Irwin 42 Ketch
Description
The Irwin 42 Ketch (1989–1991, ~12–15 hulls) was the final, finest evolution of Ted Irwin’s center-cockpit ketch line, built just before the company closed and widely considered the best boat he ever produced. Using a slightly shortened and modernized Irwin 43/45 hull with a small sugar-scoop (LOA 42′6″, LWL 36′, beam 13′4″, ~26,000 lb displacement, 4′10″ Scheel shoal keel), it features a clean, high-aspect ketch rig (≈920 sq ft, SA/D ~16) with swept spreaders and noticeably livelier performance than earlier low-aspect ketches. Below, it retains the legendary Irwin livability—walk-in aft master with centerline queen and en-suite head, full-standing engine room/workshop, panoramic raised saloon, huge U-galley, and forward guest cabin—finished in high-grade cherry with superior joinery, vinylester resin, and solid rod rigging throughout.
Construction Details
| Designer | Ted Irwin |
|---|---|
| Builder | Irwin Yachts |
| Length | 42.500 ft |
| LOA | 42.500 ft |
| LWL | 35.080 ft |
| Beam | 13.330 ft |
| Max Draft | 4.330 ft |
The standard boat dimensions
| i | 50 ft |
|---|---|
| j | 19 ft |
| p | 43.50 ft |
| e | 15.75 ft |
| p2 | 29 ft |
| e2 | 9.75 ft |
| i2 | - |
| j2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 | I2 | J2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 ft | 19 ft | 43.50 ft | 15.75 ft | 29 ft | 9.75 ft | - | - |
Sails
Irwin 42 Ketch - MAINSAIL
| Luff | * 43.5 ft - (13259 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 15.75 ft - (4801 mm) |
| Leech | * 45.46 ft - (13856 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 88 ° |
| Diagonal | * 45.74 ft - (13942 mm) |
| Head (inches) | * 6 in - (152 mm) |
| Area | * 351.79 ft² |
| Edit in Calculator | |
Irwin 42 Ketch - JIBSAIL
| Luff | 43 ft - (13106 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | 22.75 ft - (6934 mm) |
| Leech | 36 ft - (10973 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 100.21 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 19.04 ft - (5803 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 12.37 ° |
| Area | * 409.4 ft² |
| Edit in Calculator | |
Irwin 42 Ketch - JIBSAIL
| Luff | * 42.79 ft - (13042 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 26 ft - (7925 mm) |
| Leech | * 36.07 ft - (10994 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 115 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 21.85 ft - (6660 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 12.01 ° |
| Area | * 467.49 ft² |
| Edit in Calculator | |
Irwin 42 Ketch - GENOA
| Luff | 51 ft - (15545 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | 30 ft - (9144 mm) |
| Leech | 44 ft - (13411 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 135.68 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 25.78 ft - (7858 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 9.95 ° |
| Area | * 657.38 ft² |
| Edit in Calculator | |
Irwin 42 Ketch - GENOA
| Luff | * 50.81 ft - (15487 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 31.4 ft - (9571 mm) |
| Leech | * 47.2 ft - (14387 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 150 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 28.5 ft - (8687 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 4.02 ° |
| Area | * 723.99 ft² |
| Edit in Calculator | |
Irwin 42 Ketch - ASYMMETRICAL
| Luff | * 50.81 ft - (15487 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 31.35 ft - (9555 mm) |
| Leech | * 46.75 ft - (14249 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 165 % |
| Area | * 1195 ft² |
| Edit in Calculator | |
Irwin 42 Ketch - MIZZEN
| Luff | * 29 ft - (8839 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 9.75 ft - (2972 mm) |
| Leech-AftHdBd | * 29.97 ft - (9135 mm) |
| Tack Ang | * 87.99 ° |
| Diag (clew/head) | * 30.27 ft - (9226 mm) |
| Head (inches) | * 4.5 in - (114 mm) |
| Area (no Roach) | * 144.68 ft² |
| Edit in Calculator | |
Irwin 42 Ketch - STORMJIB
| Luff | * 29.42 ft - (8967 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 14.84 ft - (4523 mm) |
| Leech | * 22.95 ft - (6995 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 60 % |
| Length Perp | * 11.4 ft - (3475 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 19 ° |
| Area | * 167.69 ft² |
| Edit in Calculator | |
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.