Overview
The Niagara 42 is a Mark Ellis design built by Hinterhoeller Yachts in Ontario, built from 1984, with 20 completed.
Design and Construction
sailboatdata.com lists a fin keel with a spade rudder, 42 ft overall on a 32.5 ft waterline, 12.75 ft of beam and 5.67 ft of draft. Displacement is 19,800 lb with 8,100 lb of ballast, and the cutter carries about 848 sq ft. Good Old Boat’s Rob Mazza compared the Niagara 42 with the Passport 40 and 42 and found it the lightest of the three, with the largest sail area and a displacement/waterline length ratio of 258. It is the only one of the three with a bowsprit, and it uses an all-movable rudder rather than a skeg, with fixed staysail shrouds set aft of the lower shroud chainplates in place of running backstays. Mazza suspects the published displacement may be on the light side, given the 46 percent ballast ratio, and says that if he had to pick a winner among the three he would lean toward the Niagara while acknowledging his bias.
Buyers Notes
John Neal rates it 2 of 5: well built, roomy and good value, but check the deck for soggy core (see Known Issues).
