In carbon fibre, the new SAY 42 Sport combines 44-knot performance with radical weekender luxury.
There’s a reason McLaren builds its supercars from carbon fibre. As well as being immensely stiff, durable and mouldable, its strength to weight ratio is second to none and, as every supercar designer knows, weight is the enemy of performance. It affects everything from acceleration and braking to fuel consumption and cornering speeds. That’s why they go to such extreme lengths to keep their cars as light as possible.
The fixed platform limits its ability to carry a tender but it does have a Seakeeper stabiliser as standard
It’s much the same for planing boats. Weight affects the time they take to climb onto the plane, the amount of fuel they burn, the speed they reach and the way they handle. And while most boat builders are now starting to pay more attention to keeping the weight down, few go to the lengths that SAY Carbon Yachts does.
As the name suggests, it builds its boats out of carbon fibre rather than glass reinforced plastic (GRP). It’s a much costlier and more time consuming process but the effort is worth it. Its latest model, the 42 Sport, weighs less than five tonnes, even with a Seakeeper stabiliser fitted as standard. A Windy SR40 weighs double that, a Pardo 43 even more. But before we find out what difference that makes at sea, let’s take a closer look at the design itself.
Carbon-fibre seats on Shox suspension pedestals make for a very comfortable ride
Positive Change
The original SAY 42 was a great looking boat but it struggled to compete against the amenities of its more conventional rivals. With their big cockpits, inviting foredeck lounges, safe walkaround decks, well equipped outdoor galleys and protective hard tops offering multiple spaces for guests to enjoy, the SAY 42’s enclosed foredeck and exposed cockpit felt rather limited.
The new hard top is a thing of beauty as well as a practical addition to guest comfort
The new 42 Sport addresses many of those limitations. A new deck moulding creates a lovely recessed sunbathing area in the bow accessed via safe walkways along either side of the central helm moulding, while a striking new hard top that stretches from the windscreen to the back of the dinette creates much more shelter from both sun and spray.
The deck layout and furniture has also been improved with a bigger wet bar (carried over from the SAY 52) and some of the coolest helm seats we’ve seen on any boat. So how does it all stack up, and crucially, does it still perform like a supercar for the sea?
The cabin is fine for overnighting given that this is primarily a day boat
Deck Layout
There’s no doubt that the changes have made it a more enjoyable and practical day boat for both guests and crew. The bow lounge, while not quite as safe or versatile as that of a Pardo 43 or Fjord 41 XL (both offer full walkaround decks and the ability to sit as well as recline), offers a valuable extra place for chilling out at anchor as well as much easier, more secure access to the forward cleats and anchoring gear than the original 42’s featureless (and rather perilous) grabrail-free foredeck.
There’s even an optional bimini shade with poles made of carbon fibre. The new wet bar has room for two big undercounter drawer fridges as well as a two-ring hob, sink and ice bucket/storage well. The central dinette doesn’t appear to have changed but with space for 6-8 people and a drop-down table that allows it to convert into a third day bed, it didn’t really need to.
Building out of carbon fibre halves the weight of a typical 42ft sportscruiser and brings huge benefits to acceleration, top speed, fuel efficiency and handling.
The hard top adds to the looks as well as the usability. With its sharp angular lines, glossy carbon-fibre finish and geometric skylights that light up at night, it’s a stunning piece of design. The one obvious omission is a hydraulic platform – the weight penalty is simply too severe. This does of course limit the size of tender you can carry as well as ease of access to the sea.
However, there is plenty of storage for smaller items like Seabobs and inflatable SUPs under the sunbed and seats. The helm is also a big improvement in terms of both comfort and ergonomics. Triple carbon-fibre helm seats set on SHOX suspension mounts provide the perfect blend of style, comfort and support. Although you can opt for a half-height windscreen with a gap between it and the hard top, we struggle to see the point.
The new helm design is both cleaner to look at and more ergonomic to use than the original 42’s
The test boat’s full-height one offers more protection without feeling remotely stuffy. Small glass side extensions with stylish integrated handholds provide additional support and wind blast cover, while a cleaner dash design with a single big MFD directly ahead of the wheel and a pair of smaller screens alongside improve the driver’s view and the positioning of the more rigidly mounted wheel and throttles.
