DCB M42R Catamaran Update—Hull-And-Deck Marriage No. 1

For the first time since construction began on DCB Performance Marine M42R hull No.1 in early 2024, the catamaran looks like a catamaran. That’s because last night the team at the Phoenix company bonded together the 42-footer’s hull, stringers, bulkheads, deck and cockpit liner.

Sleek, sexy and ready for post-lamination gelcoat and carpentry.

“The seat shells are in the cockpit for positioning so we can check things like forward visibility for passengers,” explained Johnny Bauer, the company’s vice president of production. “The team still needs to cap the front and rear of the boat before it goes to post-lamination gelcoat, then it will go to carpentry for interior installation. That will happen sometime this week.

“But before that happens, we turn the boat over and blueprint the hull,” he added. “DCB does that with all of its boats.”

The seat shells are in the boat to help the DCB crew determine their final position before the 42-footer heads to carpentry.

The first M42R is an eight-seater similar to the M37R models ordered with an eight-seat cockpit configuration. But the cockpit of the 42-footer is two feet longer than that of the 37-footer, which makes all four aft seats, particularly those along the gunwales, more spacious and functional.

Bauer has shepherded the M42R project since joining DCB almost a year ago, and said he is “proud” to have a completed hull and deck in house before his first anniversary with the company. In addition to praising the dedicated DCB team, he credited Marine Concepts for its “excellent tooling work.”

Said Bauer, “Our plan is to have the first M42R on the water before Thanksgiving.”