1995 Privilege 42 Boat Tour
A tour of our 1995 Privilege 42, for anyone who might be curious what they look like and why we love it so much.
We became liveaboards in November 2018, on a monohull – a 1985 Grand Soleil 39. Two years later, in June 2020, we moved to a catamaran – a 1995 Privilege 42.
This blog answers the most common questions we have received regarding our catamaran.
Why a catamaran?
Our first boat was a great and reliable monohull, used mostly for racing.
For the ultimate answer, check out my post:
Catamaran vs Monohull: Let’s Solve This Thing!
When we purchased the monohull, we had a budget set and it did not make sense to buy a larger and more expensive boat and end up hating the adventure. So, in a way, it was a safe purchase.
The boat did not have anything for a long-term cruising, such as solar power, water maker, autopilot, reliable radar, nor space for a family of five.
It did teach us how to handle a sailboat, and the lack of an autopilot helped us develop a good feel for the wind and those massive sails…
But after two years, it was time to move on. Since we had moved the children onto a boat without asking them, we thought it would be fair to seek their opinion regarding our future sailing plans.
And we asked the children, “Do you want to continue sailing, or do you want to find a place to buy a house?” And they spoke, “We want to continue sailing, but on a catamaran!”
And we listened!
Why a Privilege?
Joe did lots of research on various boats, and Privilege was on the top of our list.
They are very well-built boats and are a bit between a performance catamaran and the chartered kinds.
We spoke with friends who were sailing on Privilege, Lagoon, Leopard, Fountain Pajot, and a couple of other great brands.
It was more important for us to speak with the actual families living aboard, rather than visit empty and shiny display models at boat shows.
The owners were happy to share what repairs they had completed, what went wrong on passages, what broke easily and what they liked the best about their boats.
Based on touring boats, speaking with friends and reading, we came up with something of a list of features that were important to us:
High on the Captain’s list:
- Buying the boat with cash!
- Being able to stand upright – he is 6’4” (193cm).
- Storage space – many new boats are spacious and beautiful, but lack cabinets.
- Easy to access boat system components – (refrigeration, electrical, plumbing, pumps, engines, etc).
- Remote windlass switch at the helm – important when needed, but rarely used with crew aboard.
- Enough hatches and natural ventilation
- No generator – hence the need for good ventilation
- Quality construction and minimal charter history
High on Fun Police’s list:
- Buying the boat with cash!
- Spacious cockpit with a table and shade – cockpit becomes the living room.
- Galley below – I love cooking, alone.
- Bathrooms outside of cabins
- No holding tanks
Galley below reasoning – The concept of being in the middle of the action and the fun is a bit foreign to me.
A galley below also frees up the space in the salon for more seating and provides dedicated counter space below, just for cooking.
Last, but not least, the food preparation messes stay below until we feel like cleaning up.
Bathrooms outside of cabins – I’d rather not have guests (and we have guests all the time, mostly from other boats around) go through someone’s room, in order to use the bathroom.
No holding tanks – holding tanks smell. We have already had to deal with plumbing issues during a passage. Ideally, we wanted an electric head with an MSD to sanitize waste, and/or a composting toilet.
As fairly obvious, it quickly came down to: what can we afford to pay with cash?
Contrary to our expectations, Covid inspired people to look for boats. A few months into our catamaran search, boats were as expensive as houses! People were taking out loans to buy them, which only contributed to price increases.
We found our 1995 Privilege 42
We were very fortunate to find our Privilege fixer-upper, because it really checked all of our points above, and as an older model (1995), it had the less boxy shape, which did make a difference during passages.
The flip side was… waiting! We would have easily qualified for a loan and would have started the adventure much sooner, but with debt looming over our heads.
Why a 1995 Privilege 42? Because it was the only catamaran we could afford!
And… the galley was below!
Sailing a Privilege 42
We spend the majority of our cruising time on anchor, but we still need to move and not have Fun Police pledge to sell the boat after each passage.
Due to her aerodynamic shape (the boat’s, not mine), we do not need much wind to move, we can sail with wind speed of 8-10 knots, and at 15-20 knots, we move at a speed of around 7-8 knots. We have sailed faster, but we are not racing.
The hulls
Privilege catamarans have a sandwich hull design, with a layer of fiberglass, then foam and then more fiberglass.
