Celestial 48 Sailboat Review, Specs, and Listings

Design and Construction

Bryce Fuhriman developed the Celestial 48 from his own 46-footer, which borrowed a Brewer hull and incorporated Fuhriman’s changes. An international team—American ownership, Australian management, and Chinese craftsmen—built the boat as a semi-custom bluewater cruiser aimed at the North American market.

The boat measures 50 feet overall and 48 feet on deck, with a 13-foot 6-inch beam and a 6-foot draft. It has a fully encapsulated, elongated fin keel containing two solid lead castings.

The hull is balsa-cored down to the waterline, with solid fiberglass reinforcement around the chainplates, rudder shaft, and propeller shaft. Around through-hulls, the balsa was cut away and sealed with epoxy; it was omitted entirely from the keel sides and centerline. The balsa was omitted entirely from the keel sides and centerline.

Substantial bulwarks provide good offshore foot bracing, while strong hawseholes help reduce chafe on the teak caprail. Most boats left the factory with teak decks that were screwed and glued in place. At up to 3/8 inch, the teak is fairly thick, so sanding and re-caulking remain viable provided there are no leaks.

Rig and Sail Handling

The ketch rig divides 990 square feet of sail area between a Kenyon, keel-stepped, double-spreader mainmast and a deck-stepped, single-spreader mizzen. The mainmast rises 56 feet above the waterline.

The divided sail plan is easy to manage short-handed and suits a small crew. On a beam reach, the Celestial stays on her feet and performs best under jib and jigger with the mainsail furled. Jib sheets lead to tracks on the caprail, so the sheeting angles aren’t especially tight. She’ll point to about 45 degrees before stalling, particularly in head seas.

The original mainsheet arrangement led forward as it might on an aft-cockpit boat. That leaves the sheet out of the helmsman’s reach and introduces some line friction. The cockpit and ketch layout provide no convenient place for a winch, although some owners have added a cascading purchase for end-boom trim.

Sailing and Motoring Performance

The underbody has very full, round bilges. This reduces form stability and makes the boat initially somewhat tender, so she generally benefits from early reefing. Reefing is needed when the wind is forward of the beam and over 18 knots. Once heeled, the 44 percent ballast-to-displacement ratio comes into play and stiffens her.

In light air, she moves like a luxury car, making 5 knots in only 8 to 10 knots of breeze. With all canvas set, she’ll make 6 to 7 knots close-reaching and 8 knots or more on a beam or broad reach in roughly 15 knots of true wind.

A boats.com reviewer described the Celestial 48 as a strong boat with a sought-after layout, excellent storage, and good sailing characteristics. The reviewer also found her surprisingly agile for a 27,000-pound center-cockpit cruiser. The reviewer found her surprisingly agile for a 27,000-pound center-cockpit cruiser.

Under power, the large skeg-hung rudder makes the boat very maneuverable. With a three-blade fixed or folding propeller, she can turn within her own length by backing and filling, and can power at 8 knots depending on conditions.

Accommodations and Storage

The interior follows a modern fore-and-aft cabin plan, with 6-foot 2-inch headroom in the saloon, galley, and aft stateroom. The finish is solid teak or teak veneer throughout, over a teak-and-holly sole.

Forward, there’s a traditional 6-foot 6-inch V-berth. Some owners have converted this area to a Pullman berth and added cabinets.

The saloon is arranged around a drop-leaf table with an eight-bottle wine rack. It seats four comfortably or six tightly, with an L-shaped settee to port and a straight settee to starboard. Early hulls had narrower settees to provide more storage; later boats used wider settees with angled backs.

The U-shaped galley lies to starboard. Counter and drawer space are limited, but food stowage is good. A gimbaled stove and top-loading reefer were standard, and centerline sinks sit near the companionway.

To port, a forward-facing navigation station sits opposite a wet locker. The passageway door opens into a large crawl-in engine room. This space is well insulated and well lit, with room for a watermaker to starboard, a small genset to port, and an inverter or charger on the forward bulkhead.

The owner’s suite aft centers on a king-size bunk. Both heads use fiberglass pans with teak trim. The aft head includes a dedicated separate shower with a seat, but it has only an opening port and no overhead hatch.

Storage is well suited to bluewater cruising, with 23 hand-caned lockers and additional space beneath and behind the settees and bunks. Fifteen opening ports and seven hatches provide ventilation.

Known Issues and Common Refits

Early boats used only a fiberglass-covered block of wood for the mainmast step. If that fiberglass shell was breached, water could enter, rot the step, and destabilize the rig. Construction varied from hull to hull, so the mast step warrants careful inspection.

Chainplate access is poor. A tidy-looking vinyl headliner also obstructs access to deck hardware.

Osmotic blistering usually appears as a few spots on the hull and rudder, mostly under 1/4 inch. An epoxy barrier coat helps. The scuppers are poorly positioned, allowing water to miss them and collect about eight feet forward of the transom.

Some owners have replaced the teak decks with fiberglass nonskid. Others have removed the poorly functioning passageway freezer and converted the space to spares storage.

The Verdict

The Celestial 48 is a rare but thoughtfully arranged bluewater ketch, with a large dedicated engine room, serious stowage, and light-air performance that belies her 27,000-pound displacement. She’s manageable short-handed and stiffens through her 44 percent ballast ratio once heeled and reefed. Buyers should, however, pay close attention to the early mast-step rot risk, difficult chainplate access, awkward mainsheet geometry, and deck-drainage quirks.

Pros