It’s not quite so comfortable sitting at the dinette as it’s too far aft to enjoy full protection from the windscreen.
The wet room is a decent size but lacks a separate shower cubicle
Elegant and surprisingly thoughtful detailing, such as deck showers and fuel fillers on both sides of the cockpit, multiple pop-up cleats, a hidden folding anchor mechanism and bespoke laser-cut stainless steel covers for the speakers and air intakes, add another layer of sophistication.
The other big improvement is the access down to the cabin. The original 42 had a strangely narrow opening with folding steps and a steep drop that made it really awkward to use. The new sliding door with offset steps is a great deal easier.
Both sunpads have headrests and side bolsters for comfort
The cabin itself isn’t as big or light as the 42’s, due to those semi-walkaround decks and recessed bow lounge, but given that it will mostly be used as a day boat, that’s a sacrifice most will be willing to make. There’s still a double berth and a decent wet room with enough space and headroom to shower in reasonable comfort.
Article continues below…
New Boats at Dusseldorf: Say Carbon 42 Sport
SAY 42 sea trial review: Flat out in this 50 knot carbon superboat
Speed of Light
While SAY does now offer a diesel option of twin 370hp Yanmar V8’s, our boat was fitted with the lighter and punchier 430hp Volvo petrols. Given that half the point of this boat is the driving enjoyment it offers, that seems like a sound decision. Nor does it cost you at the pumps; sure, the Yanmars will be even more fuel efficient but when compared with any of its diesel-powered rivals, this is still an exceptionally economical boat.
Few boats are as fun to helm as this
At 20 knots it burns just 52lph, compared to 74lph for a Windy SR40 with twin 440hp Volvo D6s. It’s also considerably quicker, topping out at 44.5 knots on test with six crew on board. That’s marginally slower than the 47 knots we reached in the original 42, presumably due to the extra weight of the hard top and Seakeeper 2 gyro.
What isn’t any different is the amount of fun it offers. It responds to throttle and steering inputs faster than any other boat its size. It pops onto the plane in less than four seconds, and even when cruising at 25 knots, there’s still enough grunt in reserve to push you back in your seat.
Slender vertical stem cuts through waves but even with heavy flaring some spray can get blown back on board
The combination of direct, high-geared steering, a low centre of gravity and minimal inertia means it will dive from side to side more like a Williams jet tender than a 42ft sportscruiser, while the clever Petestep hull ensures it grips through turns like chewing gum to a train seat.
Sunpad is a valuable addition and is recessed into the deck for extra security, but we’d only recommend using it at anchor
It even rides far better than you’d expect, provided you keep that slender bow as flat and level as possible. It does chuck up a certain amount of spray when the wind and waves combine, but provided you’re sitting at one of the helm seats, you should stay dry regardless.
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Price as reviewed:
£1,087,000.00 As tested ex. VAT
Verdict
So where does that leave the new 42 Sport? The short answer is in a much better place than the original 42. Whereas that boat offered thrills aplenty for the skipper but rather limited appeal to its guests, the 42 Sport is a much more rounded package. Extra lounging space, better facilities, more protection and easier access to the bow and cabin make this a far more enticing prospect for guests as well as being a safer, more practical boat to crew. That it manages this without detracting from its appeal as a driver’s boat is a tremendous achievement. The price still takes some swallowing when an Axopar 45 can be had for less than half that but neither carbon fibre nor exclusivity come cheap, as every McLaren owner knows! CONTACT: SAY Carbon Yachts: +49 7520 969900; www.saycarbonyachts.com
Details
LOA: 42ft 4in (12.96m)
Beam: 13ft 8in (4.17m)
Draft: 3ft 1in (0.93m)
Displacement: 4,980kg (inc Seakeeper 2)
Fuel capacity: 800 litres
Water capacity: 170 litres
RCD category: B for 12 persons
Engines: 2 x 430hp Volvo Penta V8 petrol or 370hp Yanmar 8LV diesel
