MJM’s new 42 is a modern, luxurious, cruising couple’s yacht.
It’s hard to forget a trip I took to North Carolina to visit the MJM factory. Besides taking a ride on the new model that year along the shores of the Pamlico River, I was excited to see the growth behind the company that influenced my sailing skills. Throughout the years as a yacht captain, sailing remains in my core. But powerboats have been a primary focus recently, and with MJM’s new 42-foot design, I can really enjoy the ride without getting wet or dancing from side to side tacking and jibing around the course.
Design and Performance
The MJM 42 classifies as a couple’s liveaboard yacht with the performance of a fine-tuned sailing rig: tight, fast, balanced, and light with its hull design slicing through the water. MJM’s C5 (clean, closed, compressed, cured, composite) construction process gives the boat 25 percent more strength and 15 percent less weight than more traditional processes and is applied to the hull and structural components, including those on deck. The design along with the lightweight composites translate into a model where the bow never rises during acceleration and can plane at 12 knots.
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MJM yachts were originally built up at Boston Boatworks and has a Downeast-style design. Downeast-style boats have a fishing origin that provides durability, stability, efficiency, and function. When manufacturing moved to North Carolina, that Downeast style was blended with a bit of the well-known Carolina flare that is prominent in offshore sportfishing boats. The flare helps deflect waves away from the boat to keep the deck dry. The combination offers the perfect design for couples to spend some time away from the dock: a powerful, comfortable ride in a large, waterfront suite.
The 42 is a cruising model based on the MJM 4, an open-bow express day yacht that was launched in 2022. After intense hydrodynamic computer modeling, the hull geometry was enhanced to bring about greater efficiency and comfort when underway. Even so, a gyrostabilizer helps keep those on board steady. She rides comfortably through its speed range with its low center of gravity and is a stable, all-weather, all-condition power yacht. The design of the MJM 42 also provides for higher speeds at less horsepower which, in turn, creates better fuel economy. But that’s only half of it.
A Couple’s Retreat
MJM has always made it a mission to build strong, seaworthy yachts, but it also has included a focus on logical layouts for owners to take full advantage of enjoying time out on the water—or for dockside entertaining.
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Not only is the MJM 42 a beautifully balanced yacht, but she also has a luxurious, handcrafted interior from the cabinet joinery to the sole to the cushions. The in-house woodworking team creates the interior for each model one by one, using woods such as American cherry, teak, maple, and wenge in gloss and satin finishes.
The main deck is level from the helm to the transom with only three steps down to the accommodations where you’ll find a suite-style layout. What I mean is you step down into a salon trimmed with American cherry paneling that has a lounge to port (that can double as a berth), a removable gloss-finished teak table, and a flat-screen TV on the facing wall. Behind that wall is an enclosed head with a separate shower and access from the salon or the primary cabin.
The primary cabin is forward with a center island queen berth that has a really nice feature: a smart window panel to port of the door that is clear to allow in natural light for a more open feeling and, yet, with the flick of a switch, becomes opaque or non-transparent for privacy. In addition, there are two panoramic cabin windows, four hull windows, and four overhead hatches for natural lighting and fresh air. Tucked aft of the salon, amidships, is a queen berth with a privacy curtain, perfect for kids.
Deck Life
The main deck is where you’ll spend most of your time, and MJM’s indoor/outdoor pilothouse is a large comfortable living space where all on board can converse, relax, enjoy an open-air cruise, prepare and enjoy snacks and meals, and be protected from weather if necessary. That may include the sun, as the pilothouse and the interior below have air conditioning, but if it’s cold, the system has reverse cycle heat. The pilothouse is surrounded by huge windows so you never feel confined. The forward windows electrically open outward for a fresh breeze, and with the sliding glass side windows and a completely open aft, the pilothouse blends with the cockpit for a true indoor/outdoor retreat. Don’t worry, if the sun gets too hot or the weather goes south, the cabin top with an optional shade system extends over the cockpit, and Isinglass windows easily zip up to enclose the cabin.
Just inside the pilothouse to starboard is the galley. The gloss-finish teak cabinetry is beautiful and its soft closing drawers are a real professional touch. The location is central to onboard entertaining with easy service to the interior L-shaped lounge with a teak dining table, the helm, and the huge cockpit lounge area. There’s a two-burner induction cooktop, microwave convection oven, two refrigerator/freezer drawers, faucet and sink, and enough counter space for service. The dining table can double as the cockpit table, but many opt for an additional table that folds open or closed depending on use in that location.
The pilothouse lounge seats four, but a nice feature is the co-pilot seat can face forward or aft, which makes room for one more at the table. The comfortably cushioned seat electrically adjusts in height. Comparably, the bolstered helm seat electrically adjusts fore and aft. The cockpit lounge can easily seat six or more and still have floor space for moving about while entertaining, and that space doesn’t change whether you choose the inboard or outboard propulsion system. With inboards, a large swim platform covers the sterndrives and is not only convenient for swimmers or dangling feet when anchored, but it’s also a great spot to board from the dock.
On the outboard model, there’s still plenty of room on the platform to step aboard, walk around, and take a swim. Transom and starboard side-entry doors open into the cockpit and a convenient step from the starboard cockpit gunwale makes access easier when the dock is at a higher level.
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Under Power
The MJM 42 is available with twin 600-hp Mercury Verado V12 outboards or twin 440-hp Volvo Penta D6 diesel engines with advanced DPI (dynamic positioning system) drives. From the electronic vessel control setup at the helm to the DuoProp twin counter-rotating propellers, the Volvo propulsion system is totally integrated to provide smooth and quiet hydraulic shifting, low fuel consumption, and high torque at low rpm, all contributing to an efficient cruising speed in every condition.
Along the same lines of smooth and quiet, but with dual contra-rotating props, the 600-hp Mercury Verado V12 outboards deliver performance and range. They can propel the MJM 42 up to 55 mph, but you’ll be burning 92 gallons of fuel per hour for 285 miles. At 40 mph, you can cruise for 443 miles. If you really want to go the distance, she’ll reach 599 miles, but that’s at 7.7 mph. As the industry’s first steerable gearcase and two-speed transmission, the 600s are optimized to delivery full performance on 87-octane fuel. Mercury joystick piloting with skyhook and autopilot are part of the outboard propulsion package.
The helm is setup for two 16-inch Garmin GPSMAP chartplotters, Mercury Vessel View 7-inch screen or the Volvo Trip Display and respective joystick control, bow thruster control, accessories panel, engine throttles, stereo system controls, and more. It’s a very clean and organized dash. There are a few options depending on personal choice, such as a Sionyx Nightwave thermal camera, a Garmin GMR Fantom 18x radar, HDTVs, underwater lights, and a 150W solar panel for extra charging ability.
The MJM 42 has the power and the stability and all the comfort of home to make any cruising couple, even with kids, enjoy every moment on the water.
-by Steve Davis
MJM 42 SPECIFICATIONS
LOA: 46′ 8″
Beam: 12′
Displacement: 19,432 lbs.
Fuel/Water: 475 (gas) or 350 (diesel)/110 U.S. gals.
Power: 2x Mercury V12 600-hp or Volvo D6 440-hp w/DPI drives
Top/Cruise Speed (outboards): 52.6/31 mph
Range @ Cruise (outboards): 380 miles
Contact:
MJM Yachts
(252) 644-6001
