offshore yachtfisher 48

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Full Chapter One

• Offshore 48

by David Pascoe

Interesting. While searching for a word to describe this one, that's the word that keeps coming to mind. I've seen a few good Taiwan boats before. Hi Star comes to mind, but like many others, they're not around anymore. Offshore is new name to me, which is a trade name of Offhore Yachts, built by Tung Hwa Industries Co., Ltd., R.O.C. And unlike most others, it comes with a price tag that is not the usual bargain price. Something like $585,000 or thereabouts for the initial ante.

We can start with the fact that there is an effort here to build a quality boat here, which is not unusual coming out of Taipei or wherever this is built. There are many such efforts, but far more failures than successes, and for reasons which are generally unknown to me since the island of Formosa is a long, long way away from where I sit. But it's axiomatic that good boat building is generally linked to a tradition of same, a history that provides the educated backdrop for the heritage of knowing how to do things right. A heritage of sea faring is not something the far east is known for. After all, the west discovered the east, and not vice versa. And they did it in ships, not on horses. And since the founding of the nation, the US was and remains the preeminent leader in boat and shipbuilding technology. Even the Japs are intimidated by our plastic boat building industry (but not shipbuilding) and are reluctant to challenge us. This is a comment that comes direct from the mouth of an executive of one of Japan's top corporations. As of the moment they are trying to buy their way in through purchase and funding of some US builders.

I've traveled a bit in the far east. Marinas filled with pleasure craft are very far and few between, so it's no surprise to me that Taiwan boats tend to be the way they are. If you know anything about the Sons and Daughters of the Kuomintang, you know that they are great imitators. If you don't know anything about that island-nation, then I can tell you that they've created a huge industry of copying U.S. products, especially machine tools and small machinery items involving steel and cast iron. My own background involves some work in the machine tool industry where I've held jobs in Quality Control and tooling departments. They're pretty good metal workers but tend to fall short on engineering. Obviously, or they wouldn't need to copy the products of others; they would create their own. Japan was that way once, too, but the main difference is/was that Japan had no shortage of trained engineers. Anyone who faced the Japanese Navy in WWII knows that some of their battleships were better than ours, and some cruisers too. Their industry was destroyed by our bombers. But the highly regimented Japanese culture lacked creativity, not technology skills, so they copied us for a little while until they got creative. Japan advanced rapidly, while Taiwan did not. After the war it was populated by immigrants from all over the vastness of China, immigrants decidedly lacking in education or skill. Hence the low wages that still prevail in Formosa, while the Japanese are #2 in the world in terms of personal income, a fraction of a point behind the US.

So there you have a thumbnail backdrop against which this review is set. All new boats look good to the untrained eye. They are bright and shiny and time hasn't taken its toll yet. To the trained eye, it only took a moment to see a difference with this one. The very first impression was: good molds.   Very good molds. To create a really good set of molds for a boat this size would cost close to two million dollars. Which is probably why we see such lousy molding work on so many Taiwan boats. It's just one of the reasons that Taiwan boats are cheaper.

The use of  good molds is immediately apparent and is summed up by the one word, fairness. No lumps, bumps or ripples when you sight down an expanse of fiberglass. That's the way the molding work on this boat is. It looks like the molds were built in the U.S. Either that or someone invested in a multi-million dollar computer controlled contouring machine, which is what it takes to create flawless molds. Or they expended uncountable hours of hard labor.

We checked this one for subsurface flaws, meaning voids beneath the gelcoat which result from shoddy layup work. I have a technique to do this which is my own little secret, but I will tell you that no voids were found. That is UNusual. By and large, the molding and layup work is superior, even by US standards. I was told that the gel coat is from Cook Chemical, and I believe that. Cook was also the supplier to Bertram, whose finishes seem to last forever. On the inside of the hull . . . well, they aren't going to let you see much of that, but it is not all covered with numerous layers chopped strand mat (which is normal for Taiwan boats), since heavy fabrics can be seen in some places, possibly triaxil. Didn't see any roving.

Neatness is next to Godliness, and this is neat. At left is the nifty new Marinair A/C unit. Front and center are the fuel lines with engineering problems.

