Design #96 ©Heyman Yachts 2021
Update July 7, 2021 – drawings updated, links updated. The small interior drawing illustrations are still the original ones.
The basic layout is the same but details have been changed. Please refer to the big drawings at the bottom of the page, and feel free to contact us!
Some of you may have visited this page before.
For you, we are pleased to announce that the tooling for the PPH is now well under way at one of the best yards in Northern Europe.
ANOTHER STANDARD WHITE BOAT?
This new 42’ yacht is the first of its kind. There are other yachts which may be slightly reminiscent, at least in theory. But in basic concept, in function and in character there is no other like her.
Still, one of the most important goals of the design is to make a competent cruising yacht with excellent performance, eager to cover distances. A nimble yacht with distinct handling, using well-established, durable technology.
When the project was started a few years ago someone came up with the project name PPH, Pocket Pilot House yacht. This name has somehow stuck and we are proud to present the Heyman 42′ PPH.
DIFFERENT, HOW?
This yacht offers a level of comfort matched by few, if any, boats under 55 ft. Living on board the PPH will be easy and relaxed like no other sailboat. There are three basic differences:
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Open:
The main living space on board, from the stern platform through the cockpit, the main cabin, into the galley and office or the lower saloon, flow together into one huge space.
Measured somewhat conservatively, this area is all of 22 square metres.
Add to this the two staterooms and a big bathroom and the overall feeling is that of a beach house – just as much as a yacht.
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Generous:
For a 42’ cruising yacht, the PPH has more elbow room than most. This is because she has fewer cabins, and a different layout altogether. Every part feels generous. You will never feel confined “down below”, between bulkheads, or under deck.
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Safe and easy:
Getting on board from a tender or floating dock is made easy, using a few innovations.
Arriving in your dinghy, you can step onboard the folded transom, walk through the cockpit and into the galley with one grocery bag in each hand.
There are no ladders or deep staircases anywhere.
EXTERIOR WALK-AROUND
Exterior renderings by Johan Lange
SO, HOW BIG IS SHE?
The PPH is conceived for two people living on board in comfort, like a studio on the waterfront or a small summer house.
In addition, there is space also for friends staying overnight – or longer – or for children or grandchildren on vacation.
In sports car terms, she is a 2 + 2:
A boat with ample room for kids or guests – without any real compromise. But, first of all, built for two people, with a level of comfort you will not find in any other yacht of her size.
UNDER WAY
Under sail, the cockpit of the PPH works like in most other modern sailboats of 40-50 ft. and upwards.
There are subtle differences, as you might expect. It offers a somewhat better protection against weather and wind than most. The forward part is meant for rest, reading or just enjoying the sail. The seats forward are 2 m long, each with a drop-leaf table, one on each side.

IN PORT
Still, this is not just a cockpit for sailing. At anchor, on a mooring or by the dock the cockpit needs to offer a different kind of comfort.
For the morning swim or kids play, fold out the stern platform and the pool ladder. The platform extends the cockpit floor, at the same level, and the combined area is huge by any account, at 3 metres wide and 4 metres long – 12 square metres.

But it does not end there. This is the area where you will spend much of your time on board and the cockpit in the PPH is designed to do so much more… this cockpit might be described as something of a front porch, where you will be able to move around and find your favourite spot, at any time of the day.
It is all up to you if you want to sit in the sun, to read your book out of the wind or enjoy a coffee in the shadow.
You can gather in the evening with friends, and the vast floor space offers room for a few folding deck chairs around the table.
With a bimini in place, you can keep the heat out, or be protected from a shower. The cockpit will adapt to the conditions in an almost magic way:
NIGHT AND DAY
There is one aspect of the cockpit which might need to be better explained. You may have noticed something unusual in the images above:

Cockpit beds in use
As an option, the seats can fold out, forming wide lounge beds – one each side. This will be a wonderful place to rest, to leeward under sail, or just make a snug place in the forward corner with a good book. In tropical climates, you can sleep outside on two good beds, 90 cm wide, under the bimini.
There is a sun bed on the foredeck as well – a wonderful spot for reading, or talking about how far it is to the horizon.

