Southerly 42 - any opinions?

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peterandjeanette

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Looking to change from mobo to yachtie. SWMBO wants a boat that has excellent accomodation, upper saloon so she can look out without getting her hair blown about :rolleyes: and easy to handle.
The Southerly 42 appears to fit the bill, but are there any other sailboats with upper saloon/dinette areas as well as having a large master cabin in this size?
 
Yes, quite few, mostly expensive (not that the Southerly is cheap!) mainly Scandinavian such as Regina, Nauticat, Nordship and some from Jeanneau in the more affordale end of the market. Not many around mainly because they are built in small numbers, are expensive and owners tend to keep them.

Nauticat is probably the most common and the 42 has been in production for a long time, so usually a few on the market to look at.

There are also various older boats such as the Trident Voyager and Seastream 43, but again because they are niche boats tend not to be many on the market.

The Southerly is much more performance orientated than most other deck saloons, hence its popularity in what is a limited market.
 
Yeah, far too big & pricey for my pension.:D

Isn't there an owner's site or forum for the Southerlies? That's where they will be discussing any stuff like the keels dropping out & how to fix them. Certainly the keel box will get a lot of strain if it dries out regularly or beaches in any sort of chop.

It will seem to take simply ages to get anywhere after having a planing boat, but your fuel budget will be absolutely slashed.
 
What about a cat?

Unless you overload it, performance should be as good or better than the Southerly but you'll still be able to dry out the same.

Plenty of space and at that sort of budget and size you'll get not one but two nice aft cabins, probably both en-suite.

Nice living area with pretty much 360 degree view and no heeling - which is what can put lots of SWMBOs off sailing.

Of course, the row-away factor for some cats may not be to everyone's taste.
 
When someone asks about a specific boat why does someone always suggest the cat alternative? OK if its a very general enquiry.

Could they please try to book a cat berth at Cowes marina? Yes could be good for Pacific or Carribean?

I looked at the Southerly and was very impressed but be aware its also not such a marina friendly boat as there is no steerage until you have travelled one boat length (poss half!)and got some water flow over the twin rudders (lacks propeller feeding water over a single rudder).

I think I would investigate a joystick controlled water jet system at each corner instead of a bow thruster if I was using lots of marinas
 
peterandjeanette said:
Looking to change from mobo to yachtie. SWMBO wants a boat that has excellent accomodation, upper saloon so she can look out without getting her hair blown about :rolleyes: and easy to handle.
The Southerly 42 appears to fit the bill, but are there any other sailboats with upper saloon/dinette areas as well as having a large master cabin in this size?
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Hi, go to www.distantshores.ca If you read the blogs and newsletters from 2007 on it will give you all the info you could ever want. Paul and Sheryl are just upgrading from their 42 to a 49. Paul and Sheryl are nobody's fools and Paul is a very dispassionate commentator and extremely safety cautious. Don't know if their 42 has been sold yet.
Having crawled around their 42 and a friends 36 I was very impressed with the build quality and ride quality. Very easy to manouvre in marinas if you have a bow thruster, marina berths in US can be very tight as you have to berth between 4 posts in a lot of them.
 
The Southerly 42 is a well respected boat and they have a very loyal following. If your budget can run to it the Moody 45 Deck Saloon would be worth a look too. When it was first launched a few years ago it was a radical design and not immediately well received. But slowly it has begun to be accepted and the sailing reviews have been very good. It's a Bill Dixon design and takes a lot of it's cues from the superyachts he designs.

I didn't like it at first (as I have a more traditional Bill Dixon Moody 38) but after 5000 miles through the Caribbean and up the east coast of the USA in the last 18 mnths with swmbo and two kids under five aboard, I totally get it now and would probably have one myself! That deck level living space would have been perfect.

Jeanneau also make a 43 Deck Saloon, one of which is here.

I'm a broker and we are returning to the UK next month, our boat will be berthed in Ocean Village (Seraphim) so drop by if you want to chat.
 
Sailfree said:
When someone asks about a specific boat why does someone always suggest the cat alternative? OK if its a very general enquiry.
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I got the impression that they were asking generally as well - they said "but are there any other sailboats with upper saloon/dinette areas as well as having a large master cabin in this size?"
Ok, Peter & Jeanette might not be too keen on cats, but it is good when boat hunting to be broad minded and always consider all possible options, hence it was a good suggestion.
Bear in mind that a smaller (than 42') cat would have the same amount of accomodation as a larger monohull, which helps to offset (a bit) the increased marina fees for cats.
(Look at Gludy for instance!)

