The new Hardy 42 is a solid, traditional trawler-type design with a high-tech twist. It’s a hybrid, with a 16-knot top speed coming from a single 440-hp Yanmar diesel, or a 6-knot top speed from its 20kW electric motor.
The new Hardy is the first built by Cockwells in Falmouth, England, since Cockwells took over the Hardy line in 2020. The Hardy fleet runs from 32 to 65 feet. This 42 was already under construction then, ordered by an owner who wanted the offshore performance and range (600 nm at 13 knots) of the diesel with the eco-friendly qualities of electric power.
He plans to cruise the boat along the waterways of France and the low countries, where the silent running performance of an electric boat would be very attractive, and where its 5-knot cruising speed is already near the top of the speed limits there.
The Hardy 42 has a semi-displacement hull for cruising, with a full keel for stability and to protect the running gear. It has cabins at the opposite ends of the boat, forward and aft, for privacy. There’s also a cockpit and a flybridge.
This boat was built with a folding radar arch, giving it an air draft of just 11’ 1” so it can slide under a lot of bridges along the European canal system.
The boat also has a 20kW Fischer Panda genset, a Mastervolt lithium-ion battery bank and three Mastervolt 48VDC charger/inverters. When the batteries drop to 20 percent of capacity, the genset automatically kicks in to drive the electric motor directly, using far less fuel than what would be used by the main engine; it also recharges the batteries in 45 minutes.
The boat has bow and stern thrusters to help with docking, a joystick for low-speed maneuvering, and Humphree Interceptor trim tabs for stability and performance. An Empirbus digital switching system provides full control and monitoring of all the boat’s systems via Raymarine displays on the lower helm and the flybridge.
LOA: 45’9”; Beam: 14’1”; Draft: 3’9”; Disp.: 30,864 lbs.; Fuel: 554 gals.; Water: 171 gals.; Power: 1×440-hp Yanmar diesel and 1x20kW electric motor. Read more:
