By Jeanne Craig, Soundings

With this debut, the builder wants to offer the finest cruising boat for couples.

Because August had delivered a slew of dog days, muggy mornings and humidity too thick for canines and captains, the weather change on this brisk morning in early September feels fantastic. There’s a snap in the 60-degree temperature, the sky is an intense blue and the water is scattering shards of sunlight in every direction. Conditions are sweet for a swift ride in Newport, Rhode Island, and we have the right boat for the trip.

The MJM 42 and its 10 passengers—all guests of the builder, which hosted a launch party for the boat last night—pulls away from the dock at Sail Newport in Fort Adams Park and heads up Narragansett Bay. As we motor past the 135-foot Tall ship Oliver Hazard Perry, the bow of its tremendous black steel hull takes up the frame of the port window. A few miles ahead is the 1,601-foot-long main span of the iconic Newport Bridge, another one of those supersized structures that makes Newport a visually stimulating place to cruise. This area is familiar to many in our crew, and yet it feels like a new experience from MJM’s latest model, a performance express cruiser designed to play up water views.

MJM’s CEO Natascia Hatch in her favorite seat.

The best seats for spectators are in the pilothouse, where oversized windows run the full length of the space. Aft, the bulkhead enclosure can be all glass with a sliding door, or three sections of strataglass clear vinyl sheeting, which is the option on our boat. Those sections have been removed today, leaving the pilothouse open to the cockpit, but if someone decides the breeze is a bit much, the strataglass can be put back in place and all the windows closed. That ability to shut out the elements at a moment’s notice is one of the nicest features of this all-weather cruiser, in large part because even after you’re tucked inside, you still feel closely connected to the water.

MJM designed the 42 to do two things very well: provide a solid entertainment platform for day trips and offer comfortable cruising accommodations for those who want to spend a lot of time aboard. When conceptualizing the boat, the builder tapped owners who have had liveaboard experiences on other MJMs, notably the 40z, which the company once called the finest cruising boat for couples on the water. The 40z is no longer in production, but the 42 is primed to fill its shoes.

A view of the pilothouse through oversized windows.

One couple onboard currently own a 40z. They see the potential this 42 holds. Among the features they like are the single-level deck, the galley-up arrangement in the pilothouse that beefs up the boat’s hosting chops, and details on the accommodations level that can improve long stays aboard. They include extra hanging lockers, a roomy head with glass-enclosed shower, and an open floor plan featuring a wide pocket door that separates the master stateroom forward from the lounge area amidships. That door has smart glass too, which changes from clear to opaque when you want to add an element of privacy. The accommodations level is rounded out with another berth amidships, which seems just right for the grandkids.

The owners of the 40 are also intrigued by the power on the 42: a pair of 440-hp Volvo Penta D6 diesels with DPI Aquamatic sterndrives. They tell me they have IPS pod drives on their boat, and they’re happy with the system, but they’re intrigued by DPI’s trim function, which makes it possible to get the boat into skinnier water.

The 42 is offered with the DPI package or two 600-hp Mercury Verado outboards. While outboards will likely be more popular, the diesels are a good alternative as they can offer better fuel economy and range at cruising speed. Outboards deliver more top speed, but that’s not always a priority for serious cruisers who often encounter conditions that don’t permit running at wide-open throttle. DPIs also allow for a full transom platform that can take a tender, and although outboards would create more stowage where the diesels would be, the engine room where the iron rests still includes a lazarette for stowage.

The 42’s deep-V hull has swift acceleration.

Jeff Donahue, vice president of sales at MJM, is at the helm’s destroyer wheel (a signature feature from the builder), as the 42 accelerates. He points out that the bow doesn’t rise as the boat gains speed. Instead, the hull runs relatively flat, never digging a hole in the water aft to create speed-sucking drag. That’s a function of the deep-V design and the builder’s efforts to keep weight down in the post-cured, epoxy-infused hull manufactured in Washington, North Carolina. At WOT (3800 rpm) speed is 39.2 knots, and the boat gets about 1 mpg. At cruising speed (2800 rpm), speed is 26 knots and fuel efficiency is 1.3 mpg for a range of 360 nautical miles. “We design every boat around performance,” says Donahue. “That’s a given. Yet on this 42, after you arrive at your destination, you can open up the boat and really enjoy it with your family. That sets it apart.”

Two Garmin MFDs are at the helm.

Also onboard is MJM’s CEO Natascia Hatch, who shows me one of her favorite features: the convertible seat opposite the helm bench. Its backrest flips forward, so that the passenger can turn to face the dining table that seats five. Made of American cherry in MJM’s wood shop, the table is just one of many well-placed wood pieces. Others include frames, surrounds and panels, plus details like the dove tail joints in drawers.

On my list of top features are the generator and gyro, because they come standard. I also like the 42’s lines. I’m told this MJM has more flare, tumblehome and spring in her sheer, all of which elevate the Carolina Downeast style that the company has been finetuning over the years.

Back in the slip, as our group gets off the boat, Greg Kerkorian, an insurance broker from Boston, stops to talk with a video crew about the ride. “Expectations are going to be high when you get on a boat like this, but we learned she’s very solid underway. It’s just an experience like no other. The boat is in a class by itself, for many reasons.”

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