Design and Construction
The Cherubini 48 measures 48 feet 9 inches overall and 44 feet on the waterline, with a 13-foot beam. Her displacement is 40,000 pounds, including 16,900 pounds of lead ballast.
She has a slim profile for her length. Her length-to-beam ratio of 3.75 makes her narrower than 82 percent of comparable sailboat designs. That slender hull is paired with a 42 percent ballast ratio—higher than 82 percent of similar designs—which gives her a settled, weighty feel.
The hull is fiberglass, and the yard offered the 48 with several keel alternatives, including a long-keel configuration. Compared with a similarly sized fin-keeler, a long keel provides greater directional stability. That suits the Cherubini’s role as a steady offshore cruiser rather than a twitchy day racer. Her draft of around 5 feet 9 inches lets her enter most marinas, depending on load.
Rig, Performance, and Handling
The 48’s slender, moderately performance-oriented character appears in her displacement-to-length ratio of 210. The yard’s data places that figure in the “moderate racers” category, with 62 percent of similar designs weighing more. Her sail-area-to-displacement ratio is 16.66, and the rig carries a mast about 63 feet above the waterline over a sail plan of nearly 1,218 square feet.
The standing and running gear is sized accordingly. Jib and genoa sheets are about 48.8 feet long and 5/8 inch in diameter. The mainsheet is 121.9 feet of 5/8-inch line, while the spinnaker sheet is 107.3 feet of the same diameter.
The long keel’s directional stability is an advantage offshore, but it also makes the boat harder to handle in a tight harbor. Theoretical hull speed is 8.9 knots. Her capsize screening value of 1.52 would, by that formula alone, qualify her for ocean-racing acceptance.
Accommodations and Comfort at Sea
What the 48 may lack in harbor agility, she recovers in comfort at sea. Her Motion Comfort Ratio of 44.4 places her ahead of 85 percent of similar sailboat designs—a meaningful margin for a couple or family undertaking long passages.
An immersion rate of about 355 kg per centimeter, or 1,992 pounds per inch, means she settles predictably under load. That’s useful when provisioning for extended cruising. With capacity for 90 gallons of diesel and 130 gallons of water, the design supports self-sufficient voyaging without constant replenishment.
Her bottom-paint area is about 592 square feet. That’s a practical figure for antifouling planning, not a statement about performance.
Refits and Ownership
Ownership of the Cherubini marque passed within the family and later to new corporate hands, but the 48 remains a product of the early-eighties Cherubini Boat Co. era.
A used Cherubini 48 will suit an owner who values directional stability and comfort at sea more than agility in tight quarters. Routine upkeep also means accounting for 592 square feet of bottom paint and the boat’s long sheet runs. Her lead ballast, solid-fiberglass hull, and narrow beam are qualities that age without apology.
The Verdict
The Cherubini 48 is a deliberately old-school offshore cruiser: narrow, heavily ballasted, and directionally steady, with a comfort margin that surpasses most of her peers. She isn’t a boat for crowded anchorages where quick pivot turns matter, but she offers a settled platform for serious distance work.
Pros
- More comfortable motion than 85 percent of similar designs, with a Motion Comfort Ratio of 44.4
- Long-keel directional stability suited to offshore passages
- High 42 percent ballast ratio, with 16,900 pounds of lead ballast on a 40,000-pound displacement
- Capsize screening value of 1.52, qualifying her by formula for ocean racing
Cons
- More difficult to handle in confined harbors because of the long keel’s directional stability
- Narrow 3.75 length-to-beam ratio and 5-foot-9-inch draft limit some shallow or tight berthing options
- Large 592-square-foot bottom area increases antifouling and haulout effort
