The Legendary Night Runner
Possibly no other yacht has achieved greater success in the realms of both cruising and racing than Night Runner. Designed by Robert H. Perry for Seattle sailor Doug Fryer, she is a well known “wolf in sheep’s clothing” in Pacific Northwest waters with a classic appearance above the waterline and modern lines below. It is said that she is Perry’s favorite design. Under Fryer, she won just about every notable race in the Pacific Northwest. She is a veteran of 38 Swiftsure International Yacht Races (three times first overall), a singlehanded Transpac, four Victoria to Maui races (including a first in class) and four Van-Isle 360 races (Division II winner in 2009). At the same time, she served her owner as a comfortable and capable cruising platform, extensively exploring Pacific Northwest waters north to Alaska and a dozen circumnavigations of Vancouver Island. As if that is not enough, Night Runner completed a 21,000 mile voyage around South America by way of Cape Horn and the Panama Canal for which Fryer received the Blue Water Medal from the Cruising Club of America in 1998. To say that Night Runner knows her way is an understatement.
Night Runner’s cold molded construction by Cecil Lange and Son of Port Townsend, Washington provides the beautiful interior and exterior aesthetics of a traditional wood boat in a strong and lightweight package that stands the test of time. Night Runner is truly an heirloom boat.
New teak decks – repowered diesel – Balmar alternator – extensive sail inventory – forced air heat – Raymarine electronics
| Name of vessel | Night Runner |
| Model | Perry Custom 42 |
| Year | 1980 |
| Builder | Cecil Lange & Son |
| Designer | Robert H Perry |
| Price | $99,000 USD |
| Location | Anacortes, WA |
| Length (feet) | 42 |
| Beam (feet) | 12'6" |
| Draft (feet) | 8 |
| Displacement (pounds) | 24000 |
| Ballast (pounds) | 9000 |
| Engine model | Westerbeke 55D Four |
| Engine horsepower | 55 |
| Engine hours | 151 |
| Fuel tank capacity (gallons) | |
| Water tank capacity (gallons) | |
| Holding tank capacity (gallons) |
Interior Accommodations
Night Runner’s interior is beautifully finished. In the typical cold molded style, the interior of her hull is bright finished and all her structure is visible, giving a wonderful aesthetic. An offset companionway allows for a roomy aft stateroom and salon layout that feels larger than her 42 feet. Her U-shaped seagoing galley is opposite a stand up nav station. Forward, the centerline drop leaf table is flanked to port and starboard by straight settees with pilot berths outboard. Large skylights provide great light into the salon space. There are gimbaled tables for food and drink that mount on both the salon table and above the engine compartment at the galley. Forward of the salon, a passageway leads to the head with separate shower stall and the fo’c’sle with ample storage in large lockers to starboard, a work bench with vise, and sail storage bins.
Force 10 propane three burner stove and oven
Xintex S2A propane solenoid control
Propane tank
Pressure water – plumbed but not currently in operation
Fresh and raw water foot pumps at galley sink
Top loading refrigerator/freezer (2013)
Jabsco toilet
Espar Airtronic forced air diesel heater
Electronics and Navigation
Raymarine radar/chartplotter with radar antenna on pole (2012)
Icom IC-M120 VHF radio
Kenwood TKM-707 SSB radio
Kenwood MAT100 antenna tuner
Raymarine X30 autopilot computer with linear drive
Autohelm Speed and Depth displays and Raymarine ST70 Wind display at cockpit
Autohelm Multi display in salon
Danforth Constellation compass at binnacle
Garmin GPS72 handheld GPS
West Marine VHF 460 handheld VHF (floating and submersible)
Running lights, deck light, anchor light, and LED masthead tricolor
Sony AM/FM/Cassette stereo with two Sony speakers
Electrical Systems
12v DC and 120v AC electrical systems
