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Grand Soleil GS 42 LCvsNajad 451 AC

GS 42 LC is 0.5 ft wider than Najad 451 AC (4%). Najad 451 AC is the heaviest at 31,306 lb, 28% more than GS 42 LC. GS 42 LC carries the most sail for its weight (SA/D 22.1, Performance); Najad 451 AC the least (17.7, Cruiser).

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Key differences

Worked out from the published figures below — arithmetic, not opinion.

At a glance

Dark icons are the standard layout; faded ones are what the larger layout adds.

Length : beam is length divided by beam — the higher it is, the slimmer the hull. Multihulls read low by nature.

A figure marked with a quote mark was read from the builder's page. Open it for the exact line, the page and the date.

Model
Grand Soleil GS 42 LC

Grand Soleil

GS 42 LC
N451 AC

Najad Yachts

Najad 451 AC
Overview
BrandGrand SoleilNajad Yachts
ModelGS 42 LCNajad 451 AC
GenerationUnknownUnknown
Hull typeSailing MonohullSailing Monohull
PropulsionSailSail
Production statusIn productionIn production
Production start yearUnknownUnknown
Production end yearUnknownUnknown
DesignerNauta DesignJudel Vrolijk
Dimensions
LOA45.4 ft44.3 ft
Hull length42.5 ftUnknown
Beam13.7 ft13.2 ft
Draft7.4 ft6.9 ft
Displacement24,471 lb31,306 lb
Accommodation
Cabins2–33
HeadsUnknownUnknown
BerthsUnknown6
Performance & Rig
Main sailUnknownUnknown
JibUnknownUnknown
GenoaUnknownUnknown
Upwind sail area1,163 ft²1,098 ft²
Downwind sail areaUnknown1,539 ft²
Engine power50 hp–60 hp80 hp
Engine count11
Materials
Hull materialUnknownUnknown
Deck materialUnknownUnknown
Mast materialUnknownUnknown
Keel typeUnknownUnknown
Rudder typeUnknownUnknown
Sources

Figures read fromwww.grandsoleil.net/products/gs-42-lc· TECHNICAL INFOread 9/22/2026

9 of 10 figures here carry the builder's own words

9 of 11 figures here carry the builder's own words

Size, to scale

Each boat's published length and beam seen from above, and its mast height and draft from the side, all drawn on one scale.

From above — length × beam
0 ft10 ft20 ft30 ft40 ftGS 42 LC: 45.4 ft × 13.7 ftNajad 451 AC: 44.3 ft × 13.2 ftGS 42 LC45.4 ft × 13.7 ftNajad 451 AC44.3 ft × 13.2 ft

Outlines are schematic; the dimensions are the builder's.

From the side — height above and depth below the water
WaterlinePerson, 5.9 ftGS 42 LC: air draft not published / 7.4 ftair draft not published7.4 ftGS 42 LCNajad 451 AC: 67.3 ft / 6.9 ft67.3 ft6.9 ftNajad 451 AC

Speed, power & tanks

What the builders publish about how fast, how strong and how far — each figure on one scale for every boat.

Tanks

One scale per liquid across every boat: a tank twice the height holds twice as much.

  • GS 42 LC

    Fuel53 gal
    Water79 gal

  • Najad 451 AC

    Fuel110 gal
    Water136 gal

    23 gal of water per berth

How they sail, in numbers

Classic yacht-design ratios worked out from each builder's published figures. They compare boats; they don't grade them.

Sail area / displacement

How much sail the boat carries for its weight — its power in light air.

ModestCruiserPerformanceRacing162024GS 42 LC: 22.1Najad 451 AC: 17.7
  • GS 42 LC22.1· Performance
  • Najad 451 AC17.7· Cruiser
How it is worked out

sail area (ft²) ÷ (displacement as ft³ of seawater)^⅔

GS 42 LC: published upwind sail area

Najad 451 AC: published upwind sail area

Displacement / length

How heavy the boat is for its waterline length. Lower is lighter and quicker; higher is steadier and roomier.

UltralightLightModerateHeavyVery heavy100180270350Najad 451 AC: 218
  • GS 42 LCnot published: waterline length
  • Najad 451 AC218· Moderate
How it is worked out

displacement (long tons) ÷ (0.01 × waterline length in ft)³

Ballast ratio

The share of the weight carried in the keel — a rough guide to stiffness, though how deep that weight sits matters as much.

LowModerateHigh3040Najad 451 AC: 34
  • GS 42 LCnot published: ballast
  • Najad 451 AC34· Moderate
How it is worked out

ballast ÷ displacement × 100

Comfort ratio

Ted Brewer's measure of how gently a boat moves in a seaway. Higher means a slower, easier motion.

LightCoastalModerate offshoreHeavy offshoreVery heavy20304050Najad 451 AC: 37.3
  • GS 42 LCnot published: waterline length
  • Najad 451 AC37.3· Moderate offshore
How it is worked out

displacement (lb) ÷ (0.65 × (0.7 × LWL + 0.3 × LOA) × beam^1.333), lengths in ft

Capsize screening

A guide from the inquiry after the 1979 Fastnet race: below 2 was taken as suited to ocean passages. It ignores hull shape and where the ballast sits.

Below 22 and above2GS 42 LC: 1.89Najad 451 AC: 1.68
  • GS 42 LC1.89· Below 2
  • Najad 451 AC1.68· Below 2
How it is worked out

beam (ft) ÷ (displacement as ft³ of seawater)^⅓

Hull speed

Roughly the speed a displacement hull reaches before it has to climb its own bow wave.

  • GS 42 LCnot published: waterline length
  • Najad 451 AC8.5 kn
How it is worked out

1.34 × √(waterline length in ft), in knots

Most builders publish a light displacement. The ratios were defined on a loaded boat, so every boat here reads a little lighter than a surveyor's figure would — all alike, which keeps them comparable.

Worth adding to this comparison

The boats most like the ones above, by hull form, size and use.