Grand Banks 42 Europa

We all know the feeling. Walking off the dock after a day on the water, you can’t resist turning around and taking one last look at your boat. There’s just something about her. Rich and Betsy Didan get that feeling when they pause to admire their 2005 Grand Banks 42 Europa. It’s a wonderful little thrill.

- Steve Knauth

“When you stand back and look at the stern of Paradis, the inviting sliding glass double doors grab your heart and attention,” says Rich Didan, a 62-year-old electrical engineer. “The spacious covered rear deck, the teak-railed staircase to the spacious upper deck — this was truly designed and built for family, entertaining and long travels. They just don’t make them like that anymore.”

The Didans bought their boat — hull No. 1560, the last 42 Europa before the model was retired — this past summer. The price for the turnkey vessel was $550,000. It’s powered with twin 450-hp Caterpillar 3126B diesels, the layout is original, the high-gloss teak in the saloon and staterooms is in excellent condition, and just a few minor fixes were needed, Didan says.

Paradis replaced a well appointed Mainship Pilot Rum Runner II, which had replaced a cuddy inboard. The cuddy replaced the couple’s first boat, an O’Day 22 sailboat that they sailed on Candlewood Lake near Danbury, Connecticut. “When our daughter was a teen, we moved to the Cobalt 233 cuddy and enjoyed staying on board overnight,” Didan says. “After our daughter left for college, we were empty-nesting, and our thoughts turned back to our dream of owning a coastal cruiser.” The Mainship filled that need quite well.