Cascade 42 Ketch
Description
The Cascade 42 Ketch is a rare, semi-custom variant of the iconic Cascade 42 series from Cascade Yachts (Yacht Constructors Inc., Portland, Oregon), built starting in the mid-1960s. While the standard Cascade 42 was typically rigged as a cutter or sloop (with proven Transpac racing history), some owner-finished or custom hulls were configured as ketch rigs for easier sail handling, better balance in heavy weather, and enhanced bluewater versatility—ideal for long passages with smaller crews. These ketch versions retain the legendary "bulletproof" solid fiberglass construction (hand-laid, overbuilt hulls that famously repel bullets and survive extreme impacts like drops or groundings). The ketch rig adds a mizzen mast aft, often with a bowsprit option, making it more forgiving downwind and in gales while maintaining the boat's stiff, seaworthy character.
Construction Details
| Designer | Robert A. Smith |
|---|---|
| Builder | Cascade Yachts (Yacht Constructors Inc.) |
| Length | 42.000 ft |
| LOA | 42.000 ft |
| LWL | 34.000 ft |
| Beam | 12.000 ft |
| Displacement | 19000 lb |
| Ballast | 6180 lb |
| Max Draft | 6.000 ft |
| Year Built | 1965 |
The standard boat dimensions
| i | 42.20 ft |
|---|---|
| j | 15.40 ft |
| p | 37.33 ft |
| e | 14.50 ft |
| p2 | 24 ft |
| e2 | 10.90 ft |
| i2 | - |
| j2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 | I2 | J2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 42.20 ft | 15.40 ft | 37.33 ft | 14.50 ft | 24 ft | 10.90 ft | - | - |
Sails
Cascade 42 Ketch - MAINSAIL
| Luff | * 37.33 ft - (11378 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 14.5 ft - (4420 mm) |
| Leech | * 39.29 ft - (11976 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 88 ° |
| Diagonal | * 39.57 ft - (12061 mm) |
| Head (inches) | * 6 in - (152 mm) |
| Area | * 278.65 ft² |
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Cascade 42 Ketch - JIBSAIL
| Luff | * 35.94 ft - (10955 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 20.89 ft - (6367 mm) |
| Leech | * 30.52 ft - (9302 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 115 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 17.71 ft - (5398 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 11.99 ° |
| Area | * 318.21 ft² |
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Cascade 42 Ketch - GENOA
| Luff | * 42.68 ft - (13009 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 25.3 ft - (7711 mm) |
| Leech | * 39.76 ft - (12119 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 150 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 23.1 ft - (7041 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 4.02 ° |
| Area | * 492.95 ft² |
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Cascade 42 Ketch - GENOA
| Luff | 41.75 ft - (12725 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | 22 ft - (6706 mm) |
| Leech | 38.25 ft - (11659 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 129.94 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 20.01 ft - (6099 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 4.53 ° |
| Area | * 417.65 ft² |
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Cascade 42 Ketch - ASYMMETRICAL
| Luff | * 42.68 ft - (13009 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 25.41 ft - (7745 mm) |
| Leech | * 39.27 ft - (11969 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 165 % |
| Area | * 813 ft² |
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Cascade 42 Ketch - MIZZEN
| Luff | * 24 ft - (7315 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 10.9 ft - (3322 mm) |
| Leech-AftHdBd | * 25.86 ft - (7882 mm) |
| Tack Ang | * 88 ° |
| Diag (clew/head) | * 26.01 ft - (7928 mm) |
| Head (inches) | * 4.5 in - (114 mm) |
| Area (no Roach) | * 135.18 ft² |
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Disclaimer. Boats are not all the same -- even when produced in the same factory of the same model. Sailrite does its best to publish accurate dimensions, but we often find it worthwhile to have our customers measure their boats carefully before we produce kits for them. You should take the same precautions, especially when the data is not from Sailrite. The information on this site is not guaranteed to be accurate. Sailrite offers this content as a service to our community, but takes no responsibility for the reliability of the data provided.