Southerlys are very nice boats - I know a chap who has a 135 which he keeps in a mud berth in the Solent - the boat literally almost floats on a heavy dew (she has less draft than a wee 24' Snapdragon bilge keeler!), yet has serious cruising and passage making ability.
 
I agree Bejan and I almost said the same thing. I would in fact ask "why is it when anyone mentions a cat there is always an objection?" Also, not everyone wants a berth in Cowes Marina. I certainly don't! Actually cats often appeal to ex Mobos as they stay upright. Very often it's being at an angle when underway that upsets ex Mobos and/or wives, and accommodation was mentioned as a priority. There is now't wrong with the Southerly and it's got one of the best most robust lift keels around. Looked at one meself recently to spend more time inland on canals. Great for that but nowhere near as spacious as a cat. In fact after years on a cat it seemed horribly claustophobic.
 
Sailfree said:
When someone asks about a specific boat why does someone always suggest the cat alternative?
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The reason is that the criteria the OP asks about are met by most cats but few monos....

peterandjeanette said:
SWMBO wants a boat that has excellent accomodation, upper saloon so she can look out without getting her hair blown about :rolleyes: and easy to handle..... are there any other sailboats with upper saloon/dinette areas as well as having a large master cabin in this size?
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Not sure what constitutes a truly marina friendly boat, most have their individul quirks but twin rudders and bow thruster on Southerley are absolutley fine and very predictable in a marina.
 
Any opinions? Yes 2

1/ Lucky sod! :D

2/ Southerly is well up there with the Swedes and in a different league to the likes of Moody ( aka Hanse) and Jeanneau. You pay quite a bit more but they really are well and very solidly made. Following our recent devaluation they may well be better values than the Swedes too.

Alternatives? Oyster, Nauticat
 
Had a look at the Southerly 42RS at the boat show in January this year. Gorgeous. VERY high build quality and fit out, to my relatively uneducated eye. True 'deck saloon'. Had a look at some of the Jeanneaus. They seem to think that fitting large windows to a 'standard' sunken saloon boat would justify the 'deck saloon' tag. Not impressed in comparison, despite the cost difference. Jealous that you have the budget. If I was in the market and (more importantly) had the funds, the Southerly 42RS would be right up there in contention.
 
daveyw said:
Why? It has a cast iron grounding plate and only an idiot would beach her with the keel down.
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Actually with the swing keel... even if its down it'll just swing up on its own...


What do I think of a Southerly 42?? YES PLEASE!!

I cant think of a better boat for. Better still would be the 46!

That swing keel is just the business.
 
Bosun Higgs said:
Funnily enough thats the party trick of the Southerly salesman - heading straight for the beach under full sail with the keel down, running aground then just sailing back off
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I sail a Southerly and know what can be done but I wouldn't intentionally scrape the antifouling off the keel! Obviously the salesman doesn't have to pay the maintenance!
 
Southerly keel repairs
I can't be bothered to chase up the reference, but I seem to remember there have been some issues - possibly with early boats needing major work on the keel box. Nothing to do with having the keel down, just the weight of the boat sitting on the keel box & its fixings. A traditional keel boat sits on the keel & the forces are almost entirely compressive - it is easy to design fixings strong in compression. I guess that the keel box carries some shear component on its fixings & seals - but I'm no expert. I always liked the Southeryly design & almost bought a 28 some years ago & I was surprised when I read about the keel problems, so it stuck in my memory - but not well enough for me to recall the details.

Taken from an owner of a Southerly 37 talking on this link
youhave to drop the keel, sandblast it, epoxy paint it, put new plastic spacers and special new cevlar pennants....it cost us 3200 us dollars each time- including lifting out and back. it took us 6 days...and it is hard work. the lifting crain had to come over 4 times-as the boat has to be totally lifted to leave the keel on the hard, and back again.
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I think that is servicing the keel pivot, repainting the keel itself & replacing the lines that control lifting & lowering. So it isn't actually about the keel box after all.
 
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