Didn't find any untreated, interior grade plywood either, although all plywood was painted so its quality couldn't be discerned. There was nothing to suggest that it was the usual oriental garbage. In the engine room and lazarette, we found plywood onto which a gel coat non-skid surface had been molded. Haven't seen that before, but how well this will work out when the wood gets wet remains to be seen. If it's top quality ply, it should be okay. But the plywood edges were untreated, raising suspicion about that.   Things were generally fairly neat in the deep, dark places where nobody often looks.

The decks are supposed to be cored with balsa, which is fine with us. We found the decks overall solid after jumping on them. No sagging, no vibration. Nice acoustic sound deadening with balsa.  While we didn't get a look at any deck undersides, it was pretty clear that there were no cores anywhere else, which is equally fine.  Why core something when it doesn't need it? On the thinner structures like the hull sides and bridge coamings, we found a lot of vertical battens, as shown in nearby photo. What does that mean? Well, the battens (or call them vertical frames if you like) take the place of cores and provide stiffening to otherwise large, flexible panels. This is the right way to do it, although in the case of the hull sides the battens should have been longitudinal, not vertical. I don't understand the thinking there. At least there is something extra there to prevent floppy hull sides. And no core to worry about.

One of the things we often see in Oriental boats are hull framing systems with seat-of-the-pants engineering. Winging it, just as they did in the early days of fiberglass boat building. Build it heavy, then keep reducing dimensions until it fails, then add a bit more until you got it right. What that tells us, of course, is that there is no structural engineer involved. Strictly amateur engineering. One sees all sorts of weird arrangements, like frames in places they are doing no good, or fuel tanks mounted on foundations resting on the hull skin, silly things like that. In this hull, there was not enough access to evaluate the hull structures, so we are unable to comment beyond this.

The neatness of systems installation is a hallmark here, as one can clearly see in the photos. This is nothing new in some Taiwan boats, and that neatness often distracts one away from substandard materials or engineering. That does not seem the be the case here except for the fuel system where we have the usual iron tanks, copper and stainless steel fuel system. By now you should know all about dissimilar metals and galvanism, which accounts for why these boats are notorious for fuel system leakage. Again, the lack of engineering knowledge shows through a bit.

As you can see, the engine room looks wonderful, so we try not to be taken in by the appearance. We have to give an "A" for effort here. This isn't an "open the hatch and throw the stuff in there" type of workmanship. Even so, the lack of engineering knowledge still shows up. Start with the copper fuel piping. It's rigidly attached to the tanks, and then rigidly clamped to the decks. Do fuel tanks move in bouncing boat? Naturally, something has to give and it's going to be the pipe connections. For all the brokers who will send e-mail arguing with me, this is the proof of what I said about the lack of seafaring heritage.

And then there are those iron fuel tanks. There must be an iron monger's union over there that mandates iron tanks. As usual, the tanks are all paneled in so that you can't see what's happening to them. If there are any water leaks, the leaks just go right on rusting the tanks until they fail, as they very often do. Imagine the cost of replacing them after dismantling the boat. These people need to get the hell away from iron. The additional cost of aluminum is not even worth talking about. Besides, it's a heck of a lot easier to weld. In fact, now that I think about it, aluminum is conspicuous by its absence on Taiwan boats.

It's also got the usual stainless water tanks sitting smack on plywood decks. A bit of water between the two and it's bye bye tanks. Again, aluminum tanks would be preferable.

The generator is in the lazarette with the usual shallow hatch gutters that leak water all over the generator, so you know what's going to happen to that in a few years. Ball of rust. The main problem here is the wrong hatch design and location.

Interestingly, some of the sea strainers are real American made Groco units, while others are similar copies of same. In fact, I'd be willing to bet that they took a sand mold right off of a Groco strainer. See what I mean about copying? A little patent infringement maybe? Yes, indeed, the Groco unit is patented. Stuff like that tends to get one's dander up a bit. The sea cocks are all Formosan, but at least they're properly installed. None of that glass the valves into the hull laminate stuff, which  we often see, and is just plain crazy. Nice engraved plastic labels on some of this plumbing. Everything else except for anything made of stainless is US manufactured. These people are sharp enough to know that Americans like American systems. (I do too. Our stuff is the best.) Steering is Capilano (all copper hydraulic lines) and controls are Hynautic hydraulic.

