Boat buyers of the early 1980s will remember the energy crisis of the late 1970s. Boat builders were looking for ways to offer models with better fuel efficiency. Some did it with trawlers that had slower-speed, displacement-style hulls that sipped fuel. Others did it with semi-planing hulls that offered better speed and range while retaining optimal seaworthiness. These were often called “fast” or “performance” trawlers. Albin Marine of Greenwich, Connecticut, offered both types and turned to C. Raymond Hunt Associates for the latter option.
Winn Willard, president of Ray Hunt Design, remembers the company designing a series of boats for Albin Marine in the 1980s that included a 48, 42, 36 and 31. “While it was first introduced around 1983 as the 48 Palm Beach,” Willard recalls, “the 48-foot design was eventually marketed by Albin as the North Sea Cutter in 1986.” The mold for the 48 was then dammed off to create a 42-footer.
Hunt Design gave the 48 NSC a sheer that rose subtly to the bow, a flybridge-topped deckhouse with sliding doors for access to the side decks, a full-width trunk cabin aft with room on top for a boat deck, and a spacious cockpit with a lazarette. The 48 also got a transom door that created good access aft for fishing, swimming and line handling.
For optimal running across a wide range of conditions, the 48 NSC had a modified deep-V hull with a sharp entry, modestly raked stem and clean runs aft. The hull had 40 degrees of deadrise forward and finished with a 16-degree transom deadrise. A generous bow flare and hard chines starting forward above the waterline deflected spray well. The hard chines helped to minimize roll while two pairs of strakes below the waterline added lift for optimal efficiency at semi-planing speeds.
At first, a 48 NSC was equipped with twin 150-hp Volvo Penta diesels. Later models came standard with 307-hp diesels for a 17- to 18-knot cruise. Optional Caterpillar 375-hp engines pushed the boat to a 20-plus-knot cruise. To save weight and improve speed and fuel economy, the hull, decks and cabin were cored with Airex foam. Features like molded fiberglass stringers and teak-faced joinery also helped eliminate excess interior weight and lower the boat’s center
of gravity.
The boat was available with three different layouts, including two galley-down arrangements with one or two cabins forward. A third featured a U-shaped galley on the main deckhouse level, while all three showed a lower helm to starboard. Aft of the main deck, four steps to port of the centerline led down to the full-beam aft cabin in all three layouts. Features in the space included a queen-sized island berth, a head compartment with an oval tub and shower, abundant storage and a private hatch leading to the aft cockpit.
May 2025
