outremer 42

[pkfromja]

I am considering purchasing a outremer 42 but find it difficult to find much information and reviews on it. Can anyone give me some feedback on how the boat performs and if there are any issues with them?

[sandy daugherty]

Most production and plans-built catamarans have conservative sailplans and are designed to carry a range of weight that permits everything from minimal comfort compromises to complete luxury hotel services. Outremer does not.
Hence one of their magnificent machines will carry generous sail area on a really tall mast, a couple grocery bags of food, a backpack of clothes for two or three (skinny) people and maybe a chart.
I used to kid a friend about where he was going to keep his dress speedo. Then I noticed his half-length toothbrush.

Outremer and weight are non-starters. I have some other friends who daysail with more clothes and goodies.

Loading an Outremer down with batteries and water maker, solar panels and refrigeration is a crime against nature, like expecting a whippet to pull a sled. In mud.

An Outremer is a peak boat. Something a very fine sailing couple should have at the peak of their skills, endurance, and conditioning, and of course wealth.

Older Outremers like the 42 are more Spartan than the newer production boats, because that's what people with a spare half million are looking for. I could say much the same thing about Catanas of the 1988 - 1994 era.

These two boats were the extreme-sports side of sailing. One that has been well-kept and kept light would still be, and would deliver a whole bunch of bang for the buck, provided you don't mind sharing a half a toothbrush!

[Sos]

Excellent advice!

[Barra]

Spot on - not a long term cruising boat but one AWESOME coastal cruiser - depends what you are looking for. If I could have convinced the admiral at the time we didnt need a payload for creature comforts I would own a 42 or a 45 right now!

Check out the earlier Catanas who moved to a payload/performance compromise much earlier than Outremer...

[andreas.mehlin]

5 days SW of Galapagos a Outremer 42 passed us on our port side, about 50 yards away. 3 adults and 3 kids. They were flying and made the 3000nm in 16 days if I remember correctly. So I think you can go long term cruising with them...and still going fast. We were on a 38ft Helios cat. Took us 22 days.

[smj]

An Outremer is not a long term cruising boat but is a coastal cruiser? Wow, that's news to me! Do you really have to have a boat that will handle the load of 3 air conditioners, a dish washer, washer dryer and a trash compactor to be considered and offshore boat? Sounds more like a floating condo to me:-)


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[robert sailor]

Its sorta interesting whats happened with the Cat market, same as the mono hull market, LOL.
I think women have a lot to do with the changes the designers are making with these super large Cats that don't go to weather well and are in the range of mono hull speeds.
I always associated Cats with performance and to me that meant almost double the speed of a mono hull and while there is a market for boats like this it appears to be quite small. The crazy part is that while mono hulls have been getting faster and faster the Cats have been getting slower and slower.
I sailed on a quick cruising Cat when I was in the Marshall Islands and I was so impressed with it that it changed my view on Cats forever. I wanted one.
I never thought I'd see the day that you could sell drinking water for more money than gasoline and I never thought I'd see the day when the most of the Cat owners would rather have conveniences, than performance but hey things change!

[smj]

You're right. Thirty five to forty years ago the average size cruising boat was a 30-35' monohull with no pressure water and god forbid no washer dryer. How did they survive on the open sea living that way!


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[Barra]

Originally Posted by smj

An Outremer is not a long term cruising boat but is a coastal cruiser? Wow, that's news to me! Do you really have to have a boat that will handle the load of 3 air conditioners, a dish washer, washer dryer and a trash compactor to be considered and offshore boat? Sounds more like a floating condo to me:-)


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Yep IMHO the 42 hulls don't handle the extra weight that you add for longer term cruising vs coastal ie water maker or extra water, bigger dink, spares and more spares, more fuel, provisions, hard bimini etc. Not an aircon or a trash compactor in sight! ( mind you plenty would consider the above necessary for coastal but I'm not one of them)

I love the outremer 42 and nearly bought one but in the cold hard light of day it has a very small ideal payload and is just that bit too far towards performance to carry the needed payload. Like the other post said it would be a crime to do it to her!



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[smj]

Originally Posted by Barra

Yep IMHO the 42 hulls don't handle the extra weight that you add for longer term cruising vs coastal ie water maker or extra water, bigger dink, spares and more spares, more fuel, provisions, hard bimini etc. Not an aircon or a trash compactor in sight! ( mind you plenty would consider the above necessary for coastal but I'm not one of them)

I love the outremer 42 and nearly bought one but in the cold hard light of day it has a very small ideal payload and is just that bit too far towards performance to carry the needed payload. Like the other post said it would be a crime to do it to her!



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So how did they survive, or do survive in the smaller boats that were more popular years ago? Seems to me that you wouldn't consider a Outremer 42 to be a blue water boat because it wouldn't fit what are necessities to you, or comforts to others. Do you have to have a bigger dink? I believe Outremers are daggerboard cats so should be able to anchor close to shore. More fuel? She's a performance boat, probably could make faster passages with no engines than the majority of other cats. Keep it simple and you don't need a lot of spares. No need for a hard Bimini, but if that's what you want they can be built pretty light. So now we are down to provisions and water. Pretty sure she could carry enough to make blue water passages. Oh wait she already has! :-)


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[Barra]

So there's your problem - I say long term cruising and you read blue water passage. Not at all the same thing eh?

Of course people survive on them I never said they didn't? You have

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[Barra]

At the end of the day outremer themselves didn't consider the 42 to be a long term cruising boat. The 55 was the one they recommend from that era for long term cruising because at that length the hulls could carry the payload needed,

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[smj]

All depends on what your needs for long term cruising are. Would a Outremer 42 carry the same load as a 30 monohull?


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[cwjohm]

Interesting discussion and food for thought. Obvioulsy it is horses for courses.

If I wanted to make an Atlantic crossing only with a few mates I would certainly choose an Outremer. If I want to do long term cruising with my partner I would not choose an Outremer other than a 5X, except that I believe it to be too big for a couple to handle.

Clearly Outremers are fast performers for ocean passages an this is proven and beyond argument. The issue of long term cruising for a couple is completely another matter.

As someone said above women are most definitely driving the market and I would think most would find any O other than a 5X a little on the cramped side not to mention the weight issues.

So if the OP wants a fast boat with minimal creature comforts then subject to all other issues an O42 would fit the bill. If he wants to long term cruise with his partner it may not fit the bill.

[Barra]

Yep that's what Im saying - probably same as a 30 footer but less than 32 and not too many would say a 32 footer is a long term cruiser ( though you could survive on it just to be clear mate!)

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