1979–present · designed by Robert Harris · built by Ta Yang Yacht Building Co.
Heavy-displacement long-fin-keel offshore cruising cutter (with ketch variants). Designed for shorthanded long-distance passagemaking with a seakindly motion in heavy weather. Architecturally a heavier, longer sister to the Tayana 37 — same builder, same design office, same bluewater design philosophy.
Check this first — the Tayana 42 and the Tayana Vancouver 42 are the SAME BOAT — Robert Harris's Vancouver 42, built by Ta Yang from 1979, and listed under both names. About 200 were built in three configurations that matter more than the name: roughly 130 aft-cockpit (in two different house designs), about 70 centre-cockpit, and five pilothouse. Establish which configuration you are looking at, because the accommodation and the deck are genuinely different boats above the sheer.
This is a general read on the Tayana Vancouver 42 class — informed
background, not a verdict on any individual boat. Condition, refit history,
and how a particular hull was sailed and stored matter far more than class
reputation. Use it to know what to look for; for a read on a specific
listing, run a free FairKeel report on that boat.
At a glance
LOA
42'
LWL
33'
Beam
12' 6"
Hull form
Fin Keel
Ballast type
Encapsulated Iron
Rudder
Skeg Hung
Mast step
Deck Stepped
Hull construction
Fiberglass
Production
1979–present
Built in
Taiwan
What the Tayana Vancouver 42 is known for
Robert Harris hulls have a well-regarded bluewater reputation — same designer and builder lineage as the Tayana 37 but heavier and longer, suiting couples wanting a larger offshore platform.
Cutter rig design supports progressive shortening — single-hand-able rig management in increasing wind without leaving the cockpit.
Active owner community via Tayana Owners Group — institutional knowledge of class-specific issues is well-shared.
Known trade-offs
Yard allowed substantial customer customisation. Interior layout, joinery quality, and systems specification vary materially between hulls — surveyor must assess each example on its own merits.
Below-WL access for through-hull replacement requires cabin sole or settee removal on most hulls. Labour multiplier (1.5-2.0×) for any below-WL work.
Underpowered with the standard 50hp Perkins 4-108. This is owner- supported rather than inferred: Cruising World's reviewers call the boats "a bit underpowered" and repowered their own with a 75hp turbocharged Yanmar. Many cruising owners have done the same; a boat still on its original Perkins is not broken, but plan around the performance rather than being surprised by it.
Age-related quirks to expect
Most boats carry the 50hp Perkins 4-108; some came with a Yanmar 4JHE. Cruising World is direct that these boats "are a bit underpowered" with the Perkins — the reviewers repowered their own with a 75hp turbocharged Yanmar. Unlike some underpowered claims, this one is owner-supported rather than inferred from a spec sheet. Note also that the reported failure mode is corrosion rather than wear.severity: Mediumaffects: 1979 onward (all)
Black-iron fuel tanks rust from the outside in wherever the external paint has chipped. Cruising World names this specifically, and it is the kind of defect that is invisible until the tank is out.severity: Mediumaffects: 1979 onward (all)
Blistering is LESS likely than the era suggests on later boats: isophthalic gelcoat from 1985, and vinylester laminate from 1992. Cruising World reports hull-deck joints and serious blistering have not typically been problems, though some older boats show chainplate corrosion.severity: Lowaffects: pre-1985 hulls carry the most exposure
Teak deck reaching end-of-life by year 30-40 (where fitted)severity: Highaffects: hulls fitted with teak decks
Original aluminum fuel tanks on early hulls — pitting + leak risk by year 25-35severity: Mediumaffects: 1979-1990
Yard-to-yard finish variation — Ta Yang allowed customer-specified joinery + interior layoutsseverity: Mediumaffects: all
Original 1980s-era bronze fittings now at 30-45 years. Replacement cluster can be non-trivial on a heavy Ta Yang hull — cabin sole or settee removal often required for access to deeper bilge fittings.
Original wire + tangs typically due at 25-30 years. Chainplates on Taiwan-built Robert Harris hulls of this era are bolted through teak-clad bulkheads — leak paths around chainplates often hidden behind joinery. Mast is deck-stepped (2026-05-20 architecture correction, Cruising World) — check the deck-step compression post and partners for moisture, not a bilge mast-step.
Teak decks (where fitted) leak progressively as bungs lift and seam caulking ages. Leak paths into core can be hidden for years before moisture meter reveals saturation. Removal-and-glass-over is a legitimate alternative to full re-decking.
How it fits your plans
Offshore
Designed for it. Heavy displacement, long-fin keel, skeg-hung rudder, cutter rig supports progressive shortening — a proven Pacific / Atlantic bluewater platform.
Coastal
Overbuilt for coastal work. Slower than fin-keel boats of the same LOA; not a coastal racer.
Liveaboard
Generous storage and tank capacity. Centre-cockpit aft-cabin variants exist. Below-WL access challenging for DIY maintenance.
This guide is the class. A report is that hull. Paste the
listing you're looking at and FairKeel grades every claim in it against what's
known about the Tayana Vancouver 42 — where the evidence is thin, the red flags worth
a second look, the costs likely to land in your first season, and whether the
boat suits the plans you describe in a few short questions.
It won't read the photos or put a number on the boat — that's the $249
Deep-Dive, and for the real answer, a surveyor. It will tell you when a
Deep-Dive isn't worth buying. Free, no account, usually a minute or two.
Other people's videos, not ours, and not endorsements — walkthroughs and
reviews of this class that are worth watching before you look at one in person.