Review of Rainbow 42

Basic specs.

The Rainbow 42 is a large sailboat designed by the Danish maritime architect Frans Harter.

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Hull

The hull is made of fibreglass. Generally, a hull made of fibreglass requires only a minimum of maintenance during the sailing season.

Rig

Rainbow 42 with spinnaker.

Sailing characteristics

This section covers widely used rules of thumb to describe the sailing characteristics. Please note that even though the calculations are correct, the interpretation of the results might not be valid for extreme boats.

Stability and Safety

What is Capsize Screening Formula (CSF)?

The capsize screening value for Rainbow 42 is 2.42, indicating that this boat would not be accepted to participate in ocean races.

Immersion rate

The immersion rate is defined as the weight required to sink the boat a certain level. The immersion rate for Rainbow 42 is about 327 kg/cm, alternatively 1833 lbs/inch.
Meaning: if you load 327 kg cargo on the boat then it will sink 1 cm. Alternatively, if you load 1833 lbs cargo on the boat it will sink 1 inch.

Sailing statistics

This section is statistical comparison with similar boats of the same category. The basis of the following statistical computations is our unique database with more than 26,000 different boat types and 350,000 data points.

L/B (Length Beam Ratio)

What is L/B (Length Beam Ratio)?

The l/b ratio for Rainbow 42 is 3.41.

Compared with other similar sailboats it is slimmer than 62% of all other designs. It seems that the designer has chosen a slightly more speedy hull design.

RSP (Relative Speed Performance)

What is Relative Speed Performance?

The Relative Speed Performance for Rainbow 42 is 96

The relative speed performance is 96 which means that a it is faster than 96% of all similar sailboat designs.

Maintenance

Rig

Dimensions of sail.

Are your sails worn out? You might find your next sail here: Sails for Sale

If you need to renew parts of your running rig and is not quite sure of the dimensions, you may find the estimates computed below useful.

**Guiding dimensions of running rig**
Usage	Length		Diameter
Mainsail halyard	40.7 m	(133.4 feet)	12 mm	(1/2 inch)
Jib/genoa halyard	40.7 m	(133.4 feet)	12 mm	(1/2 inch)
Spinnaker halyard	40.7 m	(133.4 feet)	12 mm	(1/2 inch)
Jib sheet	12.8 m	(41.9 feet)	14 mm	(0.55 inch)
Genoa sheet	12.8 m	(41.9 feet)	14 mm	(0.55 inch)
Mainsheet	31.9 m	(104.8 feet)	14 mm	(0.55 inch)
Spinnaker sheet	28.1 m	(92.2 feet)	14 mm	(0.55 inch)
Cunningham	5.5 m	(18.1 feet)	12 mm	(1/2 inch)
Kickingstrap	11.0 m	(36.2 feet)	12 mm	(1/2 inch)
Clew-outhaul	11.0 m	(36.2 feet)	12 mm	(1/2 inch)

Boat owner's ideas

This section is reserved boat owner's changes, improvements, etc. Here you might find (or contribute with) inspiration for your boat.

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Finally

We are always looking for new photos. If you can contribute with photos for Rainbow 42 it would be a great help.

If you have any comments to the review, improvement suggestions, or the like, feel free to contact us. Criticism helps us to improve.

References

[Ref 1]: ISO 8666 Small craft — Principal data.
[Ref 3]: ISO 12215-5 Small craft — Hull construction and scantlings.