Cascade 42: Solid Fibreglass Hulls

[Jim Cate]

I never bought one when looking, much because often they have those bolted on aluminum toerails that almost always eventually start leaking into the boat. Very very hard to fix. If there are any signs of leakage or mold etc......... RUN!

This is contrary to my experience, Cheech. Both my cruising boats have had bolt on aluminium toe rails, both have done lots and lots of miles, neither had leaks attributable to those rails. The first one, a Standfast 36 built by Palmer Johnson had hull to deck leaks at age 30 years, our current boat has no leaks, period (touching wood carefully).

And the utility of the perforated rails is undeniable. I personally think of them as a benefit to be desired, not a walk-away factor.

Jim

[CarinaPDX]

I've been in quite a few Cascade 42s - a lot of them around here. Once upon a time I thought about building a 36. There should be zero concern about their hulls - they are quite literally bulletproof. They are laid up with woven roving, no mat between layers. They used to show a bit of hull that had been cut out and shot at with a .30 cal rifle several times with no penetration. One ran up on a reef and when removed only had scratches (don't try this at home). This is the absolute least of any concerns.

The keels are cast steel, originally sealed with a (epoxy?) coating before assembly. Of course the keel bolts need checking. The aluminum extrusion in the photo is their earlier design (later they had a massive custom extrusion that was a major structural element to which the shrouds were attached). I am not aware of any issues with the extrusion.

The majority of boats were owner-completed. Yacht Constructors did a very workmanlike job, roughly comparable to production boats but a step below the best custom shops. (They were a boat builder, building to order, and not a production shop.) The 36 and 42 perform well though probably not up to the lightweight production boats of today (which IMHO are far less seaworthy). The design is nothing fashionable but would be an excellent choice for functionality - a proven cruiser.

Since Cascades were built to order every one is different, sometimes radically so. Later 42s had the option of extending the topside higher, which enabled completely different interiors. There was also a "sugar scoop" swim step that could be added. Because so many were owner-completed final quality varied, and over time the quality of maintenance has an effect. So you will have to evaluate the floorplan and quality for the specific boat and a survey is an absolute must.

Greg

[KP44]

Cascade hulls are known for being well-built and strong. Even the Cascade 29 was considered a blue-water capable vessel. A lot of the Cascades were sold as hulls and owner-finished to the owners' design. I looked at a couple 42s when we were shopping but I have never sailed on one. Cascade has a good reputation.
As far as weight of the hull vs a cored hull seems a moot point. We put lead in the keels to add weight to a sailboat. A little more weight only adds to stability.

[pdxsailordiver]

I have a 1972 Cascade 42.
Mine is aft cockpit tiller steering . Love my boat I have had some very adventure some Columbia river bar crossings and rather robust sails on the straight of Georgia.
Take a close look at the shear clamp( laminated 1” x 4” mahogany ) they rot from leaks. I had poorly installed teak toe rails that leaked. Had to cut them off and cut decks back 12” all the way around the boat and laminate 296’ of new shear clamp mahogany. Got lucky and found Cascade aluminum toe rails from two 29’ . The boat came in three forms :42’ , 44’ , 44’ high-side all from the same mold. I have a sugar scoop that some day I will get around to installing.
Boat is in Olympia if you want to see it
NOT FOR-SALE!
Tim

[pdxsailordiver]

Fun fact about the Factory mast and boom: irrigation pipe. Mast was put through rollers to flatten the sides .
Then crane was built and fittings and tabs added. My boom is 6” x 20’ irrigation pipe.

[pdxsailordiver]

This picture shows a boat house with 44’ trawler in side that hit my boat.
Boat house broke free from PYC and was blown down the north Portland harbor during a major winter storm. My Cascade 42 had a scratch on the bow and a bent bow pulpit.
The dock at my boat had major damage and my bow ripped the corner out of the boat house.

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

This is contrary to my experience, Cheech. Both my cruising boats have had bolt on aluminium toe rails, both have done lots and lots of miles, neither had leaks attributable to those rails. The first one, a Standfast 36 built by Palmer Johnson had hull to deck leaks at age 30 years, our current boat has no leaks, period (touching wood carefully).