The engines are Caterpillar 3126's rated at 400 horses. This is not really a trawler and has a modified vee, warped plane hull configuration with a small keel. The bilges forward are round and taper back into hard chines and it behaves as such, making a smooth transition from displacement to planing speeds without squatting. It is something like a Burger hull. The trial run was done smack in the middle of Tropical Storm Mitch with 60 mph winds and seas running in the stream said to be 18', but from offshore. We stuck our nose out several times, running the inlet back and forth in big swells. Pretty sea kindly without too much rolling, despite the round chines forward. Far better performance than anything from Formosa I've seen before, some of which is pretty dismal. Chalk that up to a low center of gravity. The seller didn't seem about to let me get near the controls, so I didn't ask.

One engine had a bad oil leak from an unfound location and the exhaust riser and dry insulated exhaust system had a serious water leak on one side. The temperature outside the cheap fiberglass cloth insulation held in place with wire wrapping was over 300 degrees. Not good. One engine had a replacement turbocharger on it, and one has to wonder why. We keep hearing about Caterpillar problems, but have few specifics. I keep hearing people making statements about problems with new Cat engines, but when I ask for specifics, no one I've spoken with has answers. Other than that, the engine and drive system installation was the way it should be. By the way, you can save you money on these "dripless" stuffing boxes. These were throwing water and burned plastic all over the engine room. The reinvention of this wheel is square. Too many of these things seem to have problems.

Generator installed under large hatch with shallow gutter. A better design would have the hatches off to the sides and not directly over the genset.

This water tank installation looks great until you realize that the tanks are sitting smack on a plywood deck. The tanks need a proper foundation to prevent crevice corrosion. With the history of stainless steel failures, we'd prefer aluminum.

Mercifully, Cat has stopped supplying the Bushings, Inc stationary engine mount and has now changed to another style. I've been complaining for years that the Bushings, Inc. mount was no good. Looks like the warranty claims on busted gear boxes got a little too much for them.

We're going to give three, great big whooping cheers here to Marine Development Corporation who, along with their competitors Cruisair, have been for 30+ years making A/C units mounted on a steel chassis that pour condensation all over the steel and turn these things into ungodly, rusty messes. 35 damn years without change! A design that causes damage to everything else that the condensate comes in contact with. Finally! At last! Somebody has mounted a compressor on a chassis that catches the condensation so that it can be channeled off to a safe place. Finally! AFTER 35 YEARS! Their units have some other good revisions, too, like the electrical box on the top, not the bottom. Gee, whoda thunkit? If you're buying a new boat, make sure it has these little beauties.

The interior looks like it was built in units outside the hull, and this is good. How do we know that? Well, because of the wiring and plumbing. If you build a boat like a house -- that is, everything done in the hull -- it is very hard to install systems neatly. Wiring and hoses end up strung all over creation, usually causing problems. This one was too neat. It looks like a Hatteras, the interiors of which are completely built in modules, with the wiring installed "on the bench". What really proves this is that the wiring is numbered, and there's no way to do that with internal wiring. The other point is that modular construction forces pre-engineered electrical systems. Meaning that the system is not seat-of-the-pants, wire-it-as-you-go method, which creates a mess and causes errors.

Design-wise, there are a few problems. It has unusual house side doors that operate like van doors, and these worked fine once you learn the trick. But the two rear doors are at a forward facing angle, which is just inviting water leaks. The upper deck has a narrow split door which is a really bad idea. You have to fumble around with two doors instead of one. This one is a leaker for sure.

There is a  deck well necessary to facilitate entry to the side doors. Naturally, you don't have the side deck there to reinforce the bulwarks rail, so this part of the hull side is naturally weak. But then the designer did something really foolish: he put a hinged, drop down gate right on the hull side, in effect creating a door in the rub rail. Yes, a door in the rub rail. If you can't foresee the foolishness of this, it will become painfully obvious the first time this thing touches a piling. It's going to tear that door right out, with a great deal of ensuing damage.

Next, we have windows that consist of glass sandwiched between the house sides and the interior teak paneling, with teak trim on the inside, and molded fiberglass moldings on the outside. At first glance, this may look like a good idea. Eliminates those nasty aluminum window frames, right? Yes, but the net result is far worse. You'll find a lengthy article titled Windows, Windows , right here on this site to explain why (and show you the graphical results) this idea is going to turn into a world of hurt. There is no escape from what happens when you put window glass up against wood. Wood absorbs water and swells. This is a long-standing problem with Taiwan boats and they should know better by now. But there you have it.

