Vagabond 42

[philippe06]

Hello,
I think buying a Vagabond 42 and I am looking for information on the boat, strengths, weaknesses, behavior under sail ....
thank you

[Pblais]

Have you been here?

Vagabond42

I really like owners associations even though I'm not part of this one. A lot of boats have fans and to be honest they tell you the bad with the good and they still like them. You want to know why they like them so you can find out if you can deal with the rest of the problems.

All boats have issues. Once you can deal with them the rest is easy. Find out why they like them before you get too into what's wrong with them. I know of nothing fundamentally wrong with them.

[philippe06]

Yes i saw this website, but it is under construction. I tried to send e email and I'm waiting for an answer.
Thank you

[clockwork orange]

There is on in our marina,very nice looking boat BUT,i was working on a boat that was directly behind it across the basin and i have been amazed at how much that vagabond heels over with any amount of wind on the beam, its way more than any boat around it,the boat in the next slip is a Pearson 365 pilothouse and its bolt upright when the Vagabond is heeling at 10 degrees or more and the boats in the outer basin that are facing it are upright also.
Ive never seen anything quite like it.
Steve.

[bobfnbw]

Over the years we looked at several vagabond 42's, even staying the night on one. Nice boat, but the salon is cramped, and not to my liking. Reason it heels so much is the draft and the fact that the tanks are higher up I believe.
Like any taiwan boat lots of problems with black iron fuel tanks, substandard metals, teak decks that leak, etc. Cockpit is a bit small as well.
But they have a attraction thats for sure.
Personally I fell in love with a vagabond 47 but thats a different story.
For a 42 footer there are better boats out there.
My 2 cents worth.
Bob

[clockwork orange]

Who was the designer of the Vagabonds? I actually think that it is a very nicely proportioned example of that style of boat,it looks good from every angle unlike many of the type.
Steve.

[bstreep]

A friend of ours owns a Westwind 42 - same boat. He does yacht services in Kemah, TX:

WestWindYachtService.com

[captden]

Originally Posted by clockwork orange

Who was the designer of the Vagabonds? I actually think that it is a very nicely proportioned example of that style of boat,it looks good from every angle unlike many of the type.
Steve.

William Garden designed the Vagabonds
captden

[galleyslave]

I have one. She was designed by George Stadler and sails much better than I expected and, by all accounts, better than the other designs in the range. She is right for the two of us in tropical conditions, although the cockpit is small.

However, take a good look at any plywood in the construction (cabin sole, bulkheads, lockers, etc.). Spirit had been much improved before I bought her but they were built to a price and and delamination can be an issue. There were plenty of shortcuts taken and inferior materials used so older boats need plenty of refurbishment.

[rustypirate]

One word of caution with the Vagabond 42 is that there is a fair chance of damage to engine mounts if a rope is caught in the prop.

This problem is most profound when operating in reverse. The rope can wind around the shaft between the prop and the strut and damage either the strut, or pull the engine aft damaging the engine mounts.

We had this happen to us twice and had to replace the engine mounts both times. This was with the original Ford-Lehman engine, other engine mounts may not be an issue.

On a side note, the cockpit was designed specifically wide and long enough to remove the engine through it. I have heard of owners cutting out the entire cockpit to repower the boat.

[galleyslave]

I have had my Ford Lehman 4 cylinder out in bits but it was dropped back in in one piece, gearbox first through the hatch, without manifold, fuel pumps and other bits. There was only about 2cm to spare though and manoeuvring it onto the beds was quite a challenge. I have two holes, about 15cm diameter that I can open in the cockpit sole and the engine can be lifted and edged into position, supported by cross pieces resting on the cockpit seats.

[galleyslave]

While I'm here, the designer was George Stadel, not Stadler as I wrote previously.