Surfari 48

SPECIFICATIONS

LOA: 48 feet, 9 inches • BEAM: 14 feet, 8 inches • DISPLACEMENT: 34,789 pounds • BALLAST: 9,900 pounds • DRAFT: 5 feet, 6 inches (keel up) • HULL TYPE: monohull • POWER: twin 85-hp Yanmar JH85 diesels w/JH60 Sail-Drives • TANKAGE: 250 gallons fuel, 250 gallons water, 30 gallons waste • PRICE: $2.83 million • CONTACT: Friendship Yacht Company, Middletown, Rhode Island, (401) 682-9101. friendshipyachtcompany.com

Splashed in May for launch customer Jimmy Buffett, the Surfari 48 is the latest design from naval architect Ted Fontaine. Playful, fast and built with utility in mind, the Surfari 48 aims to deliver comfortable, single-level outdoor living and easy access to on-the-water fun.

Fontaine says, “The Surfari 48 is a game changer — it’s a boat people do not even know they want. This boat sails fast, runs under power quickly, keeps you out of the sun, provides easy access to the water and can easily carry stand-up paddle boards and kayaks.”

Fontaine designed the boat to provide spirited performance under both sail and power. A carbon fiber rig supports 1,324 square feet of sail from a boom-furling main and roller-furling jib that operate electrically at the push of a button. Sheeting controls are also electrified, making trimming underway easy. A hydraulically-operated lifting bulb keel has a five-foot, six-inch draft with the keel up, and an eight-foot, six-inch draft with the keel down. Twin 85-hp Yanmar inboard diesels mated to Sail-Drives with three-bladed props provide a top speed of 10 knots.

The single-level main deck is protected for much of its length by an integrated hardtop/pilothouse that can be buttoned down in bad weather or opened up when it is pleasant. A binnacle-mounted steering wheel sits far forward under the hardtop and is flanked by two settees. Farther aft is an outdoor galley with pull-out refrigeration, an icemaker, a sink with a freshwater mixer and an electric grill. An L-shaped dinette with teak table sits across from the galley. All the way aft is a tailgate-style transom that flips down to improve water accessibility.

A number of different interior layouts can be specified by each owner, though

Fontaine says the three-cabin layout will likely be the most popular. Buffett chose to have an L-shaped navigation station/mini galley in the main saloon with a long berth across from it, a simple V-berth with twin bunks forward and a divided head/shower/utility space tucked between the V-berth and main saloon.

This article originally appeared in the August 2018 issue.