Give or treat yourself to a subscription to Boats in Motion print + digital and for only 39 euros a year you get the magazine at home plus read it on your PC, smartphone and tablet. With a sea of advantages.
Displacement, safe and spacious, in its own way not unlike the Grand Banks 42, and yet still inspired by the evergreen trawlers, Hatteras launched, in 1976, its first Long Range Cruiser, the Hatteras 42 LRC, progenitor of a very successful range. At 12.8 meters long and capable of remarkable ranges, this will be an extremely long-lived design, a cult of the shipyard and an unquestionable Classic Cruising Boat.
In the 1970s and 1980s Hatteras was a brand associated with quality, equivalent then to Mercedes Benz in the automotive world, a brand whose build quality was hardly questioned. An assumption that helps to best understand the success of the Hatteras 42, happy both in its first version, retrospectively called the Mark I (1976-1978), and even more so in its later reboot, the Mark II, repurposed to 1980 to 1985 with minor changes, mainly related to technical and engine components, as well as cabin structure and internal layouts.
In terms of exteriors, both versions of the 42 LRC are based on the hull designed by Jack B. Hargrave, a solid, marine hull capable of making the boat as comfortable and usable under sail as it is at anchor. The volumes are markedly children of their time, still strong in a particularly classic design, with a wide, uncluttered cockpit particularly high to provide ample space below deck. Different here are the designs of the two versions, with a barely pronounced aft deckhouse in the first version, replaced by a flush solution in the second.
The cabin structure, in both versions, engages a full third of the hull length, high and protected, providing a secure helm station where visibility is privileged. There is, of course, no shortage of fly above this one, consisting of an outdoor wheelhouse and furniture to create a small convivial area. In the Mk ii version, the volumes are slightly larger, providing more space for the interior, but without limiting the passages on deck. In the bow, a newly elevated deckhouse provides both volume to the interior and an excellent sunbathing area. The standards are obviously different from modern ones, and so sofas and sundecks are missing, offering a much more spartan design than we are used to today.
The strength of the Hatteras was also undoubtedly the interior spaces, already strong in the large salon with galley present in the cabin, where the covered wheelhouse occupies only a very small portion of the starboard bow area. Accessing the bow, a double cabin with V berth occupies the entire forward area, strong with a private bathroom and abundant storage space.
Instead, aft options offered a full-beam double master cabin solution, contrasted by an optional twin-bed cabin. In keeping with tradition, the dinette sofa can accommodate two people once converted into a bed for the night.
In terms of motorization, the Hatteras 42 LRC was designed to, virtually, be able to stay with engine running for 24 hours a day and for days, precisely because of its intended use as a long range cruiser. This involves the use of GM engines of 112 horsepower each, a proven solution of quality and reliability, installed in a particularly accessible engine room developed to facilitate all types of maintenance. To minimize risk, the entire system was assembled on structures intended to reduce vibration distribution by isolating both the hull and the cabins, thus reducing any noise or disturbance.
In terms of seaworthiness, however, the qualities of the hull made it a safe and pleasant boat, although capable of unimpressive speeds today-just 9 knots at full throttle, with 7 knots listed as the cruising speed.
| Length Over All (LOA) | 12.8 m (42 ft 6 inch) |
| Baglio Massimo | 4.4 m (14 ft 6 inch) |
| Dive | 1.16 m (3 ft 10 inch) |
| Displacement | 12.9 t |
| Original Motorization | 2x GM 4-53N diesel 112 hp |
| Fuel Tank Capacity | 2850 lt. |
| Fresh Water Tank Capacity | 890 lt. |
| Beds | 4 / 6 |
| Production start year MKI | 1976 |
| Year of start of production MKII | 1980 |
| Project | Jack B. Hargrave |
| Construction site | Hatteras |
At this link you can find all the other great Classic Boats, and if you have one and want to tell us about it, here are the instructions for uploading it to our dedicated section so you can celebrate it with us and all the enthusiasts
Storebro Royal Cruiser 31 (9.30 m), la Classic Boat scandinava (quasi) indistruttibile
Sign up for our Newsletter
Powerboats, its stories, from small open to motoryachts. Sign up now for our free newsletter and receive the best news selected by the editorial staff each week. Enter your email below, agree to the Privacy Policy and click the “sign me up” button.
Costiera Yacht was born in Fano, Marche, in 2024, from the initiative of two young entrepreneurs: builder Luciano Savelli and designer Giorgio Santello. Both have solid experience in the nautical sector and share a vision: to combine traditional Italian craftsmanship
Welcome to the special section “BAM 35 Years.” We are presenting “cult” articles from the Motor Boats archive, starting in 1990. A journey through time among stories unobtainable today, even in the great sea of the internet! A dive into
Welcome to the special section “BAM 35 Years.” We are presenting “cult” articles from the Motor Boats archive, starting in 1990. A journey through time among stories unobtainable today, even in the great sea of the internet! A dive into
Mark it in your diary: the fourth edition of the National Summit on the Sea Economy “Blue Forum,” entitled “Creating Value – the Sea in the Year of Jubilee, “ is scheduled to take place in Rome July 9-11, 2025.
Send us your sea photos and enter history with us! Your pictures will be featured on our “bulletin board” immediately.
