Gazelle
Description
Colvin Gazelle 42 Junk Schooner Overview The Colvin Gazelle 42 (also known as the Gazelle 42 Fishing Schooner in reference to its traditional working-boat inspiration) is an iconic heavy-displacement cruising schooner designed by American naval architect Thomas Colvin in 1967, primarily for family blue water voyages with an emphasis on simplicity, seaworthiness, and the low-maintenance Chinese junk rig. Built as a home or professional project in steel (most common), aluminum, or wood, with over 100 examples completed since the 1970s, it draws from historic fishing schooners for its robust hull and versatile sail plan, making it a favorite for long-distance cruisers who value self-sufficiency over speed—capable of circumnavigations, high-latitude adventures, or tropical hopping. The design prioritizes a narrow beam for easy motion in heavy seas, ample storage for liveaboard use, and a junk-rigged schooner configuration that's forgiving for short-handed sailing
Construction Details
| Designer | Thomas E. Colvin |
|---|---|
| Length | 42.000 ft |
| LOA | 22.250 ft |
| LWL | 17.500 ft |
| Beam | 7.250 ft |
| Displacement | 2018 lb |
| Max Draft | 3.670 ft |
The standard boat dimensions
| i | 27.40 ft |
|---|---|
| j | 17 ft |
| p | 18.50 ft |
| e | 13.80 ft |
| p2 | 24.50 ft |
| e2 | 21 ft |
| i2 | - |
| j2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 | I2 | J2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27.40 ft | 17 ft | 18.50 ft | 13.80 ft | 24.50 ft | 21 ft | - | - |
Sails
| Sail Type | JIBSAIL |
|---|---|
| Luff | 25 ft - (7620 mm) |
| Foot | 14 ft - (4267 mm) |
| Leech | 21 ft - (6401 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 69.18 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 11.76 ft - (3584 mm) |
| Deck Angle | 8.75 ° |
| Area | * 146.97 ft² |
| Sail Type | GENOA |
|---|---|
| Luff | 27.6 ft - (8412 mm) |
| Foot | 19.8 ft - (6035 mm) |
| Leech | 26.4 ft - (8047 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 105.82 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 17.99 ft - (5483 mm) |
| Deck Angle | 8.75 ° |
| Area | * 248.23 ft² |
| Sail Type | GENOA |
|---|---|
| Luff | 27.5 ft - (8382 mm) |
| Foot | 27.5 ft - (8382 mm) |
| Leech | 30 ft - (9144 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 147.88 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 25.14 ft - (7663 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * -7.93 ° |
| Area | * 345.73 ft² |
| Sail Type | DRIFTER |
|---|---|
| Luff | 37 ft - (11278 mm) |
| Foot | 29 ft - (8839 mm) |
| Leech | 31 ft - (9449 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 138.71 % |
| Length Perp | * 23.58 ft - (7187 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 3.78 ° |
| Area | * 436.27 ft² |
| Sail Type | ASYMMETRICAL |
|---|---|
| Luff | 29 ft - (8839 mm) |
| Foot | 24 ft - (7315 mm) |
| Leech | 22.5 ft - (6858 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 165 % |
| Area | * 522 ft² |
| Sail Type | GAFF FORESAIL |
|---|---|
| Luff | 15.6 ft - (4755 mm) |
| Foot | 13.8 ft - (4206 mm) |
| Leech | 22.8 ft - (6949 mm) |
| Head | * 84.43 ft - (25734 mm) |
| Diag (clew/throat) | 19.8 ft - (6035 mm) |
| Tack Angle | 8.4 ° |
| Area | * 189.05 ft² |
| Sail Type | GAFF FORESAIL |
|---|---|
| Luff | 18.5 ft - (5639 mm) |
| Foot | 13.5 ft - (4115 mm) |
| Leech | 26.5 ft - (8077 mm) |
| Head | * 84.09 ft - (25631 mm) |
| Diag (clew/throat) | 21.75 ft - (6629 mm) |
| Tack Angle | 10.2 ° |
| Area | * 230.63 ft² |
| Sail Type | GAFF MAIN |
|---|---|
| Luff | 24 ft - (7315 mm) |
| Foot | 19 ft - (5791 mm) |
| Leech | 35 ft - (10668 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 82.74 ° |
| Diag (clew/throat) | 28.666 ft - (8737 mm) |
| Head | 14.25 ft - (4343 mm) |
| Area | * 424.19 ft² |
| Sail Type | GAFF MAIN |
|---|---|
| Luff | 21.5 ft - (6553 mm) |
| Foot | 21 ft - (6401 mm) |
| Leech | 32.5 ft - (9906 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 82.05 ° |
| Diag (clew/throat) | 27.9 ft - (8504 mm) |
| Head | 12.6 ft - (3840 mm) |
| Area | * 396.81 ft² |
| Sail Type | LUGSAIL |
|---|---|
| Luff | 22 ft - (6706 mm) |
| Foot | 19 ft - (5791 mm) |
| Leech | 32.5 ft - (9906 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 99.71 ° |
| Diag (clew/throat) | 31.4 ft - (9571 mm) |
| Head | 14.5 ft - (4420 mm) |
| Area | * 430.95 ft² |
Disclaimer. Boats are not all the same -- even when produced in the same factory of the same model. Sailrite does its best to publish accurate dimensions, but we often find it worthwhile to have our customers measure their boats carefully before we produce kits for them. You should take the same precautions, especially when the data is not from Sailrite. The information on this site is not guaranteed to be accurate. Sailrite offers this content as a service to our community, but takes no responsibility for the reliability of the data provided.