Introduction: The Phantom 40 was introduced in the mid 1990s and become the 42 in 1997. The only difference is a stretched bathing platform on the 42.  If you are boating in the Med, the 42 is significantly better as the extended platform is extraordinarily deep for a boat this length, so it is great for swimming and sunbathing. Also a tender can be carried on chocks on the 42, whereas davits are needed on the 40.

Engines: Tend to be 370hp Volvo TAMD63ps. These are an oldish design but excellent. They are slow revvers, max 2700rpm, and 2200rpm cruise, so quite different from the faster revving KAD series Volvos. Other engines fitted by Fairline were Caterpillars and the 63L version of the Volvos. The 63Ls were rated at 306hp and are pretty rare on the Phantom 40/42 - I would think they are quite inferior and should only be bought if there's a significant price discount

Colours: Earlier boats were all white. Later boats had navy or white hulls. This is a question of personal opinion, though I prefer blue. I don't think there is any price difference (unlike the Targas, where blue commands a premium price). Canvas work was often white, and gets grubby.  Blue is better I think. For the 1999 season the exterior styling was changed slightly - the fibreglass styling struts running fore-aft along the saloon side windows were removed.

Production: I guess about 170 boats were built, because ours is hull 146 and it is a 1999 model. Production stopped in 2001, when the 43 replaced the 42. The hull number is checked by lifting the carpet at the base of the wardrobe in the starboard twin cabin. In there is a brass plate containing the serial number, set into the GRP moulding. This should be checked against the paperwork. One boat for sale in Spain last year had a piece of plywood screwed over this plate, apparently to cover the number, and prospective buyers suspected it was stolen. So check this, it is easy to do.

Deck and Accommodation: The boat has an excellent flybridge, with high sides so children feel safe. There is a large airy saloon, and two cabins. The front cabin is large and has a double bed and good sized shower room. The shower in here has its own space (I mean water stays in the shower compartment behind a perspex door) but needs a small modification (eg a block of teak) at the bottom right corner of the shower  door (as you face the door, from outside the shower) to stop leaks. Easy to do, and often done already. This shower works exceptionally well, like a good domestic power shower. The second cabin is smaller, but fine for two kids. The shower room here is quite a bit smaller, and the shower does not have its own space so the whole room gets wet. This cabin contains lots of storage, including a wardrobe, drawer, underbed compartments, and a large cupboard just aft of the wardrobe that is so well blended into the side of the boat (without a handle showing) that I only discovered it 2 years after buying the boat!  In the saloon the main sofa converts into a domestic style "metal action" sofa bed, so sleeps two comfortably.

Equipment: Possible upgrades include the following:  generator, aircon, eberspacher heating, all electric instead of gas, extra 240v sockets, various navigation electronics, anchor plate on nose to stop anchor bashing gelcoat, teak flybridge, cherry finish galley instead of white melamine, fitted overcarpets, reinforced transom for passerelle, sunbathing cushions on forward coachroof, overall flybridge cover.  I cannot remember whether the bow thruster was an extra, though most later boats have it.  Get as many of these extras as possible. The cherry galley is rare but particularly nice. If you plan on Med boating, the reinforced transom is a must have, and aircon (and therefore generator too) will be needed. Also for Med boating, the VHF aerials are better on the radar arch, instead of the coach roof sides, because then they do not interfere with the bimini.

On the 42 (not the 40), I prefer the dinghy on chocks. A 2.8m RIB with 5hp outboard fits easily, and can be pulled on by hand, if you get the chocs cut to the right shape (I have digi pics if anyone needs them). Buy the lightest you can, possibly a Valiant. Now we are in the med with a hydraulic passerelle, we have an Avon 3.1m RIB with steering and electric start Yamaha 15hp. This is about the biggest and heaviest you can fit, and it allows fast rides and waterskiing. You cannot really fit a jetrib.

If you are serious about buying one and want to try first, Vitesse charters (run by English people) in Palma Mallorca have a 1998 model P42 that you could charter bareboat for about £4000/week. You need ICC. It is a white boat with a not-so-nice tan fabric interior, but otherwise OK. It has the TAMD63p engines, a hydraulic passerelle, bowthruster and good aircon.

Faults: Rumoured problems on older boats include leaky windscreen. Ours has never had this problem, despite 450 hours in some big seas, but perhaps you should check this. A full survey is a good idea anyway, obviously. The 63p engines should be problem free, and should pull about 28knots flat out at 2700rpm with a clean bottom, and 23 knots with a very dirty bottom. If you cannot get these speeds, be suspicious. Also, they should hardly smoke at all even on cold start up - there will be a bit of smoke but certainly no big clouds. At cruise speed (say 2200rpm) you should get around 0.9 nm per gallon of diesel.

We love ours. No regrets at all about buying this model, would do so again.

Buy the "The RYA Book of Buying Your First Motor Cruiser" By: Tom Willis This book is written for those buying a motor cruiser for the first time or for those thinking of changing their present craft. It is intended to help them through the process, not only the decision making but the bureaucracy that increasingly affects today's boat owner, from the Boat Safety Scheme to the Recreational Craft Directive and the official registration.