When we hauled out the boat, we decided to sand it down all the way to the fiberglass layer, and then added an entire new layer of fiberglass. Now our Graceful is a little heavier, but stronger.
The cockpit
That has to be my favorite place aboard. Since it is an older model, our Privilege has two helms, so that it can be comfortably steered on either tack.
The helms are all the way in the back of the boat. That means the cockpit is huge!
We can actually fit an entire tent in it, and there are seats all the way around, making it well-protected, for my peace of mind.
Boat Power
We re-powered the boat with two new Beta Marine 30 engines.
We have 800 W of solar and a wind generator for additional power, which is connected to our hot water heater, so that once the batteries are full, the additional power can heat up our water.
We rarely use hot water aboard, however, most showers are perfectly comfortable with cold water.
Communications and Navigation
In addition to the more standard navigation instruments, the boat also came with an AIS and an SSB (single side band).
We also purchased a tiny satellite tracker, Garmin inReach Mini, which we use with a monthly subscription plan, in order to allow friends and family to follow our route. Our plan also includes a few messages per month, if needed.
Accommodations and Layout
Our 1995 Privilege 42 has four cabins, each with a double bed, making it super comfortable for the kids and a bit tight for Joe and me, but we manage.
The two forward cabins have their own individual bathrooms, and there are two additional bathrooms in the hulls (yes! Refer to my wish list above).
The bedrooms are not terribly spacious, but we have lots of cabinets for storage in the hulls. Each cabin has its own closet and plenty of storage space. There is additional storage freed up from removing the holding tanks and plumbing.
The Galley
Where do I start! I love the galley.
It is located in the port hull. It has a three-burner gas range, and a gas oven. There is a two-basin sink and more than enough counter space and cabinets.
In fact, our galley is larger than many apartment kitchens I have seen in Bulgaria. There are small windows above the stove, where Joe attached a fan to take all the heat away and out the window!
We have a small refrigerator, which is not that hard to become used to, with a little practice and planning. Having a small refrigerator ensures little to no food goes to waste from being forgotten in the fridge.
We purchased a stand-alone refrigerator/freezer unit, which we use as a refrigerator at 12V and keep in the salon to serve as additional seating.
We do not have a freezer. We do miss ice cream and then get over missing ice cream.
Sustainability
Our energy comes from the wind and the sun.
Our water comes from the ocean, via a Spectra water maker.
We have composting heads, which we fill with coconut coir for the solid waste.
We do not have a generator.
We do have engines, but we try to use the wind as much as possible, when we move the boat. I won’t lie though, if we have to choose between a three-day passage in order to chase the right wind angle, and a one-day passage motoring or motor-sailing, I push for the shorter route.
We have had to motor and alter sailing plans when we have moved together with other boats, but having kids around has always been a priority in this adventure.
Conclusion
So that’s it – everything about our boat that I can think of! As always, I am more than happy to answer additional questions. Feel free to contact me anytime.
More posts about boating life
Catamaran vs Monohull: Let’s Solve This Thing!
Storing and Organizing Food Aboard – You Can Beat Heat, Moisture and Motion!
The cost of living on a boat for a family (2023)
How to Sell a Boat by Owner, the Honest Way (2023)
Can you Live on a Boat? Yes, and Now is the Right Time (2023)
Provisioning for Bahamas in 2023 (With Free Meal Plans – Totally Doable!)
Why are we Selling the Boat (What Happened?)
Thanks again for such an interesting post. The only thing unbelievable in it was the part about “getting over missing ice cream.” (no way)
It was wonderful seeing you all at church, and we continue to pray for our mariners.
Thank you, Father, and, no, we are not quite over ice cream, but we do our best!
As a prior owner and avid follower of your blog it makes me feel very happy That your family took over the boat.I know my family enjoyed the boat the short time we had it. The Photo I like of the boat is with all the kids standing on the bows and trampoline. My my father took the 6 of us (5boys, 1 girl) out sailing And I did the same we would have sailing trips with 5 to 7 children on the boat and in fact all of our children are now great sailors and wonderful adults. Must be the salt water!
That sounds amazing and it is our hope too! Thank you for taking great care of the boat before us and we hope to pass her on to another good owner, once the time comes!