Beneteau 42CC The Center Cockpit Comeback That Didn’t Catch On… But Should Have

Mon, 05 Jan 2026 12:00:19 +0000

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If you’ve ever wondered what happened to center-cockpit cruising sailboats—and why they disappeared from mainstream production—today’s review takes you right into the heart of that story. In this video, we take a deep dive into the Beneteau 42CC, one of the last attempts by a major production builder to revive the classic center-cockpit layout for everyday cruisers.

Designed by Groupe Finot and built in the early 2000s, the 42CC blends old-school offshore logic with modern production comfort: a protected center cockpit, a massive owner’s cabin, a clever fold-down transom, and the easy sailing manners Beneteau is known for. We cover the history, sailing performance, deck layout, technical details, common issues to watch for, and how this boat stacks up against both its 1970s center-cockpit ancestors and today's aft-cockpit production cruisers.

If you're shopping for a cruising boat under 45 feet—or you're curious why the center cockpit vanished from the charter fleets—this is the review you’ll want to see.

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