42 Legacy Opinions
 

After doing Boyne Thunder last week, the poker run bug has bitten me and I want more speed to hang in the faster classes. Currently I have an Active Thunder 37 with 525's. It's a great boat, but instead of dropping 50k to make it faster, I'd rather do the smart thing, and buy a boat that goes the speed I want. So with that said, a 42 Legacy is what I think I would like to move up too. It seems that the Legacy was laid up in either Vinylester or Epoxy. I understand that the epoxy is lighter and more ridged, but how does the ride quality compare between the two? Will the epoxy boat ride better as the waves increase?

As to engines, it seems the 700, 800 and 1075's were the popular options, with the NXT typically being paired with the 700. What is the best overall package for this boat? What are the typical speeds with each of these combos. Last what is the typical engine rebuild schedule for each of these engines?

Thanks for any advise!

buy a 42 Epoxy with 1075's.. great ride and run about 125.

can you really see a ride difference if the boat was made of epoxy instead of vynilester resin?

wow ! I would not think I could see a diference !

but Legacy are really great looking boats whatever the engine package!

but a 1075 would scare me on rebuild close to what? 100 hours?

Not sure when OL switched over to epoxy hulls on the Legacy, but I think it was after the first year or 2 of production.
Epoxy boats are lighter. They hull also sounds totally different. They don't sound as solid, but of course they are and probably stronger.
I had two friends that owned Legacy's. I know one was a regular layup with 1000hp's and one was epoxy with 700sci's. Never road in either.
The friend with the 700sci/epoxy boat said (at the time) it was the best riding boat he had owned and the hull would essentially correct itself if you landed a little off.

Mike,
Do you know Tom Derhammer? I think his new boat is a 42' OL, and they still have their 37' AT. He'd be a good one to get input from.

Correct Brian. Talked to Tom and Rhonda about it for a while Friday night. I believe he said his is carbon fiber? Has 700's. The 1075 Legacy listed for $219k seem like a pretty good deal.

Yes I do have Tom's number, I forgot that he has a 42 OL and a 37 AT, There isn't a better person to talk to, on how the two boats compare. I was talking to Steve at Boyne, who had a 37 AT and moved up to a 47 OL. He mentioned that Tom still had both boats. Good call on calling Tom!

Man I feel your pain and have been thinking the same thing for about two yrs. My biggest dilemma is we just don't get to use the boat enough to justify the difference in cost.

My biggest issue is I don't have the time to work on my boat like I used to, and I don't want to rent a work shop in Chicago again. I know the way these things go, they never go as planned, then I will be killing myself to make it work. I've been going down that road for two decades. Three other guys talked some sense into me, and all were saying the same thing. Enjoy Stealin' Thunder as is, then move up to a faster boat.

Finding a boat with all the amenities that you get in an Active Thunder is very hard, especially in a boat that is very well built. IMO the only two options are the 43 Nor-Tech and the 42 Legacy. I'm in no hurry to get something else, but when the right boat comes along, I want to know I'm making the right choice. What I find funny, is now that I've had a boat with the side by side seat, I no longer have any desire for the split bolsters. Having the optional 3ed man, slide in bolster is a great option. I can have 6 people in my boat very comfortably. So that leaves one boat as an alternative. The OL.

I have many hours on a 42, driving, maintenance, rigging, etc. These are great boats! Very large for the size and the cockpit is very deep. I'm sure your AT is nice but the 42 is in a different class all together, no comparison. There hasn't been a time when we were out in rough weather and had any doubts, the 42 is a true offshore powerboat. Trust me the boat will handle more than you can. The cabin is very accommodating for a performance boat and the cockpit fits 6 people very comfortably. The drivability is great, you can cruise around anywhere from 45 to 90mph! Something to be said when you can do a poker run and cruise 80 to 90mph and still plenty left to climb to 110mph plus. There's a reason why the 42 was the second most popular model, 1st being the 37. Stay away from the triple engine 42 due to the maintenance aspect. The size of the bilge on the 42 and the engines being staggered makes working on the engines enjoyable. We've been on many poker runs with all brands of boats and they try to keep up but just can't. The efficiency of the hull is phenomenal. Good luck with your purchase!

Not just because I have owned 3, but I fee that AT is likely the best offshore boat built dollar for dollar. Awesome, usable cabin with every amenity, deep cockpit, great ride and balance and power for power runs with almost every boat in its class. I'd own another in a heartbeat. That being said, I've always wanted a 42 Legacy or 43 Nortech. From a maintenance aspect, I have a different opinion and have went round and round with guys about it. Aside from changing oil, filters, plugs, etc., the maintenance on a 1075/#6 boat will likely be far more expensive. Top ends, rebuilds, drive rebuilds, props are triple the money per side. Top ends and rebuild intervals are half the time as 525's. I can afford the boat but can't afford to maintain and run a 1075 boat when we average 50hrs a year. Also, as Tom mentioned when we were talking, the 42 is also a different animal when it comes to trailering, launching, retrieving, docking and cleaning. The 37 is much easier. Although, I wouldn't mind seeing stealin' thunder, Mike's, Kevin's or Tom's come up for sale since they make up a short list of the ones I'd be in the market for.

