Marquis 42

This spirited, aggressively-styled dayboat is only the beginning for Marquis

The large turnout was ostensibly for the Lexus LY 650 making its debut at the 2019 Ft. Lauderdale boat show. As the finished product of a multi-year partnership between the automotive giant Toyota and Marquis-Larson, it made sense. But there was another debut going on, one that might have lacked the cross-promotional fanfare but still precipitated a new direction for the Pulaski, Wisconsin-based company. Marquis was debuting the 42, the first in a line of bold, aggressively styled dayboats that would’ve captured attention all on its own.

Before work began on the 650, Toyota sent a team from their Japanese production systems group to the Pulaski facility. When speaking on the launch of both debuts, Marquis Yachts CEO Rob Parmentier mentioned how the melding of both teams took some time, and had some early hiccups, but eventually managed to be advantageous for everyone. In the end, the Marquis team adopted some of the car manufacturer’s lean philosophies and best practices. When work began on the 42 at the end of 2018, they utilized everything they learned while making the 650.

Marquis was no stranger to dayboats. They had experience as a contract builder for VanDutch for five years. Of course, you also might remember the 42-foot concept dayboat-esque Lexus Sport Yacht, or the first partnership between Toyota and Marquis that was derided for looking like a shoe. I’m here to tell you the 42 is not that. See for yourself: It looks more like the European brands that make up this already crowded segment.

“We’ve seen the good and the bad,” said Josh Delforge, Marquis’ vice president of design and engineering. “The Marquis 42 was our interpretation of all the good things that we saw in that market. It was our chance to start in a new direction. Yes, we had experience with other builds, but this was our unique take on what a dayboat should be.”

For Marquis, that means having a hardtop, a hydraulic swim platform and a head with a stand-up stall shower. Speaking of headspace, the interior cabin—with a galley down and a cuddy cabin—has a standing room height measuring 6 feet, 5 inches. Delforge likens that choice to the general size differential of people in the Midwest. “When you walk through a Carver, Marquis or Lexus, you’re going to notice the hallways are nice and wide because we’re a little bigger; we need more room,” he joked. While all the soft goods are high quality and durable, no name brands were used, nor was carbon fiber used in the construction. This was purposeful: Marquis wants their new line of dayboats to be competitive, not prohibitively expensive. According to the builder, there is already a backlog of orders coming from all over the country. They’re on target to build two units a month.

With a running surface designed by Donald L. Blount and Associates, Delforge reports that Marquis is pleased with how the 42 runs. The first five hulls are to be built with inboard propulsion—twin 480-hp Cummins diesels—but this spring, hull number six will debut with outboards, with options for twin 300- to 425-hp engines. The builder expects a top end of about 35 knots with the diesels, and 40-plus knots with the twin 425-hp outboards. “We tested it in both the great lakes and Florida out on the Atlantic, so we’re able to say that the boat runs really nice in multiple bodies of water,” said Delforge. “This is only the beginning for Marquis.”

Marquis 42 Specifications:

LOA: 42’
Beam: 13’
Draft: 36”
Displ.: 23,000 lb. (dry)
Fuel: 320 gal.
Water: 60 gal.
Power: 2/480-hp Cummins 6.7 diesel engines
Optional Power: 2/300-hp outboards; 2/425-hp outboards
Price: $663,955