Salona 42
AD Boats · J&J Design · 2006
Updated
The Salona 42 is a 12.73 m semi-displacement racing yacht designed by J&J Design and built by AD Boats, first launched in 2006. It races in Class B.
Length
12.73 m
41′ 9″
Beam
3.82 m
Draft
2.25 m
Displacement
7.4 t
Sail area
98 m²
On the podium
Where a Salona 42 finishes when she goes racing.
0
Wins
1
Seconds
0
Thirds
2
Starts
Not enough races yet for a percentage — these are the counts so far. We keep collecting results, so this will fill in.
Read from 2 starts by 2 boats between 2022 and 2024, counting races with six boats or more.
Recent regattas
The latest events where a Salona 42 was on the start line, named as the organisers publish them.
Regata dei Cinque Fari2024
Viška regata2022
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
—
Not enough data yet: no races of 10 NM or less carry a published distance.
Offshore & coastal
—
Not enough data yet: 1 race over 10 NM carry a published distance.
Who she races against
The designs a Salona 42 actually lines up with, most often first. The bar shows how those meetings ended.
Met too few times for a figure:
J/111 (1 meeting), Salona 380 (1 meeting), Xp 44 (1 meeting), Xp 33 (1 meeting), Farr 40 (1 meeting), Salona 34 (1 meeting), Mat 11.80 (1 meeting), X-35 (1 meeting), Grand Soleil 43 (Carkeek) (1 meeting), Elan 340 (1 meeting), Archambault 40 (1 meeting), Elan 31 (Design) (1 meeting), Dufour 460 (1 meeting), Elan Impression 40 (1 meeting), First 375 (1 meeting), Grand Soleil 40 (Paperini) (1 meeting), First 40 (1 meeting), Oceanis 31 (1 meeting), First 35 (Farr) (1 meeting), More 40 (1 meeting)
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
5.54
39°
Beam reach
9.12
90°
Broad reach
10.26
135°
Downwind VMG
8.51
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 cracked off once it pipes up, where it goes better than its measurements say it should, and by a margin worth having. It holds that advantage on the run 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 0.4 kn either way.
At 10 knots this design makes back more than its rating asks on the beam reach.
How fast is a Salona 42
Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.
| Angle | 6 kn | 10 kn | 14 kn | 20 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beat VMG | 3.71 | 5.01 | 5.43 | 5.54 |
| 52° | 5.69 | 7.31 | 7.80 | 7.96 |
| 60° | 6.02 | 7.56 | 8.04 | 8.23 |
| 75° | 6.27 | 7.75 | 8.31 | 8.72 |
| 90° | 6.17 | 7.79 | 8.51 | 9.12 |
| 110° | 6.09 | 8.03 | 8.92 | 9.75 |
| 120° | 5.94 | 7.98 | 8.92 | 10.29 |
| 135° | 5.32 | 7.56 | 8.66 | 10.26 |
| 150° | 4.46 | 6.70 | 8.06 | 9.43 |
| Run VMG | 3.86 | 5.81 | 7.14 | 8.51 |
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 700 kg.
Rigging
Salona 42 rig and sail dimensions
A Salona 42 carries 14.71 m of mainsail hoist on a 5.75 m boom, a forestay 15.96 m above the deck and a 5.44 m bowsprit. Typical figures across the 5 boats measured under the current VPP, with the range each one spans.
Rig
Sails
The spinnaker spreads widest of all — 99 to 134 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.