Let´s look at the second yacht of my Boot Duesseldorf 2025 retrospective: That will be a very special boat too and there´s a big chance that it happened to you same way as it happened to me: You´ve never heard of Heyman Yachts bevore, haven´t you? Well, there´s no shame: Gabriel Heyman, the man behind this brand, is not a new name to naval architecture but his company is relatively new in the boating business: Up until now they have a 35 feet sports cruiser (reminding me of JPK or RM-Yachts and a 42 footer in program, which this article is about. Roaming his website, there are plenty of other interesting projects and design studies, like an adorable 55´version of this yacht or a slim “casual“ 90-feet coastal cruiser. This website alone is worth checking.
Back back to the Rhine. The Heyman 42 was one of the most anticipated yachts of the show and one of the most beautiful too. As I have called this article „Roxette on water“, this is exactly how I felt when I saw her the first time. I mean, we all love ABBA. Their music is classy, fancy, immortal. It´s a dance floor magnet and guranteed party-starter. But when Roxette came out, something happened: It wasn´t your familiar, beloved and accustomed Swedish Pop Music. It was something new. Something fresh. But still … Swedish. I tink this is a good image to describe the Heyman 42 … Roxette on water.
Not the classic Swedish yacht you´d expect
When we think of Scandinavian yacht design we usually have the big classics in our minds, the Golden Age of the sophisticated KSSS-sailing-style, most beautifully embodied by boats like my Omega 42 for example. And we have the big brands like Hallberg-Rassy, Najad or Arcona, which still carry on to cater the sailor´s lust for upper-shelf sailing. The Heyman 42 is definitely not amongst those – and she doesn´t want to, as I had the feeling when I approached her.
First of all – sorry for the slightly underexposed pictures. That´s mostly due to the fact that the lights of the exhibition booth hadn´t been switched on: You know it, I tend to roam the boats in Duesseldorf before boat show opening in the very early morning. Nevertheless, there was a distinct feel to the yacht, even though she had been party in the dark. Not your ordinary classic Swedish design: The Heyman 42 follows the lines of a bluewater cruiser with a volumnious hull, a straight stem and the bulky pilot house. A slightly increasing sheer line, three perfectly symmetrically positioned hull windows and an very pleasing design. A boat, I´d say everyone can agree upon to be beautiful.
The sweet spot of cruising: 42 feet
Gabriel Heyman decided to launch his first boat of this line within the „sweet spot“ of cruising yachts. Under 40 feet is too small for serious long cruising with a luxurious touch, above 45 feet is too big (and therefore too expensive) for the most part of sailors. At the same time, it is suffice to say that a boat under 40 feet is a „boat“, bigger than that and we speak of a „yacht“. Keeping development and production costs at a minimum with achieving the biggest „bang“ is therefore the motto: Launching a boat in 42 feet a safe bet. The yacht had been presented in a fancy mint color made sure that all eye were on her: Just like Oyster did with their then brand-new 495 almost three years ago.
I enter the boat through the large folding transom that becomes the bathing platform. When closed, it will create a very deep and therefore safe cockpit environment. As the concept of pilot saloon-boats incorporates often a stepless one-level-deck design from cockpit to the inside, a comparably deck level is imparative. This yacht comes with nice custom davits for a dinghy which can extend to the aft so that the platform may be used also when the dinghy is lashed to the davits. Clever.
The Heyman 42 comes with a single-rudder steering (you may have seen it already on one of the pictures above). The rudder is secured by a a little skeg and also in live with the centerboard cast iron keel housing. Up on deck, two steering wheels act upon the rudder. Here´s one detail: The boat has ultimately been presented as a fresh and new approach to a well-tested concept, the minty color and such: Here, some „fresh“ composite steering wheels, maybe painted like the hull, would have added one little extra-kick to that image. Instead, the stainless steel wheels will do the job as well of course …
No real wood on the Heyman 42, at least when it comes to the deck material. White caulking for the PVC-decking set a nice colorful detail to the light mint tones of the yacht. She comes with an optional cutter rigging, otherwise sporting a self-tacking Jib. Gennaker and/or Code 0 may be attached as well. The total upwind sails area amounts to relatively concervative 89 square meters. Everything is made to be easy: Push-button sailing (on Andersen winches of course) is only one aspect, the whole layout of the running rigging is designed to for easy to reach, fast acting from behind the wheel.