Inside, you will find a number of good sea berths, one for the off-watch in the upstairs seating, two more in the guest cabin and yet another in the lower salon, if that interior layout is preferred.
GOING INSIDE
The outside and inside of the PPH are separated by a glass bulkhead. Sitting inside the main cabin you will be at the same level as in the cockpit, with an all-round view.
The interior of the PPH is based on the same philosophy as the cockpit. She is a sailing yacht. Yes, and she is also a home on the water. And the layout needs to be equally perfect for both.
Opposite the sofa, on the starboard side is a large galley with room for two to cook together and a full view of the outside, in all directions.
Two steps down, in the forward corner of the same huge room, you will find the lower salon. This is a lovely place to withdraw for more privacy, with a sofa, another small table, room for bookshelves, a TV and entertainment. The sofa serves double duty as an extra sea berth or place for an afternoon catnap.
There are other layout options for the yacht – an office / nav station upstairs, with good visibility for long passages. In this case the galley is forward, with 2, 30 metres standing headroom and surrounded by big windows. Even from here, you can overlook the entire yacht, from bow to stern.
The owner’s stateroom is forward. It can again be laid out according to taste, with a centreline double bed or two very generous single berths. You will find all the amenities you would expect at home – bedside tables, a book case, a bureau, clothes drawers and a couple of good hanging lockers.
The double bed in the PPH is 1,60 metres wide all the way forward, fitted with a soft headboard. This kind of bed is absolutely unique in almost any yacht but once there, it will be perceived as the most natural thing. We believe very few people would go to sleep in their double bed at home with their feet against the wall – so why in a boat?
Half-sitting in bed, you will be able to look out the hull windows and, if the door is open, you can see all the way through the boat. When the platform is down, you can even see the ducks swimming (ducks not included).
With the galley forward it may be a nice option to have a small sofa in the forward cabin; a place to withdraw with a book.
The forward stateroom has private access to the bathroom, with separate shower, room for a washing machine and ample locker space.
The guest room is situated opposite the lower galley or lower saloon. Not as comfortable as the forward stateroom but with the same wide bed and bright and airy.
INSIDE OUT
So how does the the cockpit play together with the pilot house? To try to answer this, we have (in late April) started working on a 3D model of the deckhouse and cockpit. This work will take seveal weeks to finish.
In order to get an early impression, we decided to run a test using a mock-up. Please note that this is a very crude 3D model, showing one of the interior layouts in the shape of simple painted boxes but we wanted to share them anyhow:

PPH 42′ cockpit-cabin, mock-up #1

PPH 42′ cockpit-cabin, mock-up #2

PPH 42′ cockpit-cabin, mock-up #3
HIGH AND LOW LATITUDES
Given the basic idea behind the PPH, she is the perfect yacht for living on board also during early or late season. The pilot house side and forward windows are double glazed to protect against cold weather and to prevent condensation. For sailing in wintertime, a heating system will keep the yacht interior warm and dry.
Both hull and deck are built using a Divinycell core and, apart from supreme strength and stifness, will ensure perfect insulation. Not only against the winter cold, but also against the summer heat.
For hot climates, a bimini is advised, together with sun shades for windows and hatches. AC is offered as an option.
ON DECK, AND MOVING ABOUT
The PPH is easy to access from all sides:
- From the stern, via the stern platform. Or, when tied up stern to the quay, via a short passerelle, Mediterranean style.
- From the bow, via an integrated bow ladder when tied up to a rock or a dock, Scandinavian style.
- From starboard and port sides, where we introduce a novelty; a blind hull “window” which in fact is not a window but a footstep which folds out of the hull side – like this:

PPH 42′ blind window / side step
Under the cockpit are two huge stowage spaces port and starboard. There is room for deck chairs and cushions, a stowed bimini or other cockpit canvas, diving gear, bicycles and all sorts of paraphernalia. The engine room is under a separate floor hatch.

In the bow, forward of the collision bulkhead, is another big deck stowage space which can be accessed via a ladder. This space contains the chain locker and room for a downwind sail. Docking lines and fenders are on hooks, accessible from deck.

PPH 42′ Deck Stow
A pair of davits with built-in extensions hold the dinghy at just the right distance from the lowered boarding platform – convenient for access. During a passage, there is room for the folded dinghy in one of the cockpit stow rooms.

PPH 42′, davits extended
UNDER SAIL

Fantasi 44, Andersen winch
Getting under sail is a simple matter of unfurling the sails at the push of a button. The helmsperson will be able to handle the PPH single handed, and all is within easy reach.
The winches, the under-deck jib furling and the in-mast Selden mainsail furling are all electric as standard.
Visibility forward is fine on each side of the pilot house, above the pilot house and also to some extent through the glass bulkhead and windows. There are two good-sized pulpit seats aft, lovely for watching dolphins in fair weather.
A code 0 is offered but such a sail is often too much to handle for a short-handed crew. Instead, this sail is permanently mounted on an outer headstay, and just like the self-tacking jib it is furled by an under-deck electric furler. This sail will be so different from an ordinary Code 0 in practical use that we renamed it, instead using the classic term ‘reacher’. On an open reach, the sheet can be led via the end of the main boom for a more optimal shape.

