homes, everything has displayed this movement. With this slick centre cockpit embracing a visual appeal that is absolutely amazing, Francois Chalain, Beneteau’s design mastermind, in collaboration with the Finot Naval Architecture team, has captured the best traditional style,” stated Wayne Burdick, President.
With a broad list of standard amenities, the 42 Center Cockpit exemplifies Beneteau’s value-for-the-money formula. Top-notch deck hardware, excellent ventilation, enormous winches, a hard dodger/spray hood, bulkhead steering, and cockpit seats with teak inlay are just a few examples.
The robust dodger on deck protects the roomy central cockpit with opening windows. The cockpit is opened up by standard bulkhead steering, making it simple to entertain guests and move around. The spacious aft deck is ideal for lounging when at anchor and has enough for multiple lounge chairs.
Back aft is where you’ll find one of the 42 CC’s most intriguing and inventive features. A two-tread stairway leading to a boarding platform on the drop down transom is hidden by a folding portion in the aft deck. The boarding platform and transom lift up together to form the traditional transom as the boat is in motion.
The middle pan of the transom folds down to create a bathing platform, and the central portion of the aft deck slides back to reveal steps with the use of a remote handset connected to a hydraulic powerpack.
This clever architectural feature works well and enables for a roomy aft deck that could easily fit a few sun worshipers as well as deep store space on either side. This stern configuration’s one flaw, is that it detracts from the yacht’s appearance.
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If for no other reason than the practicality of utilizing the head when sailing heeled on lengthy journeys, an arrangement should be made. But the real shock occurs when you lift the companionway stairs to peek at the engine setup.
Access initially appears to be difficult due to the steps’ sturdy ram supports. Since the hinge is located relatively low, it is difficult to perform anything more than a quick inspection. However, a sizable access panel in the back of the aft cabin conceals the secret.
You immediately realize how much room there is within the engine compartment as you crawl inside on all fours. There is squatting headroom, almost enough room to swing a cat, and space for every add-on you can imagine. A watermaker, generator, and air conditioner would all fit inside without any trouble. Additionally, it indicates that you have enough space to work on the engine, even if you wanted to disassemble and rebuild it. (brave indeed).
The Bluewater Sailboat Beneteau Oceanis 42CC is capable under power with the normal 55hp Volvo installed; at 3,000 rpm, she pushes 8.8 knots, which is not enough to frighten the drag-racing Ocean is 473 but is still quite fine. There is the option to purchase a powerful 75 horsepower Yanmar, but there isn’t much of a need for such excess unless you’re determined to outrun the Oceanis.
Even at this speed, the Beneteau Oceanis 42CC s bilissfully quiet below decks. The Beneteau Oceanis 42CC is content to cruise at a little under 8 knots with the revs merely resting a tad over 2,000. The Beneteau Oceanis 42CC felt comfortable to handle on all points of sail while sailing in a consistent 10 mph breeze.
The test yacht had the drawback of becoming challenging to maintain in a straight path whenever the speed dropped much below 5 or 6 knots, whether under sail or power. So it must be noted that the hydraulic steering systems on smaller yachts are shared by the entire CC series, and there haven’t been many issues with them recorded. It was discovered that there had been an air leak in this specific yacht’s hydraulic plumbing, and efforts were being made to purge the system, which might have made all the difference.
Unfortunately, there is no option for cable steering because it would be difficult to run the wires to the quadrant.
She feels confident despite this the hiccup and is demonstrated as the finest speed on a shy reach, making about 6.5 knots. Given the size of the hull and her relative heaviness, she pushes cheerfully to windward at a little over 5 knots, which is encouraging given the light conditions.
Although many people who switch from motor cruisers allegedly find the steering wheel on the bulkhead to be appealing, it seemed extremely strange to have it there. The faint sense of being taken advantage of, though, is what stands out the most. With barely enough deck in front to focus on, she appears pitifully small from the helm while being a substantial 43-footer.
Although the more traditional Beneteau Oceanis 40CC was originally supposed to be replaced by the 42CC, there seems to be a greater demand for it now that the 40CC has been phased out. So both models will continue to compete for the time being.
Beneteau intends to produce 80 42s annually and has gone above and above to include the cutting-edge counter stern and bathing platform in an effort to produce a product for a specific market. Which of the two models proves to be more popular over time, it is said, and this will determine which remains in the lineup. Many cruising families will find the Beneteau Oceanis 42CC to be a very capable yacht.
She provides practicality with the additional locker space made possible by the counter-stern design, safety with her central cockpit and deck elements like the modest bulwarks that make it safer to wander around the deck. Although it is not feasible to switch the steering system from hydraulic, choosing the wheel at the aft end of the cockpit would make sense. You shouldn’t have any issues with this system, but make sure you take yours out for a sail first.
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