Bluegame 42 Review, the Walkaround That Drives Like a Chase Boat

Bluegame 42 at a glance, and why it looks the way it does

The Bluegame 42, sold as the BG42, is a 43-foot 2-inch walkaround that borrows its look from a chase boat or a military tender: towering freeboard, a flared bow, a thick black rub strake, a windshield that rakes inward and, on many boats, ladders running up the back of the hardtop to a sun pad on the roof. Bluegame launched it in 2018, the year Sanlorenzo acquired the brand from its founders, and it remains the entry point to the BG range in 2026, below the BG54, BG64 and BG74.

Bluegame describes it as a walkaround, an open boat, a day cruiser and a chase boat in one hull. That sounds like marketing, but it is a fair summary. You get full walkaround decks behind high bulwarks, a raised central helm with superb sight lines, a protected dinette, a full-beam owner's cabin below and a deep-V hull that can run offshore at 30 knots for hundreds of miles.

Searchers often type bluegame 42 rather than BG42; they are the same boat. The only earlier Bluegame of similar size was the BG40, built from 2011 to 2013 under the founders, which is a different and much rarer design.

Lou Codega's 22-degree hull and a carbon roof

Under the styling sits a hull by Lou Codega, the American naval architect better known for offshore center consoles. It carries 22 degrees of deadrise at the transom, which is deeper than most walkaround day cruisers, and that is the BG42's core advantage. It keeps its composure in a chop where flatter-bottomed rivals pound.

Construction is mixed by purpose. The hull bottom is solid polyester laminate, the hull sides and superstructure are cored sandwich, the deck and coachroof use vinylester sandwich, and the hardtop is full carbon fiber to keep weight and center of gravity down. Full-load displacement is about 13 tonnes, or roughly 28,660 pounds.

The trade-off of that sharp hull is roll at rest. YachtBuyer's tester recommended the optional Seakeeper for anyone who anchors often, and noted a dedicated slot for a Seakeeper 3 at the forward end of the engine room, at the cost of awkward access to the generator.

IPS 600 or IPS 650, and the fuel curve

The BG42 is IPS only. Standard power is twin Volvo Penta IPS 600 with D6 engines at 435 hp each, and the option is IPS 650 at 480 hp. Bluegame quotes a 30-knot cruise and a 35-knot maximum, each plus or minus 5 percent. The manufacturer's data published by YachtBuyer for an IPS 650 boat show 38 knots at 3,840 rpm, and YachtBuyer's own UK sea trial recorded a two-way average of 36 knots.

The more useful figures are in the middle. At 2,800 rpm the boat makes 24.2 knots on about 23 gallons per hour, and at 3,200 rpm it runs 29.9 knots on about 31 gallons per hour, which with 380 gallons of fuel gives roughly 350 nautical miles. Slow to 9.5 knots and fuel burn falls to about 6 gallons per hour.

Testers consistently describe the handling as the highlight: fierce grip in hard turns, an almost jet-boat feel at speed and a raised driving position set far forward so you read the sea ahead. Around the marina, IPS and the joystick make it easy, though YachtBuyer still recommended the optional bow thruster for fine control.

Walkaround decks, a sunken dinette and a roof you can climb

The side decks are wide and symmetrical, and the high bulwarks make moving forward feel secure even where the rails taper. Fender lockers forward and fixed fender eyes speed up docking. Aft, a sun pad lifts on electro-hydraulic rams to expose the engine room, a far better arrangement than a deck hatch, and the optional hydraulic platform is rated for about 450 kilograms (roughly 990 pounds), though the standard version is short, so a large tender is a squeeze.

The dinette is the design's quiet master stroke. Rather than opening it to the side decks, Bluegame set it a few steps below the helm and wrapped it with high coamings. It seats fewer people than a full-width table, but children cannot wander onto the side decks at speed, and the wet bar with sink, fridge and grill is right there.

The whole area from the windshield to the end of the dinette can be closed in with Strataglass panels, which zip out for ventilation and make the boat usable in spring and fall. On the roof, the carbon hardtop can carry a sun pad reached by the optional ladders, or racks for paddleboards and fishing gear.

One proper cabin, a big head and a dinette that becomes a bed

Below, the layout is open plan. A full-beam owner's berth sits amidships under the cockpit with limited headroom over the bed but a genuine double mattress, bedside tables and access from either end. Forward, the dinette table lowers electrically and converts into a second double with an infill. The head is unusually large for the class, with a separate shower stall.

There is no separate guest cabin with a door, so the BG42 works best for a couple, or a family on weekend trips. Bluegame lists two berths officially. A small galley with cooktop and microwave is optional; skip it and you gain storage.

A commanding helm with a few omissions

The helm is high and central, with twin 9-inch displays as standard, 12-inch units as an option and 16-inch screens available in an overhead molding. Switchgear is machined metal, and the steering wheel has a slim metal rim that testers loved. The double helm seat is a carbon fiber piece that is fixed in place, so shorter skippers may stretch to the throttles.

Our criticisms match YachtBuyer's: there is little storage for small items at the dash and no cup holders, which is odd on a boat this well detailed. Deep overhead voids swallow covers and charts.

Buying a used BG42 and what it costs to run

Because the BG42 has stayed in production since 2018 with only detail changes, a used boat gives you nearly the same experience as a new one. Listings appear on both sides of the Atlantic, so a US buyer should factor in import costs for a European boat. Confirm the engine package, since IPS 650 boats are faster and more desirable, and check whether the boat has the Seakeeper, the Strataglass enclosure and air conditioning with the uprated 7 kW generator.

IPS maintenance is the main running-cost item beyond fuel. Volvo's pod service intervals, anodes and bellows need to be followed, and a pod that has struck bottom needs a specialist inspection. Budget roughly $35,000 to $70,000 a year for a BG42 in the US, covering slip, insurance, IPS service, bottom work and fuel for a typical season.