Stainless steel hardware. Loads of it, and it's the usual Chinese stuff, all brightly polished, but starting to rust never-the-less. It has the usual stainless davit on the back porch deck that is not particularly attractive. Then there is an 8" high railing around this deck that has only one stanchion in an 8' length. What for? Is this a luggage rack? This is a bit of a head scratcher. But at least the top and arch are solid and not wobbly like so many others.

Ergonomically, I confess to not understanding layouts like this. Count 'em, there are seven different levels in this boat and the amount of climbing around I did was exhausting. Up and down, up and down, endless ups and downs. I suppose if you just sit a lot and don't have to move around too much it's okay. But the break up of spaces into so many different levels and compartments turns into something of a rabbit warren. If you like that sort of thing, this is your boat. Personally, a boat that offers the equivalent of boot camp training getting around on it is not my idea of good design.

The salon is large but naturally broken up by a lower helm and the two side doors, so for seating you're stuck with an L lounge and a small swivel chair back in a corner. The entertainment cabinet sticking out in the center on the starboard side breaks up the traffic pattern, causing one to detour around it, and prevents the addition of any other furniture except maybe folding chairs. The galley down is smallish with inadequate counter space to my liking, but not as small as some. There is no dinette and only a hi-lo table to eat on. Does anyone ever use those things? On the other hand, dinettes are one of the most oft used spaces on a boat. It's no coincidence that dinette cushions on used boats are usually well worn. I wouldn't consider a boat this size without one.

Another bugaboo appears at the lower helm where you have a major support column for the bridge sticking out in front of the instrument panel. Standing at the helm and advancing the throttles, my elbow hits the column which I found rather annoying. Nor is there much space to mount your gizmos. Most boats will have a drop-down cabinet from the overhead to mount stuff, but this one doesn't.

The four lite windshield offers great visibility. But it also offers tremendous opportunity for leaks and the amount of sunlight radiation it lets in is going to be a serious problem. It's going to be a real hot house that will require more powerful air conditioning than what exists on the boat to cool it down.

For a two-stateroom 48 footer, both fore and aft rooms are smallish, with the forward having the climb-over-the-end-of-the-bed double, but a walk around double aft. This is the serious penalty for the large cockpit. Yet it is a bit more outdoorsy than the typical tricabin.

There are 3-1/2 steps up to the bridge on a ladder where it would have been nicer to have built in steps here. And there's no railing, making it a bit awkward when the boat is rolling. Actually, very awkward. The bridge area is not the usual huge affair, but is rather narrow due to the wide side decks. Not an altogether bad trade off unless you plan to have a lot of people on the bridge. This would have been a nice, easy area to maintain, but they went and added all those varnished teak moldings. Nor was I thrilled with the wheel placement which was so low that in standing at the helm, my fingertips just barely curved around the upper destroyer wheel rim. Going to a larger wheel would solve this inadequacy. There is also a plexiglas cover for the engine instruments, but it has no gutter around it so that water gets at the instruments anyway. Aft visibility is not too bad, but you do have to stoop to look under the hard top.

The fiberglass weather boards are rigidly bolted to the stanchions so that expansion and contraction will cause them to buckle. These need to be loose-jointed.

Fit and finish wise everything is superior. The drawers are dovetailed and cabinet doors well hinged and things generally work the way they're supposed to. The woodwork is not the best we've seen coming out of Formosa, but it will take a trained eye to see the flaws. Epoxy paste was used to fill gaps in some badly fitted joints. The epoxy is the same color as the teak, so it doesn't show now, but will when the teak color begins to darken with age. Then you'll have yellow epoxy showing on brown teak. They used a matching mica on the countertop surfaces, which is very sensible over  real wood tops.

But speaking of mica, all the shower stalls are not molded fiberglass but mica on plywood. This is substandard as the majority of boats today have fiberglass stalls which are easy to clean and don't leak and rot. Serious points off for this one.

So how do we sum it up? Certainly the fiberglass work is the best we've seen to ever come out of Taiwan. No doubt about that at all. The system's installation is superbly neat while many of the same old same old engineering flaws are present. That's too bad because this would otherwise be a top-notch (at least for its price) product. Who knows, maybe they'll get enough feed back to motivate some changes. If so, this could be a serious contender in this popular market style. With the above mentioned problems corrected, we'd add another full star.

