Catalina 42
Built 1989–2011 by Catalina Yachts
About the Catalina 42
Researched from public sources for this model. Any individual boat may have been modified or repowered — confirm before relying on any figure.
- Built
- 1989–2011
- Builder
- Catalina Yachts
- Designer
- Nelson/Marek / Gerry Douglas (Catalina)
- Length
- 41.83 ft
- Waterline
- 36 ft
- Beam
- 13.83 ft
- Displacement
- 20,500 lb
- Ballast
- 8,300 lb
- Hull
- fiberglass
- Hull / keel
- fin keel
- Rig
- sloop
- Propulsion
- inboard
- Stern thruster
- none
Sources disagree on number built, draft, fuel tank, engines — left blank rather than guessed.
Adapted from an earlier Nelson/Marek racing hull. Mark I (hulls 1-477) built until February 1995; Mark II (from hull ~480, fuller stern) until 2011. Practical Sailor calls the hull solid fiberglass, though the layup includes Coremat (a bulking mat) above the waterline; deck cored with balsa plus plywood under hardware. Hull-deck joint through-bolted external flange under aluminum rubrail. Wing keel 4.83 ft (early shoal boats) or 6 ft fin. Two- and three-cabin layouts. Sailboatdata lists 477 built (Mark I) and says over 1,000 including Mark II, so hulls_built left null. 2005 Mark II brochure: water 111 gal (two-cabin) or 131 gal (three-cabin), holding 30 + 22 gal, fuel 46 gal plus optional 17 gal.
Known problems for this model
-
Short rudder on early shoal-keel boats steering
Early wing-keel boats had a short rudder that loads up the helm; owners who retrofitted the deeper rudder report lighter steering and better handling.practical-sailor.com
-
Osmotic blisters hull
Fewer than 10% of owners surveyed reported blisters, ranging from a few pimples to most of the bottom; vinylester barrier resin was used from 1995.practical-sailor.com
-
Backstay tension vs. swept-spreader rig rigging
The builder cautioned that cranking an adjustable backstay reduces shroud tension on this rig and could in theory overload the mast; owners adding inner forestays may need running backstays.practical-sailor.com
-
Electrical and plumbing installation glitches other
Most owners rate the build well, but some report recurring small electrical and plumbing installation problems typical of high-volume production.practical-sailor.com
Engines & parts
Yanmar 4JH series (4JH, 4JH2/3/4, -E, -TE, -HTE) parts: good
Factory standard engine — you entered “Yanmar 4JHBE”
Widely used and fully supported by Yanmar dealers and distributors; the mixing elbow is treated as a consumable part.
Parts sources: Mack Boring & Parts (Yanmar distributor), Yanmar USA genuine parts
Common problems (1)
-
Mixing elbow failure exhaust
The exhaust mixing elbow on 4JH engines pits and fails, sometimes within a few hundred hours; owners treat roughly 1000 hours as a practical life and inspect the elbow-to-manifold joint for salt weeping.cruisersforum.com · jeanneau.proboards.com · facebook.com
Model sources (4)
sailboatdata.com · practical-sailor.com · catalinayachts.com · catalinayachts.com
Other Catalina models
- Catalina 22 1969–?
- Catalina 25 1976–?
- Catalina 27 1970–1991
- Catalina 30 1974–2008
- Catalina 320 1993–?
- Catalina 34 1985–?
- Catalina 36 1982–?
- Catalina 380 1996–?
- Catalina 400 1994–?
Researched from public sources. Spotted an error? The sources are listed above — tell us what they got wrong.