Tayana 42 Center Cockpit

[goshawk]

Hi
Im new to this forum and am in process of buying the next boat.

Currently Im negotiating price on a 1984 Tayana 42 Center cockpit that I will live aboard and use for crossing the Gulf of Mexico for winters in Mexico/Belize/Costa Rica. I like the layout below decks reasonably well. Another plus for this boat is that she is one of the T 42 CC''s that was built without teak decks.

The negative points are as follows. She has a Perkins 4-108 with 4700 hours on it. Secondly I do not know anything at all about the designing Naval Architect-Robert Harris. Third- in talking to the broker that sold my last boat for me he has reservations about Tayana quality.

Im trying to find out whether there are endemic problems with Tayanas and particularly with the 42 CC.

Any help or comments would be deeply appreciated.

Warmest Regards
Carr McCormack
KF4VAR
praco@mindspring.com

[Jeff_H]

The Tayana 42 is a respected design. They offer reasonable performance for a boat of their weight, good offshore capability, and a high finish level. Robert Harris is a respected designer best known for his Vancover series. The V42 is generally seems to be considered the most successful of that series.

Some things to watch for. Some of the V42''s featured teak decks. Teak decks are generally more maintenance and likely to be a very serious problem as the boat ages. They also raise the center of gravity (reducing stability and increasing rolling) on a boat that does not have an extremely high displ/ballast ratio.

I believe that some of the early V42''s had black iron tanks which would be close to the end of their useful lifespan. Tayana allows a lot of customization of their interior layouts and some of these are biased toward being more comfortable as live-aboards which results in some compromises such as a lack proper seaberths, front loading ice boxes, and wider cabin soles which can be quite dangerous at sea. You need decide how you will use the boat and look at the boat from that perspective.

Generally, the aft cockpit boats are thought to be the better set up for both live aboard and offshore work since the double end limits the room for a comfortable aft cabin while pushing the cockpit foward into prime real estate for the main salon.

Some of these boats had a 30 hp yanmar engine which is really a litle small for a nearrly 30,000 lb boat. The more common 45 to 50 hp Perkins seem better suited to the weight of the boat.

Good luck
Jeff

[goshawk]

Jeff
The Tayana I am looking at luckily does not have the teak decks. I had a 42'' John G. Alden with teak decks and wont do that again.
I agree with you about the b/d ratio of the 42--- also I am deeply concerned about the black iron tanks. I had friends with a Hans-Christian and saw them go through nightmares because of the same sort of tank problem.

This Tayana has a 4-108 with 4700 hours on it so Im concerned about high engine hours as well.

I somewhat like the center cockpit because of the privacy it provides for the master stateroom aft.

At this point I have serious reservations about this boat. Intended use is fulltime liveaboard with winters spent in Belize or Costa Rica and summers spent on the Gulf Coast. She has been very well maintained with lots of good gear and electronics but.....

I also have looked at a Gulfstar 47 Sailmaster but.......
Thanks for the info
Carr McCormack

[Lahr]

A Tayana 42 cemter cockpit was on my short list in 2000 when I ended up with a 1985 Pearson 422. The teak decks in particular scared me off, but I considered this a good offshore boat. Maybe the 4700 engine hours, tank concerns, together end up in the post-survey price that you can live with. One way to throw the price of a replacement engine (and other major upgrades) in the financing package is to buy the boat with
the replacement engine included in the selling price, with your deposit enough to cover this seller up front cost--you can go on the contract with the boatyard replacing the engine to give the seller security against this higher price transaction. If this is a good boat that just needs a replacement engine for a serious offshore life plan, you have lots of options. good luck! Jack

[lashe]

I sailed to Burmuda on a Tayana 42 and had some questions about its integrity. I have a Bristol 41.1 for sale. I am the original owner. I have sailed extensively in this boat and would rate it much higher overall than the Tayana. Besides, without question it has maintained its value better than a Tayana.