Priced somewhat above similar examples coming out of Formosa, the price difference seems to be reflected mainly in the superior glass work. It really does look good. The comparably sized Hatteras motor yacht has a sticker price of nearly a million, and this example 60% of that amount. The engineering and systems in the Hatteras are undeniably superior, though less showy. The differences show up in such things as the lack of window frames, iron fuel tanks, stainless water tanks, rusting hardware, generally less knowledgeable engineering, and several major design mistakes. On balance, it is superior to most anything else we've seen coming out of Taiwan.

Posted February 11, 1999

Referred article: "Windows, These Leaky, Leaking Windows "

David Pascoe - Biography

David Pascoe is a second generation marine surveyor in his family who began his surveying career at age 16 as an apprentice in 1965 as the era of wooden boats was drawing to a close.

Certified by the National Association of Marine Surveyors in 1972, he has conducted over 5,000 pre purchase surveys in addition to having conducted hundreds of boating accident investigations, including fires, sinkings, hull failures and machinery failure analysis.

Over forty years of knowledge and experience are brought to bear in following books. David Pascoe is the author of:

• " Mid Size Power Boats " (2003)
• " Buyers’ Guide to Outboard Boats " (2002)
• " Surveying Fiberglass Power Boats " (2001, 2nd Edition - 2005)
• " Marine Investigations " (2004).

In addition to readers in the United States, boaters and boat industry professionals worldwide from nearly 80 countries have purchased David Pascoe's books, since introduction of his first book in 2001.

In 2012, David Pascoe has retired from marine surveying business at age 65.

On November 23rd, 2018, David Pascoe has passed away at age 71.

Biography - Long version

Boat Reviews Articles At-A-Glance

• Introduction to Boat Reviews
• Albemarle 305
• Aquasport 215
• Baha 260 Targa (not "Baja")
• Bertram Yachts
• Bertram Yachts: Introduction
• Bertram 26.6 II
• Bertram 28 II
• Bertram 30 Express
• Bertram 30 Moppie
• Bertram 31 SF
• Bertram 33 SF
• Bertram 36 Moppie
• Bertram 42 Convertible
• Bertram 46 Convertible
• Blackfin Yachts
• Blackfin 29 SF
• Blackfin 29 Combi
• Blackfin 32 Flybridge
• Blackfin 33
• Boston Whaler Outrage 26
• Cabo 31 Sport Express
• Century 3000
• Chris-Craft 302 Crown
• Contender 25
• Cranchi Mediterranee 40
• Cruisers 4270 Esprit
• Cruisers 4280
• Glacier Bay 2640 Renegade
• Grady-White Offshore 24
• Grady-White 24 Voyager
• Grady White 272 Sailfish
• Grand Banks 42
• Gulfstar 43  Trawler-style Yacht
• Hatteras Yachts
• Hatteras Yachts: Introduction
• Hatteras 36 Convertible
• Hatteras 38 Convertible
• Hatteras 38 Convertible - Updated Review
• Hatteras 39 Sport Express
• Hatteras 45 Convertible
• Hatteras 52 Convertible
• Hatteras 53 Motor Yacht & Convertible
• Hatteras 61 Motor Yacht
• Hyatt 45 CMY
• Intrepid 289
• Island Gypsy 40
• Legacy 34 Express
• Luhrs 320 Open
• Luhrs 34 - 340 F.B. Sedan
• Luhrs Tournament 350
• Luhrs Tournament 360
• Mainship 31
• Mainship 350 Trawler
• Mako 221- Updated 11/05/99
• Maxum 4600 1998
• Morgan 462 Ketch
• Post 46 Convertible
• Pursuit 2855
• Pursuit 3000 Offshore
• Pursuit 3070 CC
• Sea Ray and Balsa Core Bottoms (from "Structural Issues")
• Sea Ray 250 Sundancer
• Sea Ray Sundancer 290
• Sea Say Sundancer 290 Update
• Sea Ray 370 AC
• Sea Ray 39 Express
• Sea Ray 500
• Shamrock 26
• Thompson Santa Cruz 2700
• Tiara Yachts
• Tiara Today
• Tiara 3100 Open
• Tiara 3600 Convertible
• Tiara 3600 Open
• Topaz 28_1981
• Trojan 10-8 Meter
• Trojan 14 Meter Convertible
• Trojan 440 Express
• Viking 43 Open
• from Buying a Boat cat.
• Marlin Monroe 42 Bertram Convertible Make an Old Boat New
• A Few Favorites

