Motor Boat & Yachting — November 2017

A week after I joined Motor Boat &

Yachting back in 2008, the Trader

42 was the first boat I tested for

the magazine. It was in the run-up

to the Southampton Boat Show

and, though it was the first Trader

(and boat) that I had tested, I felt

I knew what to expect. Traditional

styling mated with a dependable

hull that contained comfortable

aft-cabin accommodation wrapped

up in a blue, white and red parcel.

Nine years and 210 boats later,

I find myself at Universal Marina

staring up at the new Trader 42

Signature on the day it’s due to head

to the 2017 Southampton Boat Show.

It’s déjà vu with a twist, as this 42

fashions light grey gelcoat with

orange – yes, orange – stripes

running from stem to stern. The

upholstery on the foredeck and in

the raised cockpit is a similar hue

and below decks, the colour scheme

is equally ambitious with soft orange

leather and bamboo inserts in the

doors. In fact, the boat is going to

be even more orange below decks

because the upholstery arrived in

a more conservative shade than

was originally specified.

There’s more. Large hull windows

either side of the aft cabin force

natural light into the master suite and

four vertical ports in the VIP cabin add

a modern twist while ensuring the

space is well lit and easy to ventilate.

At the helm, which has a pair of

• you guessed it – orange chairs,
  there’s a Cummins joystick that

comes as standard and mates the

twin shafts to the bow thruster to give

customers IPS-like slow-speed control.

A Trader with an orange interior and

a joystick? Times sure are changing.

The physical layout of the boat is

no different to the original – it worked

so well, why would the yard ever

change it? The master ensuite aft

feels like a true luxury on a boat of

this size and your guests are looked

after at the opposite end of the boat

in their own comfortable double with

an ensuite that also plays day head.

Engineroom access is excellent

via a watertight door that reveals

a spotless white machinery space

in which nestles a pair of Cummins

480hp diesels with enough space

around and above them to make daily

checks and more major mechanical

work easy to perform. There is also

a Kohler boiler down here that

powers the hot water heating system,

through which a network of pipes

and radiators aims to sustain the

Tr a d e r 42 Signature

48

STARS OF SOUTHAMPTON

There’s plenty

of adjustment

at the helm