One of the things that the folks at Asia Yacht Services are keen to point out is the flexibility of the AD Boat yards in meeting customer demands. This goes beyond cosmetic things like hull colour and whether you want an L-shaped galley or a C-shape. Salona likes to refer to its series of racing-cruising boats as semi-custom, to reflect the degree to which they will meet client specifications.
What J&J and AD will do is adjust your boat based on the degree to which you expect to go racing or cruising. Interior designs can be created allowing shelving space along the interior to be removable and replaced with bunks for the extra crew needed on long-haul racing. Similarly, the number of heads can be changed, depending on whether you expect guests to enjoy every moment, or if you’re more likely to be going in a bucket in the middle of heavy seas.
As you’d expect, the Salona 42 can be ordered with draft keels of variable depth. Four configurations are available, with the range covering 1.75 metres up to 2.69 metres.
Up top, the potential combinations are vast. Underfoot, owners can choose where they’d like teak decking (if at all), and where they think non-slip footing should be built in. On the 42 we tested, the cockpit was given a luxury look with teak, while the areas requiring secure footing around the mast and the pathways up to the bow were non-slip.
Our test model was fitted with dacron cruising sails. Despite this, the mainsail had full battens. The traveller system was something new to me: the traveller track ran the width of the cockpit recess, just in front of the central helm station. The mainsheet was controlled by winches just to the port and starboard of the traveller block. This configuration, apparently more common in European racing boats, allows the helmsman quick access to both traveller lines and mainsheet during tacks and gybes.
However, this setting does restrict access somewhat to the transom and restricts space somewhat in the cockpit, as mainsheet lines can cut through the cockpit space from the foot of the helm station. This might be a bother to the sailor more concerned about cruising and entertaining.
An alternate traveller-mainsheet option is available, as is a smaller wheel, to open up space for people in the cockpit. The cockpit area is already quite spacious and could easily sit eight people in comfort. There is plenty of room for people to sit on either side of the helm station without being a disturbance to the helmsman. Cruising-oriented sailors can opt for a teak table in the middle of the cockpit, so that gives an idea of just how much room there is.