• Basic Considerations
• Boat Types: Which is Right for You?
• Old Boats, New Boats and Quality
• Basic Hull Construction
• Evaluating Boat Hulls
• Performance and Sea Keeping
• Decks & Superstructure
• Stress Cracks,Finishes and Surface Defects
• Power Options
• The Engine Room
• Electrical & Plumbing Systems
• Design Details
• Steering, Controls, Systems & Equipment
• The Art of the Deal
• Boat Shopping
• The Survey & Post Survey
• Boat Builders by Company

• What is Pre-Purchase Survey?
• Business Practices and Client Relations
• Sound vs. Seaworthiness
• Hull and Its Structure
• Surveying the Hull
• Using Moisture Meters
• Stress Cracks & Surface Irregularities
• Deck & Superstructure
• Drive Train
• Gas Engines
• Fuel Systems
• Exhaust Systems
• Electrical Systems
• Plumbing Systems

Published by: D. H. Pascoe & Co., Inc. Articles, Images: Copyright © 1997 - 2018 David H. Pascoe All rights reserved. Articles, Images: Copyright © 2019-2022 Junko A. Pascoe All rights reserved. Web site design & developement: Copyright © 1997 - 2023 Junko A. Pascoe All rights reserved. Web site: Maintained by Junko A. Pascoe

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Edwards Yacht Sales

• 866.365.0706

1986 Offshore Yachts 48 Cockpit Yachtfisher

• Fort Lauderdale, FL, US

Yacht price

• Email Broker
• Call Broker

"Zulu Pearl V" is now offered "As Is" in Fort Lauderdale for quick sale!- 

The Offshore 48 Cockpit Sundeck Trawler and Yachtfisher enjoyed a long production run from 1985 to 1999. The Crealock designed Offshore 48 is well known for being a "sea kindly" vessel. Her very popular layout includes a cockpit, full sized aft stateroom, sundeck with hardtop, large flybridge, forward guest cabin and spacious wide-open saloon with lower helm. "Zulu Pearl V" has a full teak interior, teak & holly flooring throughout, deck doors port and starboard in the saloon, and an entryway door from the aft stateroom to the cockpit -a very convenient feature. The walk-around side decks are quite wide and protected with raised bulwarks. Offshore 48's provide for safe boarding to and from the dock at either side, and the strength and thickness of the railings all around will surprise you. The large aft cockpit is perfect for deck chairs and table for outside entertaining with large walkout transom door to swim platform. The full-width spacious upper aft deck overlooks the cockpit, and the enclosed flybridge is arranged with the helm forward for best pilot view. She is equipped with the 320-hp Cummins to cruise at 14 - 15 knots at an economical 19gph. Or throttle back to 10 knots at 10gph.  She has received excellent care and maintenance over the years and is ready to cruise. The deck, cabin sides, flybridge, cockpit just had new paint and looks outstanding, as well as fresh bottom paint

Specifications

Descriptions, basic information, dimensions & weight, tank capacities.

Accommodations

• View Option

Zulu Pearl contains an aft sundeck with seating and a table, a large cockpit with sink and a comfortable flybridge which makes for a very spacious yacht. Entering either from the starboard side doorway, or from the sundeck companionway, there is a large salon, a galley down and a dinette opposite on the starboard side. Aft is the huge master stateroom which has the popular walk-around queen island bed with a large hanging locker and ample storage drawers throughout. Forward of the galley is the guest stateroom with a V-berth and filler cushion. There is a hanging locker to starboard in addition to storage drawers under the V-berth. As with the rest of the yacht there opening ports on either side. On the port side aft of the guest stateroom is the head/wet head, vanity/sink and storage drawers  The galley is forward of the salon on the port side. A Norcold 12V/110V fridge/freezer is installed in the forward section of the galley next to the electric cooktop. In the aft corner is the sink. There is a large amount of storage both above and below the countertop. Opposite the galley on starboard is the dinette with a drop down table converting it into a double guest berth.  The spacious salon has two leather easy chairs with ottomans, and a counter top overlooking the galley with two bar stools. Opposite on starboard you will find the lower helm area.