I particularly liked the aft pulpit seats: As this is otherwise the most beloved position underway for many sailors, it makes sense to fit a proper seat here. You just need some nice cushions and then it´s your prime location to enjoy a morning coffee or just the breathtaking view over the ocean.
Pilot saloon yachts: A new trend in ´25?
Another highlight of course is the deck house. As inevery pilot saloon yacht, this is the center of social life on board (second maybe only to the cockpit being out in the open fresh air). For crews sailing in the subtropical latitudes, meaning being exposed to variable weather conditions or people wanting to explore the more northern (or southern) areas, having a warm, dry, cozy place that is not only well-protected from any weather and precipitation but also a „home“ is imperative.
There´s no better concept for this as the raised pilot saloon: As one can instantly see aboard the Heyman 42: A big chunk of the cockpit is protected against wind and spray coming over. Nice grab handles, solar power on the roof and the sheet leads for the mainsail are mounted here. A nice detail is the positooning of the skylight hatches, because that´s a real issue in many production boats.
As you may see in the picture, the Heyman 42 has three skylight hatches in the roof. They make for more natural light in the saloon, give free sight onto the sails and mast top when inside and – most important – will make for ventilation and fresh air. Look closely: Each of those three hatches opens in a different direction. Somebody has used his mind here: In many production boats you will get the same (and even more) amount of hatches, but all will open in the same direction. That can be a stupid thing when wind blows from an disadvantageous direction or is mixed with rain. So that´s a good detail here.
I also like those little solar ventilators. Never seen these: The little photovoltaic cells will charge an integrated battery that turns the ventilation. Those are a mixture between the classic „dorade“-type vents and the standard electric powered ventilators. It can get very hot even in Northern Sweden so ventilation and fresh air circulation is a big thing. Nicely solved on the Heyman.
An all-weather yacht
So, let´s step inside. The pilot house offers a cleanly separated layout. Very cozy, ship-like. To port side the raised large L-shaped settee/sofa is positioned. When sitting here, one can enjoy a complete 360 degrees roundsight through the large seascape windows. The table alone is a piece of artwork craftsmanship and joinery. Being multifunctional, the table can be enlarged, turned and also made smaller in size to fit the needs of the moment.
A smaller „coffee table“ can be folded up to make a third seat with a nice soft backrest if guests arrive and you need more places to be filled with people. What jumps into my eyes immediately is the high quality of joinery. As expected, the level of craftsmanship is extraordinarily high aboard this yacht. You wouldn´t take anything other than that from a boat made in Sweden.
The table tops are made from thick massive boards, nicely shaped and brought together and glossy painted with at least ten layers. Fiddles to safe your tablewear and coffee mugs from the motion of the waves are a matter of course. It´s just pure eye candy to see and touch the heavy haptics of such rich materials. What a difference to your ordinary ALPI-covered thinly veneered plywood-stuff used in production boats!
Best about the pilot saloon is the view aft: Almost unhindered by any structural fittings, there are three major windows leading from the floor to the roof – almost like the winter garden at my parent´s house. The two large man-sized folding entry doors open to the otside, giving way to fresh air and a wonderful view! Even in shitty weather – then closed of course – this must be the true highlight of the saloon.
Under deck: Layout alternatives
The Heyman 42 is made for a sailing couple with occasional guests. Again, that´s the usual configuration for most yachts sailing outside the charter-business. In this, the boat is tailor-made for two persons. When underway, of course, food is a major factor. Cooking or preparing three meals a day, maybe also a midnight-snack when sailing through the night, makes the ship´s cook spend much time in the kitchen. Therefore, on the Heyman 42, the galley is not „hidden“ under deck, maybe behind a corner, like it is done on so many other yachts.
The large galley occupies the other half of the deck house to starboard. The size is more than decent: A large U-shaped worktop with loads and loads of stowage looks more than inviting. Standing here, preparing a meal and cooking is not a burdon nor a task anymore, it´s a pleasure! You can enjoy a fantastic view outside and don´t have to endure a drak, cramped place down below. Thinking of many people suffering from seasickness, this is a huge plus for this boat, a USP for the sailing wife.
