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The term
"performance cruiser" is now commonplace, but
the genre didn't exist until a young yacht
designer named Bob Perry drew the lines for the
Valiant 40 in 1973. Perry used the experience
gained in designing fast IOR boats during his
apprenticeship with Dick Carter and equipped the
Valiant 40 with what was at the time an ultra
modern underbody-a fin keel and skeg hung
rudder. This gave the boat both maneuverability
and speed under sail superior to the full-keel
cruising boats of the time. Speed was only part
of the equation. The boat's graceful sheer,
canoe stern, low coach roof, and well-balanced
rig made it as attractive and seaworthy as it
was quick and nimble. Exactly 200 of the
original Valiant 40s were built from 1973 until
1993, when Valiant designers added 2 feet of
bowsprit and a taller rig. The resulting
Valiant 42 has the soul, good looks, hull form,
and seaworthiness of the original. |