Double SS sink w/ pressure fresh water system

NORCOLD upright AC/DC refrigerator w/ freezer 

GALLEY MAID 3 burner electric stove w/ oven 

Microwave oven 

Ample storage 

Electronics  

FURUNO VX2radar/chartplotter

GARMIN VHF radio (upper helm)

ICOM VHF (lower helm)

STANDARD HORIZON hailer

Fusion680 watt AM/FM/CD/POD stereo w/ waterproof speakers

(2) RITCHIE 5"compass (upper and lower helms) Rudder angle indicator

DATAMARINE depthsounder- DATAMARINE speed log 

SONY TV/VCR

GUEST remote spotlight

  Electrical  

Norpro Isuzu 14.5 KW generator (1720 hours)

Dual 30 amp 120 volt system

Xantrex 2500 watt charger

(2) 8D house batteries

(2) 8D engine start batteries

(1) 4D generator start battery

Dual Cole Hersey 4 position switches

Blue Seas generator on/off switch

AC/DC breaker panel w/ volts and amps meters

Deck Equipment

SS/wood bow pulpit 

BRUCE anchor 45 lbs. w/ 100' 3/8" chain 

MAXWELL 3500 electric windlass 

High gloss varnished hand rail 

SS deck fittings and cleats 

Molded in fiberglass bulwarks 

Side decks access 

WARN 1000lbs electric s/s dinghy hoist

Aft Cockpit

High gloss varnished cap rail  Swim platform w/ ladder  Transom door  Hot/Cold transom shower

Cockpit sink 

Fishing Equipment

RUPP marine single spreader outriggers 

Live well fish box w/ sink 

(12) rod holders 

Adjustable helm seat 

Molded in seating w/ storage under 

Fold down radar arch

S/S Bimini top 

Engine/Mechanical Equipment

Twin 320hp Cummins VT 555 M diesel engines, Twin Disc 521 transmissions

Freshwater cooling system

(3) Reverse cycle Marine Air A/C systems

Seaward 11 gal S/S water heater

(4) Automatic bilge pumps (1500 gals x day each)