Weems and Plath AC distribution panel
Marinetics DC distribution panel
DC voltmeter
Heart Link 2000 panel
Magnum inverter/charger with external control panel
(2) Interstate 6v batteries
Pow R Surge 908D battery
Interstate SRM 8DS battery
Mechanical Systems
Westerbeke “55D Four” diesel engine (151 hours)
Engine control panel with tachometer, oil pressure, voltmeter, temperature gauges
HBW 250 direct drive transmission
Packing gland shaft seal
1 ¼” stainless propeller shaft and folding propeller (new 2009)
Balmar 100 amp alternator with ARS 5 external regulator
Racor primary fuel filter
Fuel gauge
Manual bilge pump below deck
Whale Gusher 10 manual bilge pump at cockpit
Deck and Hull
Night Runner’s was constructed by Cecil M Lange and Son in Port Townsend, Washington. Her hull was built in the cold molded style with four layers of 1 ¼” red cedar set in epoxy with the outer layer of planking laid longitudinally. The hull is stiffened by a laminated cedar keel, laminated frames, and bulkheads bonded to the hull, and a stainless grid that bears the load of her mast and keel. Her ballast is lead fasten with stainless bolts. Her topsides are finished bright with black and white boot stripes. There is a rub rail along her hull sides. A short bulwark and double lifelines surround her deck. Then decks are plywood with teak overlay, replaced in 2014. A large foredeck space with vertical capstan windlass and samson post is well configured for handling ground tackle. The cockpit serves well for both racing and cruising. The mainsheet is sheeted from the end of the boom to a Harken traveler just forward of the large wheel. There is good cockpit seating aft with storage below and lockers below the aft deck.
Simpson Lawrence V2000 anchor windlass
Bruce anchor with chain and rode
Danforth anchor with chain and rode
Fortress FX37 folding anchor
Samson post
Green canvas mainsail cover and binnacle cover
Sails and Rigging
Black anodized aluminum mast and boom
Solid rod standing rigging (2009)
Strong Track low friction mainsail track
Storm trysail track
Hydraulic backstay adjuster
Furlex 400s headsail furler (2009)
(2) spinnaker, (2) jib, staysail, (1) mainsail halyard, (1) spinnaker pole topping lift
Removable (adjustable) inner forestay and babystay
Dyneema running backstays
Spinnaker pole and reaching strut
Harken mainsheet traveler
Port and starboard boom preventers
(3) Barient 26 winches on mast
(1) Barient 22 winch on mast
(1) Barient 20 self tailing winch on cabin top
(1) Barinet 23 self tailing winch on cabin top
(1) Lewmar 50 self tailing winch on cabin top
Barient primary and secondary winches
Sail inventory:
Mainsail (tri-radial) – Dacron – Ullman Sails
Mainsail (tri-radial) – Dacron – Lidgard Sails
Mainsail (cross cut) – Dacron – Shattauer
#1 genoa – Carbon – Hodges
#2 genoa – Tape Drive – UK
#3 jib – laminate – Hodges
#4 jib – Dacron
#5 jib – Dacron
(2) .5 oz spinnakers
.65 oz spinnaker
.75 oz spinnaker
1.5 oz spinnaker
1.5 oz reacher spinnaker
2.2 oz spinnaker
Genoa staysail – Dacron
Spinnaker staysail – Dacron
Jib top – Dacron
Drifter (older) – Dacron
Code 0 windseeker
Storm trysail
Miscellaneous and Safety
Lifesling in custom canvas bag
Lifering
Ditch bag
McMurdo 406 EPIRB (battery expired May, 2018)
Sea anchor
Drogue
Avon roll up inflatable dinghy
Charcoal BBQ
Boat hook
Notable recent maintenance and upgrades
August, 2003
New Engine, Regulator and Exhaust – $21,774
North Harbor Diesel
January, 2009
Roller furler – $4,630
Rod Rigging – $5,819
New folding prop and shaft
Canoe Cove Marina – $4,136
Summer, 2012
Radar and chart plotter
January, 2013
New bowsprit, king post and cockpit hatch covers
David’s Custom Installations – $18,652
May, 2013
Refrigeration – New compressor, plates and water pump
Sea Freeze of America – $4,317
September, 2014
New main sail
Ullman Sails – $7,382
October, 2014
New teak deck
Townsend Bay Marine – $ 41,877