You can see a 3D model of the sail plan from North Sails in this link: North Sails 3D pdf
Sailing speed will often be between 7 – 7,4 knots to windward and she will average around 8 on a reach, with top speeds of more than 8 ½ knots. Sailing alongside other cruising yachts she will hold her own. The addition of a gennaker, hoisted from the bow sprit, will ensure good speed also in the lightest of winds.
POWER
Under her 75 hp engine, the PPH will run quietly at up to 8 knots cruising speed, with more power in reserve. The PPH is fitted with a folding bronze propeller for sailing efficiency. Her bow thruster will offer control in tight quarters, and a stern thruster is optional.
Alternatively, the yacht can be fitted with an electric drive, with batteries charged by solar power or shore power and backed up by a silent genset to increase the range.
HULL & KEEL
The PPH’s design is based on an efficient cruising sailboat hull. Her waterline is almost the full hull length, and special attention has been given to her displacement distribution and the shape of her bow, both above and below the waterline.
The hull shape takes full advantage of recent research at Chalmers University of Technology where 3 different racing 41′ hulls of our design were tested, using both CFD (computational fluid dynamics), followed by tank testing. This study is rare because focus was on the added resistance in waves, where a sailboat’s performance depends to a great extent on the shape of the bow. Until recently, performance in waves has not been possible to investigate using CFD.
To be clear, this research did not take as its starting point the actual 42′ PPH hull but her design was based on our conclusions from the different 41′ racing hulls used in the study.
As one of the secondary results of her sophisticated hull shape, the PPH is course stable, with controlled and civilised steering at all times.
In order to be able to explore shallow waters and to drop the anchor in the most protected coves, the keel is only 1,44 m deep. It is built as a long fin keel with efficient foil sections and, at the bottom, a distinctive bulb shape with a very low centre of gravity.
In addition, an optional centreboard is offered. This is hidden entirely inside the bulb and is easily controlled by a winch or via a button but – this is important – it is not a lifting keel, it weighs relatively little and its function is only to reduce leeway. With the board down, the draft increases to 3, 02 m (the centreboard version lead keel is slightly different and draws 1,48 m).
Like the keel itself, the centreboard is of course carefully foil shaped.
EXTERIOR DESIGN
There is good and bad design, both in ‘classic’ yachts and in ‘modern’ yachts.
Still, it is not about classic versus modern. It could be argued that good design is more about finding an attitude which goes hand in hand with what the yacht is supposed to do. And, at best, with an honest and gentle personality.
So what about the PPH? The purpose of her design is a yacht which knows her way and takes care of those on board, rather than the other way around. I hope she conveys that feeling, and maybe with some sort of purposeful, determined ‘workboat’ character – you will be the judge!
QUALITY

Gabriel Heyman / (c) Nico Krauss
The 42’ PPH has been developed over the course of several years by award-winning yacht designer Gabriel Heyman and colleagues, trying concepts, scrutinizing ideas, testing alternative solutions and fine-tuning the design, inside and out.
BUILDERS
The yacht is built to order by one of the finest and most experienced boat builders in Northern Europe, Ridas Yacht, near Tallinn, Estonia.
Images are from their latest major project, a new 115′ aluminium yacht built throughout to Lloyd’s 100 A1 class.
DIMENSIONS:
Overall length 13,52 m 44′ 4″ (including bowsprit)
Length on deck 12,66 m 41′ 6″
Waterline length 11,83 m 38′ 10″
Beam 4, 30 m 14′ 1″
Draft 1, 44 m 4′ 9″
Draft, centreboard down 3, 02 m 9′ 11″
Displacement 11 400 kgs 25 000 lbs
Sail Area 89 sq.m. 960 sq.ft.
ENGINE
Volvo Penta D2-75 sail drive
– or –
Electric Sail Drive 21 kW, solar panels + genset
DRAWINGS
(Use arrows to scroll through the different drawings)
Please contact us for larger size drawings or other requests, see below!
SPECIFICATIONS
The PPH’s standard specifications include an unusually complete list of items you would expect on a first-class yacht of this kind; things like a folding prop, a bowthruster, B & G instruments, the Seldén mast with electric furling, electric under deck furling for the jib, basic set of sails, electric Andersen winches, a Spade anchor and Lewmar windlass, a high pressure pump on foredeck, nice beds complete with mattress pads, teak in cockpit, big tank volumes, a generous Victron battery bank, Victron charger and big inverter.
In addition, there are of course numerous options, like the twin-headstay rig, the centerboard, electric propulsion, AC, heating, bimini, the lounge beds in the cockpit, davits and much more.
Download specifications here: Heyman 42′ PPH Specifications
For a price quote, please write or call!
BROCHURE
Download the brochure here (pdf, 3 Mb):
QUESTIONS, CONTACT
We will be happy to answer any (or most) questions, so please ask!
Sweden: Anders Hemgren, anders@hemgren.se, +46 705 113 057
United States : Joe Brase, joebrase@gmail.com, +1 (803) 493-0913
Germany: Joe Brase, joebrase@gmail.com, +1 (803) 493-0913
Gabriel Heyman, info@heymanyachts.com, +46 707 790 003
Or just click the envelope below.
Note: This page may be updated without notice
(c) Heyman Yachts, July 2021