(1) Manual emergency bilge pump

In today’s motoryacht marketplace, the general assumption seems to be that bigger is always better. Many of the same people who thought a 60-footer was the epitome of luxurious cruising five years ago find that, in the 21st century, nothing smaller than a 70-footer will do. Let those guys have their great big boats. Skippers in the know are well aware that a smaller boat can be much easier to handle (especially if you want to run the boat yourself), but just as well-appointed as those mansionette mega-yachts. A case in point: Offshore Yachts’ 48 Sedan has long been popular with Western boaters who have a good grasp on the reality of life at sea. The boat’s seakindly William Crealock design offers all the luxury features a cruising couple could ask for — along with such â real world⠝ essentials as a large cockpit for fishing enthusiasts, wide and well-protected walk-around decks, a large full-view flybridge and a galley on the same level as the boat’s spacious saloon. All of this comes from a respected Western builder that has been producing pleasurecraft since the 1940s. Offshore’s Greatest Hits Offshore Yachts has its roots in several companies founded by Richard O. Hunt and his sons, Richard Jr. and Robert. Richard O. Hunt worked with the Navy during World War II in the development of fiberglass-reinforced plastic hull boats — and in 1948, went on to introduce one of the world’s first lines of laminated fiberglass pleasureboats. In 1966, the Hunt family introduced the first Offshore models, built with contemporary fiberglass hull construction technology and traditional nautical-quality handcrafted wood joinery throughout the interior. Renowned West Coast yacht designer William Crealock began providing designs for the Hunt family’s boats in 1968. Then as now, the boats were built in Taiwan — taking advantage of the region’s abundance of skilled craftsmen and lower overall production costs. This allowed Offshore to offer a higher-quality boat for a lower price than its competitors. However, unlike many other companies that would later offer Taiwan-built boats with U.S. nameplates, the Hunts actually built — and continue to build — their own boats in Taiwan. Offshore has its own exclusive designs, which are built using its own tooling. The Hunts do their own supervision and maintain quality control over all aspects of production of their boats. After introducing the popular Marauder line of high-performance power boats in the 1970s, the Hunts turned their attention to developing a high-speed line of cruising yachts with Crealock. The first boat of the series was the Offshore 48 Yachtfisher, introduced in 1984. In 1986, Offshore Yachts introduced the Offshore 48 Sedan. The 48 Sedan was a long-running success, with production continuing through 2000. Part of the reason for its success is the hull it was built upon. The Hull Story The 48’s hand-laminated fiberglass hull has four full-length stringers and multiple athwartship frames for high strength and stiffness. Balsa coring is sandwiched between layers of fiberglass from the waterline up to the caprail, for additional rigidity. With a modified-V design, the 48’s hull offers a sharp V entry and a deep forefoot that gradually tapers to 12 degrees of deadrise at the transom. The boat gets on plane quickly (at about 12 knots) and knifes cleanly through waves and chop. Thanks to the boat’s substantial displacement, long shallow keel, low profile and low center of gravity, the 48 offers a rock-solid ride and a high degree of directional stability. Handling is sure and responsive in a variety of sea conditions — earning the 48 a reputation as a good boat in heavy weather. The boat was made available with a variety of engine packages — including Caterpillar, Cummins and Volvo Penta diesels. With a pair of 375 hp Caterpillar diesels, the boat cruises at around 17 knots and can reach a top speed of around 20 knots. Larger engine packages, such as twin 420 hp Caterpillar diesels, provide 1 to 2 knots more top-end speed. However, even at wide-open throttle, the 48 is a relatively quiet-running boat. Double insulation installed throughout the engine room keeps onboard noise to a minimum. The boat can be operated either from a lower steering station opposite the galley or from the boat’s expansive flybridge. The flybridge offers ample space for friends and family to gather with the skipper — and an adjacent aft deck provides enough space to stow a dinghy. While the 48 Sedan is a motoryacht, not a sportfisher (Offshore made an equally popular 48 Yachtfish model), the cockpit is quite roomy. An overhang from the aft deck provides sun protection, but there is still ample open space for fishing. Wide walk-around decks are protected not only by stainless-steel rails, but also by high sides and the sheltering aft deck overhang. A side door offers quick access to the inside helm station. The Inside Story The 48’s saloon is surrounded by large windows, which bathe it in natural light. The windows are leakproof, thanks to a unique Crealock design that makes the window frames an indented part of the cabin side, with a wide lip that accepts the window track. It is notched at each end to allow trapped water to drain out quickly. The saloon is nicely appointed with finely crafted teak joinery and trim — and it appears even larger than it actually is, thanks to all those windows and the fact that it is open to the U-shaped galley, on the other side of a handy breakfast bar. Belowdecks, the 48 offers two staterooms and two heads. The forward stateroom is the largest, however the smaller portside stateroom also offers a double berth and hanging locker. Additional overnight guests can be accommodated on an optional convertible settee in the saloon. With comfortable accommodations, high-quality construction, timeless lines and a seakindly hull, the Offshore 48 continues to be in high demand on the brokerage boat market. In Sea’s last broker survey, it was ranked among the West’s top five brokerage motoryachts — and it justly deserves the title “ modern classic”.

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Offshore Yachtfisher 48

ON DECK at Waterline Boats! 48′ / Offshore Yachtfisher / 1986 / power / Port Orchard / Agent-Brian Moratti

When construction of the  Offshore Yachtfisher 48  is complete it will appear on our Waterline Boats Inventory page with a photo and link to the complete specifications, up to 100 large format photos, 360 VT and video tour!

Beat the rush! Call 206-282-0110 before this listing goes live to learn more or to make an appointment for your personal preview.

**Interested in selling your boat?

Then speak to one of our specialist brokers about what  Waterline Boats / Boatshed  can do for you! We will view your boat, take up to 100 interior and exterior photos. Plus build an inventory and list the boat’s full specifications in detail. It will then go live on  boatshedseattle.com  and across all Boatshed offices world wide. With offices from Seattle to Athens to Phuket. We also advertise on Yachtworld.com, Boattrader.com, and many other boat-specific websites as well as print media. We handle the whole sale including viewings, negotiations, contracts and post sale services. Our crew strives to make the process enjoyable and easy for buyers and sellers.

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