Two sinks (in this case, analog to my theory, in the wrong positions), a three-flame burner, two top loading fridges and lots of cupboards, cabinets, smaller and bigger drawers: This kitchen fits all crockery and cookwear you need for the long haul cruise for sure! Let´s step down into the hull. 42 feet creates a lot of internal volume which the Heyman 42 had filled with handy and nice amenities.
Directly below the galley to starboard side a nice little „secondary“ saloon is fitted. Together with a small table – vis-a-vis the bathroom. You could use this for getting dressed/undressed or change into oilskin, but also enjoy a quiet Digestif. The layout is changeable so that the shipyard could also fit a nav-station with a nice chart table in here instead. This could then be used as a boat-office for example. I am sure that there are more things possible as the shipyard isn´t mass-producing this boat so that individual wishes by future owners may be considered and turned into reality.
Two cabins are enough
Yes, they are! It´s pure relief to see yachts which are not stuffed with the maximum possible number of berths. And worse: Stuffed with the most possible number of toilets! For the Heyman 42 that´s two cabins basically. One in the front, one in the back underneath the seating arrangement of the pilot house. Both cabins are big, fitted with well-sized beds and stowage. In the front, let´s call it the VIP-guest-cabin, I start my room-tour.
It´s a classic design with a full island bed. I can see why this is preferred: Utilizing the whole width of the bow for a complete huge bed makes no sense as you could fit four people in here – waste of space. On the other hand, having an island bed is a box people often want to tick, maybe it´s a sign of luxury? I personally don´t like them as they are totally unusable even in moderate seas. Fitting lee cloth is only a second-to-best workaround. Anyway, when underway, people usually don´t sleep in the front, so maybe that´s the „in harbor“ or „at anchor“-cabin. The standing height and volume is breathtaking here – even tallest sailors may fit perfect. A little downside are the relatively high positioned hull windows: No chance to look outside when laying in bed. But I guess, putting them deeper may increase the risk of wash damage.
Snug and cozy is the aft cabin, I call it the owner´s cabin. Here you´ll get your full size bed that utilized the full width and length of the cabin. I abvolutely love the hige backrest which will also give a nice lean-onto when the boat is heeled to portside (when to tilted to starboard you may use your pillows as cushion against the wall). The cabin is no-frills, just a nice bed, some stowage and two opening hatches. One above into the saloon, one to the open fresh air of the cockpit´s inside.
Shared bathroom: A clever solution
I mentioned the craze of fitting the largest possible number of bathrooms to boats. That´s something that sells boats into charter, of course. The bigger the yachts the bigger the chance that people share the cost of chartering a yacht who aren´t necessarily family. In this, of course, every party needs their own privacy and thus their own dedicated bathroom. Not so on a boat used by a sailing couple. Even with occasional guests, which for most part are family or close friends, one bathroom is perfectly sufficient. Just like aboard the Heyman 42.
Swedish pragmatism: Wood where it makes sense. The bathroom is clean, spacious enough to fit all amenities like a WC, a sink, some stowage and a closed off-shower. The nice part is that the bathroom may be entered via two doors: One to the owner´s aft cabin and one to the guest cabin in front. When entering from the bow, you pass through the shower. It´s a shared bathroom and I like this concept. What needs some time to getting used to is the two doors-solution, I´d say.
So when entering as a guest, you may knock and ask if the bathroom is free. When inside and taking a shower, you should lock the bow-door so that your guest wouldn´t open it and get soaked as well. Anyway, these are minor details and surely something any owner will get used to over time. So that´s basically it: The Heyman 42 down below.
Is this your ultimate cruising yacht?
As boat aficionados are looking for the perfect boat, real sailors know that there isn´t something as the perfect yacht. Every concept has its pros and cons. There are always compromises. For me the Heyman 42 is a very well thought-through cruiser with clear bluewater capabilities. This boat offers lots of space and luxury on a relatively limited size. She may fit a sailing couple traveling the tropical and subtropical areas. With her centerboard configuration she can even snug into very shallow anchorages or even travel upriver.
Just like Roxette´s music – then new and „fresh“, now a Swedish classic – the Heyman 42 offers some interesting solutions to the well-known „ABBA-sound“ of cruising. In this, her outward appearance reminds me personally more of classic Dutch yacht design, like the Hutting 52, but maybe the Heyman is the Swedish pendent to what the Danish Nordship is to a classy Faurby or Luffe. In this, all that is left to say is: Come on join the joyride!
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