Gazelle 42 Fishing Schooner
Description
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, and seaworthiness. 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
The standard boat dimensions
| i | - |
|---|---|
| j | - |
| p | - |
| e | - |
| p2 | - |
| e2 | - |
| i2 | - |
| j2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 | I2 | J2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Sails
| Sail Type | JIBSAIL |
|---|---|
| Luff | 27.5 ft - (8382 mm) |
| Foot | 16.08 ft - (4901 mm) |
| Leech | 22.67 ft - (6910 mm) |
| Length Perpendicular | * 13.25 ft - (4039 mm) |
| Area | * 182.22 ft² |
| Sail Type | GAFF FORESAIL |
|---|---|
| Luff | 17 ft - (5182 mm) |
| Foot | 15.25 ft - (4648 mm) |
| Leech | 27.75 ft - (8458 mm) |
| Head | * 93.39 ft - (28465 mm) |
| Diag (clew/throat) | 23.5 ft - (7163 mm) |
| Tack Angle | 13 ° |
| Area | 284.24 ft² |
| Sail Type | GAFF MAIN |
|---|---|
| Luff | 21 ft - (6401 mm) |
| Foot | 21 ft - (6401 mm) |
| Leech | 30.5 ft - (9296 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 85.46 ° |
| Diag (clew/throat) | 28.5 ft - (8687 mm) |
| Head | 12 ft - (3658 mm) |
| Area | 390.69 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.