Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 42 DS: All Decked Out

To be honest, I probably would've missed it had it not been pointed out to me.
But Boat of the Year judge Bill Lee saw it straightaway. "Check that
out," he said, gesturing to the deck-stepped Seldén spar on the new
Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 42 DS. "They've got a separate groove to
accommodate the luff of the storm trysail." We looked at one another
and nodded approvingly. Very clever. Very cool.

Before I stepped off the boat, I'd find myself saying the same thing again and again.

The 42 DS is Jeanneau's latest, and smallest, swing at a deck-saloon
sailboat--a 49-footer and a 54-footer are previous incarnations--and
it's very safe to say the company has the concept well figured out.
Like its siblings, the 42 DS features a sloping raised deck to
accommodate the distinctive cat's-eye windows that are the centerpiece
of the boat's aesthetic profile.

One of the nice things about this 42-footer is that they didn't try and
do too much with it. The 42 DS has a nice double cabin forward, the
airy saloon/nav area/galley in the middle, and a totally inviting
owner's cabin aft. That's it. Oh, yes, there are a couple of heads, one
tucked up front in the V-berth cabin and another to starboard, at the
foot of the companionway (which can be accessed from the central living
space or the owner's quarters), but both have been integrated into the
interior plan so well that they're in no way intrusive.

From stem to stern, the 42 DS has lots of smart little features. The
forward cabin boasts a well-thought-out and roomy hanging locker, with
generous storage shelves included. Tanks are stashed under the V-berth.
The laminated-wood floor is both handsome and durable. The Scheiber
electrical panel graphically displays voltage and fuel and water
levels. There's an abundance of handholds, as there should be in such a
beamy boat, and they're stylish as well. The port and starboard settees
will also work as excellent sea berths. In the aft owner's stateroom,
the 77-inch-wide bed ("berth" doesn't do it justice) is something you
won't see on many 42-foot sailboats. By pulling a couple of pins at its
base, the companionway-ladder module can be removed for excellent
engine access (though it might be a bit of a challenge stashing the
stairs, especially under way). The engine starter can be serviced via a
watertight hatch in the central head.

We sailed hull number five of the production run in breezes up to 20
knots, the 42 DS made an effortless 8 knots close-reaching with main
and full genoa. In the puffs, the boat was definitely overpowered and
required the helmsman to bear away to keep it on its feet, but a few
turns on the Profurl headsail furler addressed the matter. Our test
boat was equipped with the 5-foot-2-inch shoal keel and a fixed,
three-bladed propeller that will be replaced with a folding prop, which
makes a lot of sense for a vessel with very good sailing potential.
There is space in the aft locker to port for a generator, though the
owner has no plans to install one at this time.

Steering the boat from one of the two twin wheels was fun and
satisfying. There's a wealth of Harken hardware employed in the deck
layout. Our boat was fitted out with a radar and chart plotter right at
the helm station; there were no repeaters down below. To me, if you're
going with one set of instruments, this seemed a bit backward. But to
each his own; I did appreciate having the information at hand as we
negotiated the thin water off Annapolis.

Of all the larger production builders, I've always had a soft spot for
Jeanneau. Inspecting the new Sun Odyssey 42 DS did nothing to dissuade
my opinion.

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Herb McCormick is a Cruising World editor at large.

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JEANNEAU SUN ODYSSEY 42 DS

LOA    42' 5" (12.93 m.)
LWL    38' 0" (11.58 m.)
Beam    13' 6" (4.11 m.)
Draft (deep/shoal)    6' 11"/5' 2" (2.11/1.57 m.)
Sail Area (135%)    872 sq. ft. (81.0 sq. m.)
Displacement    18,080 lb. (8,201 kg.)
Water    94 gal. (355 l.)
Fuel    34 gal. (130 l.)
Engine    53-hp. Yanmar
Designer    Marc Lombard/Garroni Designers/Jeanneau Design
Base Price    $207,021
       
        Jeanneau America

        (410) 280-9400

        www.jeanneauamerica.com