Did they have wood in the transom/core and were "glass", then changed in 2004 to epoxy? Are the pre-2004/epoxy boats better for Great Lakes/rough running?

Also, looking at interior pics, does that horseshoe bench fold down to lend access to the v-berth for overnighting / comfortable sleep for two? I too have a 42 on a short list, moving up from a Top Gun. This boat seems to do about everything well, and seems light years more efficient than a non-step Gun. Plus, full cabin which is not offered in a twin step Cig.

I haven't head anything good about the NXT tranny, might want to steer clear of that, to bad its paired with the awesome 700

Would a 46 unlimited be an option? I am not familiar with either the 42 or the 46, but the 46 Unlimited replaced the 42 and is a newer boat and is not that far away in price.

I'm in no means an OL expert, but I think the 46 is a bustled 42. So yes, it is basically a 42. OL experts, would you agree with this?

If you are going with a 42, look for one with 700's!!! Maintenance isn't much difference than a 525 boat with top ends at 250 hours and you're still going to be running 105-110. When you step up into a 1075 boat, you will gain an extra 10mph but have to do valve lash every 20 hours, top ends at 80 (if they make it there), and they are NOT fresh water cooled, which to me makes a huge difference because I boat in salt. The newer models that you could go with 700's would be the SL41 and SL44, but they didnt make many with 700's. If you get into a 46, you will need to go with the 1075's because I dont think they made them with 700's. To me the utimate setup would be a 46 with 6's and some turned up 700's.

1) Nothing wrong with 700s after you swap to BAM's transmissions.

2) And look closely at the 43 NorTech's. I'm not posting this to throw rocks at them, but I was surprised by the low freeboard on the earlier ones. I was on one of Jassman's boats and went to lean on the gunwale, and it was below my waist. I damn near fell over backwards out of the boat. Later, they lowered the floor in the cockpit, increasing freeboard; which also drops the occupants much further out of the wind when operating. You don't realize how much wind fatigues you until you spend a day in a boat with less wind protection than you are used to. Headsets can help, but it's not a cure.

This is Jeff's boat that surprised me with the low freeboard. Then they got deeper.
https://scontent.fden3-1.fna.fbcdn.n...6f&oe=5DB23C8F

The engines have to move forward to put any other tranny in its place. so that means exhaust and who knows what else needs to change. theres a reason mercury designed it that way.

The 46 is NOT a bustled 42. completely different hulls/boats. 46 is a 5 step hull and a little wider in the nose of the boat. The 42 is a 4 step hull. Both are excellent riding boats. As far as the 1075 goes. Top ends should be done at 150hrs and the bottom ends will go 300 hrs. check the valve lash once a summer and do regular oil changes. In my 46 I cruise at 80 and WOT is 125+ . If you opt for a 42 w/700's after your first year you will be looking for more HP. then you will have to change that NXT transmission bc it will break.

Maybe if your lucky, but after 80 hours the pin is pulled!

find a better mechanic that can lash the valves properly and check the spring pressures.

and still run 120+ mph right before they were pulled for a refresh.

I agree on wind noise. The AT is deep and has good wind protection. Still after 4 hours of 70 plus mph, my ears felt as if I was blasting the stereo for that amount of time. A deep cockpit and good wind protection is a must.

Out of curiosity, as it is not what we are really discussing, how is the 39 Quattro? A few of them were set up with nice power and 6's. There are not a lot of posts on them, but some love them, some don't. Anyone on here actually owned one where they learned how to drive it?

There's a very nice 42 in Ohio for sale, not listed. I think it has 850s, I know it has 6s. It's spotless with a very nice trailer. PM me if you want contact info as I don't think it's listed but he is taking offers.

I think there were only a couple built with 850's. One of them my boss ordered. Was a 1 owner boat out of Illinois.

Looks like a great boat and GLWS; however, I want a standup boat. I'm not a fan of sitting in a moving boat.

something that should be said about a 42 is how bad that they ride at slow speeds.... like 50 mph . Now I am only using the ozark chop for an example probally would be better in a non-washing machine lake..... Travis

Do they bang around until they get up on top of the water? Harsh ride because of the stiffness/lightness? Can you elaborate, as I see you are an owner?

updated yesterday:
https://www.offshoreonly.com/classif...xy-o75818.html

That's the best deal around right now.

Nothing wrong with the 42 at low speeds if you know what you're doing. If you know how to trim it, it cuts right through the chop and efficiently to add.