Endeavour 42

The Endeavour 42 is by no means a blue water cruiser, but more attention was given to performance by fitting taller rigs, moving the chain plates inboard and switching to balsa cored topsides. Around 257 of these boats were built between 1985 and 1991, and they are considered comfortable, good-value cruisers for those who enjoy the liveaboard lifestyle.

The hull is molded as a sandwich core construction of 1” Balsa Grain Balsa Core between laminates (layers) of polyester resin and fiberglass woven roving and multi-directional chopped strand fiber (MCSF). The keel is molded integrally with the hull, and all ballast is contained inside. (Although unconfirmed, we believe that the hull below the waterline is solid FRP, is balsa cored above the water line, and that areas of the deck are either solid FRP or cored with marine ply.)

The exterior finish is pigmented gelcoat molded onto the fiberglass. The boot and Sheer stripe are sprayed on with a coating of Imron Paint.

The deck and cockpit, like the hull, are molded as a single unit of a combination of polyester resin and fiberglass woven roving and MCSF. Plywood coring is incorporated between layers of fiberglass in the cabin top, deck, and cockpit sole areas to give additional stiffness. All exterior deck surfaces are molded with a pigmented gelcoat onto the fiberglass.

All ballast is internally mounted inside the keel, which is molded integrally with the hull. Cast pieces of lead are placed in the hull, encapsulated in a polyester bonding resin, and then covered with a layer of woven roving to form a fiberglass cap. When finished, the ballast becomes a structural part of the hull.

The rudder is molded as a single piece of solid high-density foam with a protective skin of fiberglass and a gelcoat finish. The foam material is of high-strength structural grade and has exceptional toughness. The rudder post, molded integrally with the rudder, is solid stainless steel, which is welded to a steel blade in the interior of the rudder. Where the rudder post passes through the hull, water tightness is ensured by means of a stuffing box.

The pedestal steering system operates with stainless steel cables rotating a radial quadrant bolted and keyed to the rudder post. The cables run through a conduit attached to a massive steel support frame at the rudder and the motor mount, then to the pedestal where they are shackled to a stainless steel chain running over a sprocket on the steering wheel shaft. 

All spars (mast, boom, and spreaders) are extruded aluminum 6061-T6 alloy, with a protective coating on all external surfaces. The mast on the 42 is stepped through the cabin roof onto the keel.

The forestay attaches to the stem head fitting at the bow. This is fabricated of welded stainless steel and is through-bolted to the hull with back-up plates. All other stays and shrouds are attached to the chainplates at the edge of the cabin house. 

These chainplates are stainless steel fittings, either through-bolted to the main bulkhead or bolted to the rods. Additional fiberglass reinforcement is packed into the hull in all chainplate areas.

All standing rigging is attached to the chainplates with adjustable turnbuckles that allow fine tuning of the rigging tension.