Rodman 42
Rodman · Judel/Vrolijk · 2002
Updated
- ORC World Championship · Class A2010
Each title was won by a boat of this design, not by the design itself.
The Rodman 42 is a 12.21 m displacement racing yacht designed by Judel/Vrolijk and built by Rodman, first launched in 2002. It races in Class B.
Length
12.21 m
40′ 1″
Beam
3.51 m
Draft
2.41 m
Displacement
6.8 t
Sail area
94 m²
On the podium
Where a Rodman 42 finishes when she goes racing.
On the podium
6%
of 54 starts by 4 boats
Wins
0%
Read from 54 starts by 4 boats between 2018 and 2026, counting races with six boats or more.
Recent regattas
The latest events where a Rodman 42 was on the start line, named as the organisers publish them.
73° Loro Piana Giraglia2026- ORC World Championship2026
- Genova Sailing Week2026
Bosphorus Cup2025- 151 Miglia - Trofeo Cetilar2025
Raced one we are missing?
Report a regattaRound the buoys, or offshore
A short windward-leeward and a night at sea ask different things of a boat. Here is how this one does in each.
Round the buoys
3%
of these races end on the podium
Offshore & coastal
10%
of these races end on the podium
Better the longer it gets. Boats that settle into a groove and hold it gain ground once the course stops turning.
Who she races against
The designs a Rodman 42 actually lines up with, most often first. The bar shows how those meetings ended.
Also met, too few times for a figure:
Millenium 40 (7 meetings), Solaris 36 (7 meetings), Salona 41 (7 meetings), Xp 38 (7 meetings), Mumm 36 (7 meetings), J/133 (7 meetings)
Some of the boats it races against
How the Rodman 42 has fared against each of them, boat against boat on corrected time. Ordered by how often the two meet, not by who wins.
Speed at every angle
The shape of this design's speed, drawn from the measured fleet. Pick a wind and watch it stretch.
Upwind VMG
5.63
38°
Beam reach
9.01
90°
Broad reach
10.77
135°
Downwind VMG
8.49
170°
Speed in knots at 20 knots of true wind. Green marks the angles that pay: the closest useful beat and the deepest run worth sailing.
Where it wins and where it pays
Every boat is judged against its own measurements — length, weight, sail area. The quicker those say it should be, the more it has to deliver just to break even. Going fast is not enough: it has to go faster than its own numbers promised.
This design is even-tempered. It rewards preparation and crew work more than it rewards picking the right day.
Where it gains
Its best ground is downwind in a strong breeze, where it outruns what it looks like on paper, and by a margin worth having. It holds that advantage off the wind as well, so the gain is not down to one leg of the course.
Where it pays
There is no condition where it falls away badly, which is worth something over a season of mixed weather.
Above the line it delivers more than promised and gains on the fleet. Below, it falls short. Move the wind: plenty of boats sit on one side in the light and the other when it blows.
Full width is 0.6 kn either way.
At 10 knots this design makes back more than its rating asks on the upwind.
How fast is a Rodman 42
Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.
| Angle | 6 kn | 10 kn | 14 kn | 20 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beat VMG | 3.83 | 5.17 | 5.50 | 5.63 |
| 52° | 5.86 | 7.40 | 7.75 | 7.91 |
| 60° | 6.14 | 7.60 | 7.96 | 8.16 |
| 75° | 6.33 | 7.76 | 8.27 | 8.57 |
| 90° | 6.32 | 7.81 | 8.45 | 9.01 |
| 110° | 6.34 | 8.09 | 8.79 | 9.50 |
| 120° | 6.19 | 8.05 | 8.96 | 10.05 |
| 135° | 5.54 | 7.68 | 8.78 | 10.77 |
| 150° | 4.64 | 6.90 | 8.19 | 9.76 |
| Run VMG | 4.03 | 5.97 | 7.22 | 8.49 |
How they are set up
The range each sail spans across the fleet.
Nearly all carry a folding propeller. A bowsprit is standard across the fleet. Crew weight is declared around 830 kg.
Rigging
Rodman 42 rig and sail dimensions
A Rodman 42 carries 16.04 m of mainsail hoist on a 5.84 m boom, a forestay 15.55 m above the deck and a 5.55 m bowsprit. Typical figures across the 6 boats measured under the current VPP, with the range each one spans.
Rig
Sails
The spinnaker spreads widest of all — 104 to 156 m² depending on bowsprit and set-up. Before ordering a sail, read the figure on your own measurement record rather than the typical one for the design.