Moody 42 Ketch 1978

[old bradders]

Can anyone point me in the direction to find specifics needed to look at when seriosly thinking of buying a 1979 Moody 42 ketch. Are there specific concerns for such a craft? Are there any reviews in sailing literature available?
Thanks
Tim.

[Dockhead]

Moody was a quality UK yacht builder based on the Hamble, near Southampton. The company closed and the assets and name were bought out by Hanse a few years ago.

Moody yachts were designed by Angus Primrose and/or by his protege Bill Dixon. Primrose died with his boots on, at the helm of a Moody 33 in 1980, leaving his design bureau to Dixon, who is today considered one of the really great yacht designers.

I sail a Moody 54 myself, one of the last Dixon designs for Moody, and am very pleased with her.

The Moody 42 is a very old design (MOODY 42 Sailboat details on sailboatdata.com) but looks like a pretty nice boat. Primrose was always a bit ahead of his time with underbody design, and the Moody 42 looks like it has a reasonable underbody, if not exactly modern. It will not be a high performance sailer. I personally like the high salon with the big windows (others think this may compromise seaworthiness but I don't).

You will want to think very carefully about the condition and cost of refitting and maintaining a boat this old. Often the cost of bringing something like this up to condition is more than the boat will be worth afterwards.

[pullord]

very good advice from previous post regarding cost of refit vs, market value,,however,,i am familiar with this 42ft model and hull is very seaworthy so if your getting it for a bargain my advise is go for it,,just sit down first with pen,paper and calculator{if nac} and add up cost of refit,,if much less than new retail cost than you are ahead and boat is detailed exactly as you desire with electronics/sails/new rigging/autopilot of your choice and brand spanking new which usually guarantees its going to last awhile without you twisting wrenches to fix it,,,cheers

[Laidback]

The Ketch's extra mast and sail do very little for a good design (except add cost)

[pullord]

yes,, mizzen useless most times

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Laidback

The Ketch's extra mast and sail do very little for a good design (except add cost)

There is a lot of good information in the archives about sloop vs. cutter vs. ketch rigs. My own boat is cutter rigged, but I personally like ketch rigs. They are slower and don't point as well (two big strikes against them, I admit) but they have a number of advantages for ocean sailing. There are some particularly good comments in favor of ketch rigs by Nick of S/V Jedi -- read the archives!

[NotQuiteLost]

A ketch rig is a cruising rig, pure and simple. It's not a sexy, power/speed rig. It's designed for maximum flexibility with as few potential breakdowns as possible, which is great for short-handing and pre-setting sails in anticipation of heavy weather.

But there are drawbacks. I'm not totally convinced that a properly spec'd ketch actually costs that much more than a full-sized sloop on the same hull, since the wire and spars get considerably more expensive on a single tall mast, compared to two smaller ones. But the mizzen mast certainly does clutter up the aft section of the deck, and the smaller individual sails don't generally allow for quite as good of performance windward.

[Doodles]

Nice layout, especially for a liveaboard family.

[nostramo.moody]

I have owned a moody 42 ketch 1977 for 10 years, so if your still looking and want to know the full story. let me know.
john.

[old bradders]

Hi John,
We will be completing the deal later this week. I would love to hear your thoughts and ideas, including both strengths and the weaknesses. The vessel I;mbuying seems to be well cared for and well maintained but please give me pointers to look for.
Thanks
Tim

[Pete7]

Tim,

You might want to have a look at the Moody Owners Association. They have a forum under "Info Exchange" although it is more technical and model specific rather than CF. They are also a very active association.

MOA Home Page

Pete

[nostramo.moody]

Hi Tim,
we are full time liveaboards and find the boat great for that purpose for the two of us.
She is a strong well built boat. not the fastest, but very safe.
Ours has boom roller reefing, original i think and will change to slab reefing when we win the lottery.
Because of the design the lack of sprayhood can be a challenge sometimes.
I met a man last year though who knew the designer, Angus Primrose, he said he called it his Carpet Slipper Ketch. Designed to cross the atlantic in comfort.
All these boats should have been recalled to Moody for strengthening work in the middle of the floor forward of the saloon. They say they couldnt find mine so it wasnt done, I had it done in Spain.. Its worth checking.
I am sure you will have a great time.
Cheers
John.

[old bradders]

Thanks for your thoughts. Who would have info re the recall.
Tim

[nostramo.moody]

Hi Tim,
I found out about it somehow, maybe on this forum, I cant remember, I will try and find old e mails, Moody was still in business then and offered to do the work if i took it to england. Instead I had the work done in Spain and Moody supplied new rigging at half price.
By the way, the mizzen is a great sail, we often chug along with Genoa and Mizzen at 5 to 6 knots..
Cheers
John.