The Rustler 42

Superyacht quality and finishing at 42 feet

The latest yacht delivery to be undertaken by Halcyon Yachts was to be thoroughly enjoyable and a very comfortable trip. The delivery was of a new Rustler 42 from Falmouth to Southampton in time for the 2017 Southampton Boatshow. Rustler Yachts will be exhibiting the yacht and promoting their brand at the luxury end of the market. We were delighted to be able to help!

Nick Offord, Director and Co-Owner of Rustler Yachts Ltd, spent the time to hand over the yacht and run through the onboard controls, of which are very straightforward and located exactly where one would expect, no fumbling in the back of lockers for through fittings. All the seacocks on board are to a high specification and beautifully installed and very easy to operate.

Stepping aboard you can feel the high quality of fittings and great combination and selection of materials chosen. The non-slip side decks, the teak finishing and Anderson winches are very well appointed, adding to the solidity of the yacht at this 42-foot size.

Once in the cockpit the vast bimini envelopes all the clutches and companionway, providing room for all 3 crew to stand out of any weather. Even as the squalls passed over us from astern the interior stayed rain drop free with just the hatch closed. Moving through the companionway for the watch handover to the helm station is slightly hampered by the main track, but to combat this Rustler have installed a large stainless pedestal that not only holds all the helm controls but also gives the crew an excellent strong point to hold onto. At night, the compass light gives you enough light to locate the mid-calf height strong points for the lifejacket harness. In rougher conditions, the option to clip on from the companionway hatch is also a good solution and prevents stubbing toes or fumbling around in the centre of the cockpit for the strong points.

Storage for crew sailing equipment was simple, well organised and very spacious. We centred ourselves aft, using the large port cabin for the two crew members and starboard passage berth next to the breaker panel and VHF for the skipper. All the mattresses and seating are from a very high-quality foam, which gives comfort and superb support.

The forward-facing navigation table is ideally placed for the electronic controls and for chart work, taking a full-size admiralty chart. Chart work is also supported by the addition of a chart draw under the passage berth. Above the navigation table sits the primary touch screen Raymarine unit, not one of the most intuitive systems but one that works consistently all the same. The slave unit in the cockpit is again touch screen and analogue controlled. The navigation setup is supported by the 4 units above the companionway, which clearly display the physical elements of the yacht and orientation, depth, wind etc.

Central to the interior is the heavily insulated machine space, we experienced slight vibration from between the engine cover the sole boards, this would be sorted with a slither of rubber for the cover to close on. The machine space cover is integrated into the galley and saloon with the clever use of a brushed suede finished seat (removed for delivery) and galley cutlery draw unit which fits flush over the top of the hatch. Both can be removed to fully access the main engine whilst basic engine checks can be made using the side inspection hatches. Once closed and running the engine can barely be heard in the cockpit, the dry exhausts and separator doing their work, the only visual sign the engine is running is from the inspection tell tail on the port side of the transom.

On many yacht deliveries, the very first time you drive the boat is from a tight quarters berth. The Rustler 42 immediately instilled confidence as manoeuvres could be carried out at extremely low speed and with pinpoint accuracy. From the cockpit, you have a great view of almost the whole deck space. With the raised bow and stem, judging distances was a little tricky at first but this is something you would get used to quite quickly. The large wheel and responsive rudder makes berthing and sailing a real pleasure, weighted enough when under sail and light enough when under engine. The addition of a strong through hull bow thruster also improves the control you have over such a large and deep hull shape.

Motoring out down the River Fal at 1500rpm gave us a solid 6knots in the conditions, this improved to 8knots once we unfurled the headsail. As the wind picked up we eased back on the revs until we were on headsail only. The Rustler 42 settled easily into a very stable groove and picked up to around 9 knots. The controls for the headsail were very smooth and due to the drum size and position of the Anderson winches, the trimming and easing was very simple indeed. All controls for the sails are brought back to the cockpit over the coach roof which is great on this yacht. A simple string and pin rail retains the lines for use, another excellent and clean solution.

Halcyon Yachts Ltd is a dedicated international yacht delivery specialist with highly experienced and qualified crew. For more information or to see details of their recent deliveries please visit  http://halcyonyachts.com/