The walkaround has never been more popular, and for good reason: It’s a versatile, user-friendly, great all-around layout with excellent fishability. Utilizing the same fast and proven hull of its 42-foot center console, Invincible has entered the game with a good-looking and fast rendition.
Make no mistake — the folks at Invincible are focused on speed and ride, and their boats have both. The hull was designed from the keel up by Michael Peters Yacht Design, which has a long list of stepped-hull boats to its credit. The manufacturing features vacuum-bagged sandwich composite construction using Corecell foam, vinylester resin, and a blend of fabrics that offers strength and reduces weight. A molded-grid stringer system is bonded to the hull with methacrylate adhesive, creating a rigid unit that houses the foamed-in-place aluminum fuel tanks, finished bilge and underdeck storage, while also supporting the deck liner.
Each of the pieces of the boat, hull, stringers, deck liner and cap come from molds tooled from a five-axis router programmed with detailed CAD drawings. The beauty of this process is that the parts are accurate for fit and rigging, and assembly is consistent. Invincible also paints out sections of the bilge compartments with Awlgrip, and offers all its hulls painted — as an option — for a longer-lasting, more yacht-grade finish. We tested the boat on a sloppy day out of Florida’s Hillsboro Inlet, with east winds at 12 to 15 knots on the tail end of a several-day blow. With mixed seas of 2 to 4 feet with an occasional larger one, we put the 42 through its paces. We had 250 gallons of fuel, 29 gallons of diesel for the generator, 70 gallons of water, and three people on board. The 42 can be rigged with triples or quads, depending on your need for speed. Pushing the throttles up on the triple F350 Yamahas, it easily slips on plane and, like its sisters, has virtually no bow rise. I never lost sight of the horizon, and visibility all the way around is excellent from the helm.
Running in the beam sea, it was comfortable and dry; running straight into the sea, I set it up at 3,500 rpm, and we trotted along at 36 mph, burning 32 gph. It always landed softly going on to the next confused sea. The ride was easy, comfortable and exactly how I would run the boat with guests aboard. Turning down-sea, the 42 tracked straight, and stayed dry and comfortable. Back on the beam sea and pushing up the throttles to 4,000 rpm, it loped along at 44 mph, burning 41 gph; at 4,500 rpm, it zipped along at 51 mph, burning 50 gph. Wide open, the boat hits a blistering 68 mph, which is great when you can use it.
The walkaround features flush cleats, easy access to the anchor locker, an insulated fish box in-deck on the centerline, and undergunwale storage trays. A large sun pad sits atop the cabin deck, and a cushioned seat for two faces forward at the front of the cabin. The helm is set to starboard, with dash space for two large MFDs or one supersize black-box screen. All switches are labeled, covered and easy to reach.
Below, the cabin holds an electrical closet and a cedar-lined hanging closet, a complete L-shaped galley, bench seat/bunks on either side, a Pullman berth, and a head with shower — everything for an overnighter.
Seating aft was an optional leaning post with fold-up bolster seats; there are also six rod holders, two drink holders, tackle storage, and a 165-quart cooler/storage under the aft-facing seat. In-deck fish boxes sit on each side of the cockpit, and a hatch to the lazarette offers access to pumps and the sea chest that feeds the 170 gallons of livewells, one in the forward deck and the other one in the transom.
There are fold-down jump seats in the transom corners, gunwale-mounted rod holders, raw-water washdown, and to port, an optional hull dive door. Our test boat had an optional Mase 3.2 kW diesel generator to run the air conditioning and other gear.
The Invincible 42 Walkaround is an ideal tender or weekender. The design makes it a great fishing platform, and the ability to sleep three is an option for bunking extra yacht crew or for a long weekend camping out in the islands. It’s a big, fast, well-laid-out fishing platform that can fit the bill for all kinds of fishing and fun.
**invincibleboats.com ** • 305-685-2704