And the utility of the perforated rails is undeniable. I personally think of them as a benefit to be desired, not a walk-away factor.

Jim

You sir are a very lucky man!
There are hundreds of notes online about the issue out there.

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...il-172535.html
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...tom-29053.html
https://forums.sailboatowners.com/in...n-leak.114130/
https://forums.sailboatowners.com/in...il-leak.97184/
https://www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/...oe-rail?page=1
Boat Project: Removing, re-bedding and resealing the toerail and hull-deck joint (in Portland, Maine) | With Brio

[Tugwit]

I have a Cascade 36 which I built from the bare hull laid in 1974. I guess I've put about 30,000 miles on it over the years, principally in PNW sailing, and it's still going strong (and on its original Isuzu 2AB1 diesel!). OK--it's on its third set of sails and third generation of electronics, but those are consumables.

The boat is relatively heavy, and will not accelerate in puffs like lighter designs. But it sails well in anything over 8 knots true, and really comes into its own when the wind pipes up to 15 or so. Two keels were offered for the 36: a 5'6" draft keel for the lighter winds of the PNW, and a 5'9" keel for the San Francisco Bay sailor.

I was privileged to take the USPS Sail course from the designer, Robert Smith, and he pointed out that minimum wetted surface occurs at 25 degrees of heel, so the boat was intended to be a bit tender. I also understand that the 36 was the original design; subsequently, the lines were lofted to create the 42 and 29 models.

Regarding the layup, the original spec sheet for the Cascade 36 states:
"...The hull is entirely hand laid of woven glass cloth and woven roving achieving a content ratio of approximately 50% polyester resin to glass. The layup schedule consists of gelcoat, 1 layer 8 oz. woven glass cloth, 1 layer 10 oz. woven glass cloth, 6 layers 24 oz. woven glass roving throughout plus several layers of 24 woven glass roving below waterline and up the stem.The deck is molded GRP reinforced with 1/2 inch marine mahogany plywood...." In nearly 45 years of ownership, I've never had a blister problem.

I also have the extruded aluminum toe-rail that Cascade developed; I understand that the idea was inspired through the cooperation of an executive of a nearby Reynolds aluminum plant who bought one of their boats. The toe-rail, like the rest of the boat, is incredibly rugged--through-bolted to the sheer clamp from the side, and lag bolted to the deck from the top through an integral flange; all bedded in 3M 5200. Leakage has not been a problem.

Obviously, I like the boat. Never a regret.

FWIW

[CarinaPDX]

The history is not quite right: The Chinook 34 was their first boat, then the Cascade 29, followed by the Cascade 42, the Cascade 36, and finally the Cascade 27. Along the line the 42 mold was widened and the high side added. See: Cascade Yachts


Greg

[zenith_adelaide]

G'day Metal Boat.

Did you end up looking at the Cascade 42? What did you think?

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Zenith.

[IslandHopper]

I see it's still for sale, did it turn out to be a dud?

https://www.boatsales.com.au/boats/d...SE-AD-5904903/

[Metal Boat]

I had a good look at this boat and it was in need of a lot of work, needed to be put on the hard and a skilled woodworker/cabinet maker to fix it. Rig was mismatched, mast was not new. Bulkheads delaminating and lots of wood rot. Water in the decks. Access to keel bolts was atrocious. HUGE amounts of work needed. I refrained from commenting publicly as the owner really has no idea what is required and thinks it is a good boat. I kinda feel sorry for him. This is a giveaway to a good home boat unfortunately.


cheers



MB

[Maverick51]

I ended up purchasing this cascade 42 no real nasty surprises where found so far have stripped the decks back resealed and repainted them complete re wire have had her out of the water at that time decided to rip the floor out to gain access to the keel bolts, dropped the keel replaced all 26 keel bolts and removed and reinstalled the skeg so far the boat has been an absolute gem for a first boat and has taught me alot about yachts have had her in 42 knots in morton bay and she handled it like a champ

[KP44]

Originally Posted by Maverick51

I ended up purchasing this cascade 42 …

... have had her in 42 knots in morton bay and she handled it like a champ

An excellent choice. Most were "buyer finished", so almost all are different. The design is sound and the hulls are known as bullet-proof.