Bowman 48 Buyer's Guide
Shopping used Bowman 48s means chasing a scarce semi-custom cruiser: ten built from 1981 by Southern Boatbuilding Co., each Lloyd’s 100A1 solid fiberglass with lead fin keel and skeg rudder. Chuck Paine’s largest Bowman carries a centre cockpit and heavy-displacement hull near 34,000 lb, so examples are individual yachts, not a uniform run.
Layouts on the Used Market
Bowman offered the 48 with a centre cockpit; semi-custom build means arrangements differ. The constant is the midships cockpit with fore and aft volumes from the 14 ft 2 in beam and 39 ft 5 in waterline. Tankage is 200 gallons water and 100 gallons diesel, a baseline even when woodwork varies.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
Used 48s commonly carry an inverter, bow thruster, electric winches, and chartplotter; teak decks and asymmetric spinnaker are common, with life raft and circumnavigation outfit frequent. Often-seen are watermaker, heating, solar, and autopilot — key for passage-making. Less commonly, a furling main or short-handed setup is an owner upgrade. Bow thruster and electric winches ease handling; watermaker and solar signal offshore readiness.
What to Inspect
The hull is solid fiberglass to Lloyd’s 100A1, which Yachting Monthly called virtually bulletproof; the deck should be surveyed as a matter of course. With a heavy displacement solid hull and lead ballast there is no cored hull below waterline, but semi-custom systems deserve individual tracing. She maintains good speed given a good breeze, confirming rig and keel should be assessed under load.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
Bowman 48s typically appear in the United States, United Kingdom, and Portugal. Checklist: confirm Lloyd’s solid hull and survey deck; verify centre-cockpit layout; prioritise bow thruster, electric winches, autopilot; treat furling main or short-handed rig as owner upgrade. The 48 rewards patient shoppers with a near-bulletproof hull if custom history is surveyed.
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Bowman 48. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 3 rows
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 25 | 2 | $229,650 | — |
| Apr 26 | 5 | $271,638 | +18.3% |
| May 26 | 1 | $249,000 | -8.3% |
Where they're listed
Bowman 48 listings appear across 2 countries. United Kingdom has the most listings with 4 (80.0%), followed by United States.
Country view
5 listings · 2 countries| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | $271,638 | 4 | 0 | 80.0% |
| United States | $249,000 | 1 | 0 | 20.0% |
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
3 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tayana 48 | 48' | $ 325,000 | 29 | 9 |
| Rival 48You are here | — | $ 261,785 | 6 | 0 |
| Hans Christian 48 | 47.83' | $ 247,383 | 5 | 2 |