Cheoy Lee 48 Buyer's Guide
Shopping the brokerage market for a Cheoy Lee Perry Offshore 48 means chasing a comparatively scarce Robert H. Perry design from the early 1980s, built by Cheoy Lee Shipyard Ltd. in solid fiberglass with a fin keel and offered in both aft- and mid-cockpit layouts. With only 40 constructed from 1980 onward, the boat rewards patient hunting and a careful survey, especially given the draft that restricts her to deeper marinas.
Layouts on the Used Market
The two factory layouts — aft cockpit and mid cockpit — share the same 47-foot-10 hull, 13-foot-9 beam, and 32,300-pound displacement, so the principal difference is companionway and cockpit positioning rather than interior volume. Either version carries 200 gallons of water and 130 gallons of fuel against a 60-horsepower diesel, with ketch or cutter rig options that affect mast count and sail-handling style aboard. Buyers should decide early whether a center cockpit's protected helm or an aft cockpit's simpler trunk suits their plans, since the hull itself does not change between them.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
Most boats on the market will already carry air conditioning, solar, lithium batteries, an inverter, and a wind generator as standard cruising kit, meaning the house-power side is usually modernized. Navigation is commonly handled by radar, AIS, autopilot, and chartplotter, while a freezer, hot water, and dinghy davits round out the liveaboard comforts. For a buyer this means the energy and navigation clusters are typically turnkey, and the main open questions are the age of the rig and the condition of the davits rather than missing baseline gear.
What to Inspect
The specifications give clear survey targets for the used Cheoy Lee 48. Confirm the actual draft, which varies with load between about 6.5 and 6.8 feet anchor, and check the immersion rate of 1,911 pounds per inch against any added tankage or gear. Verify the rigging lengths and diameters — halyards at 126.8 feet by 14 mm, sheets at 16 mm — since a mismatched or tired running rig carries real replacement cost on a boat this size. The wetted surface of 602 square feet should be assessed for osmotic or gelcoat issues typical of period fiberglass, and the 60-horsepower diesel's mounts and exhaust traced for age.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
These yachts appear in the United States market, where the combination of solid construction and Perry's name keeps a small but steady presence. A short pre-purchase checklist: confirm cockpit layout and rig choice match your intent, verify the loaded draft against your marina, test the lithium and solar suite, and survey the original fiberglass hull closely. The Cheoy Lee 48 rewards the buyer who values a rare, well-ballasted cruiser over a high-production alternative.
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Cheoy Lee 48. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 1 row
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 26 | 2 | $73,400 | — |
Where they're listed
Cheoy Lee 48 listings appear across 1 country. United States has the most listings with 2.
Country view
2 listings · 1 country| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | $73,400 | 2 | 0 | 100.0% |
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
2 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tayana 48 | 48' | $ 330,000 | 29 | 5 |
| Cheoy Lee 48You are here | — | $ 73,400 | 2 | 0 |