Considering Jefferson 42...pros n cons?

As we steadily creep toward retirement, the Admiral and I are looking at Mainship 40's and Jefferson 42 Sundecks. I don't see a lot of discussion here on Jeffersons. The 42 with Cat 3208's seems to be a lot of boat for the money. I see some have replaced with aluminum fuel tanks. Are the originals problematic? Main issues with a late 80's Jefferson? While I'm sure the larger displacement and larger engines will be thirstier, the extra room and much lower acquisition cost leaves room in the budget for fuel. We will be looking at doing the loop. Thoughts?

Someone here in the Bay Area has or had one and he loved it. Hopefully either he or Flywright will chime in soon with more details. They do seem well priced.

Have a 1988 Jefferson 45 with Perkins so its a 8/10 knot boat. Yes I did replace the fuel tanks but that was just age and fuel mixture sitting to long and rusting thru the tanks after a tank polishing/ cleaning. Plenty of room ,storage, and a overall great boat. Water damage under windows ,but just needed to be sealed again. Repainted hull ,and typical updates,repairs. 3208 was a option when new or the Perkins. Living aboard in the keys at our slip and could not ask for a better live aboard or cruiser, enjoy .

Dont be scared of the 3208's on fuel economy. I burn 3.5-4.0 gph @ 7.0 kts. Why give up room of a sundeck model for fuel burn. Its not a large amount of difference. The 3208's are known to blow head gaskets between 20-25 years old. Ask me how I know. Both of mine have been changed out recently. Other than that, the cats are great engines . I cant say about the Jefferson. Usually if you get a great price on something there is a reason. Hatteras boats have fiberglass tanks through out so I dont worry about it. BTW, our 43 is for sale. The older Hatts are great too.

My best friend recently sold his 1986 42 Jefferson sundeck with twin Perkins 6.354's. It was a great boat that served him well for 9-10 years. The ER was tight with the Perkins. The Cats will swallow up much more of that ER. I'd want to make sure I could reach all maintenance points on the engines.

His tanks were clean and healthy when he sold. A few years ago, one tank had a pin hole leak at a single point where it appeared a weld droplet sat for many years before letting go. It was an easy repair to that tank. He told me they were rust free behind those sound tiles. YMMV

They sure have a lot of space for their size, but you'll go up or down steps all day long. Not a bad trade off for so much space. I've been on that boat with 10-12 people and with so many separate spaces, there was no problem. We both felt that one feature the boat lacked was a cockpit. Apparently the 46 remedies that with a 4 ft cockpit. Also, the ladder to the swimstep got lots of use on his boat. He would have preferred steps, especially for his special needs daughter with mobility problems.

Prospective Jefferson 42 SE Owners

We're looking at a 1988 Jefferson 42 SE up in Portsmouth VA. Needs some cosmetic TLC, but overall seems sound. We've put down a deposit. A regular survey and a separate engine survey on the twin Cummins 6BT's in it get done on 5/9. Any thoughts on things to look out for?

Those great looking boats with nice interiors.

Because of the location of the generator I think most stock Westerbeke they had 3 sided sound covers that did not last not a deal breaker but you will want a cover if it did not make it through the last few years

The port lights were the 80s plastic and tend to crack and leak

We have a friend with one and has really enjoyed it

ScottH said:

We're looking at a 1988 Jefferson 42 SE up in Portsmouth VA. Needs some cosmetic TLC, but overall seems sound. We've put down a deposit. A regular survey and a separate engine survey on the twin Cummins 6BT's in it get done on 5/9. Any thoughts on things to look out for?

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Hey Scott,

My neighbor had a Jefferson 42 about that same year and loved it. He had a couple of leaks around windows but that can happen on any boat.

I had the Cummins 6BTAs and love them. Change the oil and filters, change the impeller, keep the fuel clean and they'll run forever with impressive fuel economy. The one and only drawback to the 6BTAs... and pretty much everyone says the same thing... is the raw pump is located behind the front left motor mount. The motor mount needs to be loosened and the engine jacked up about 1/4" in order to extract the impeller. It can be done but it's not as accessible as many other engine designs. That being said, I'd still have those engines again.

ScottH said:

We're looking at a 1988 Jefferson 42 SE up in Portsmouth VA. Needs some cosmetic TLC, but overall seems sound. We've put down a deposit. A regular survey and a separate engine survey on the twin Cummins 6BT's in it get done on 5/9. Any thoughts on things to look out for?

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Kim and I are really enjoying our 87 Jefferson Sundeck. Window issues as always. Watch for blisters and fuel tank issues. So far we have made the right decision on getting Someday's Here. 3208's 260 hp

I replaced the original sea water pumps with Seaboard Marines SMX 1730 raw water pumps that were designed to get around the motor mount problem among others.
Great pumps.

I appreciate the input. It's a big gamble.

That's great advice. Thanks.

Thanks!

We’ve looked at a couple 47’ Jefferson sundecks. So far it’s lay out is our favorite

Can someone tell me if the Jefferson 42 SE Sundeck is a trawler or a motor yacht and how to tell the difference? Thanks

We have a 45' 1995 Jefferson built by Hershine. Window leaks but if you fix them right the problem goes away. No other major issues since we bought her.

I've been around a lot of Jefferson's and even been to their (recently closed) yard.

Raw hulls are Asian, fit-out and finishing is from Indiana. Overall I would put them (age for age) above Carver and Sea Ray but below Hatteras and Bertram. I personally don't care for their lines, it seems too much of design by committee, but that's just personal preference. I don't like Bluewater or Meridian either.

A common complaint is the space is cut up and there's a lot of steps, but on the plus side because they're cut up there is a lot of space. Window leaks and fuel tank issues are common.

Unlike most brands, they actually sell for less on the coasts where they are less well known than on the inland rivers. A Jefferson in salt water will likely sell at a discount compared to national average, where in Ohio it would command a premium. Hatteras for example is the opposite- cheaper inland than on the coast.