Design and Construction
Reichel/Pugh shaped a relatively wide hull with a length-to-beam ratio of 3.42, and the canoe-body profile shows the forefoot lifted just above the design waterline with a near plumb stem. The rocker flattens around the keel root and then kicks up around station 7.5, a shape that pairs with very high-aspect-ratio fins for rudder and keel. The keel itself is a cast stainless fin carrying a lead bulb, with a clever kelp cutter built into the leading edge so weed shears off quickly, and a large fillet at the leading-edge hull intersection smooths the junction. Ballast totals 8,820 pounds of lead cast to the fin bottom plus 2,980 pounds of water ballast held in two tanks per side.
Tillotson Pearson built the hull using carbon-fiber woven biaxial fabrics for the inner skin and Kevlar and glass hybrid fabrics for the outer skins, all wetted out in Ampreg custom-formulated epoxy. Keel floors and longitudinals are solid carbon-fiber and glass over a foam core glassed integrally with the hull, while the deck is all carbon over foam with integral beams. The rudder and stock are all carbon-fiber by GMT with Speedwave bearings. These are exotic, lightweight structures for a 48-footer.
Rig and Handling
The fractional sloop rig carries 1,194 square feet of sail area and a sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 27.98, built around a carbon-fiber mast by Sparcraft with the masthead unit, gooseneck, and vang bracket all cast of carbon-fiber. The boom is a two-piece section combining an extruded top with a shaped bottom. Deck hardware is all Lewmar, and the primary winches are ultralight units coupled to a lightweight centerline pedestal — a layout that keeps crew movement efficient and mass centered.
Accommodations and Systems
This is a racer first, with modest tankage of 21.4 gallons of diesel and 41.5 gallons of water. The auxiliary is a Yanmar 3JH2-TCAE X SD31. Instrumentation is extensive and entirely Ockam, with full polar readouts among the gear listed — appropriate for a boat intended to be sailed to targets rather than cruised.
The Verdict
The D 48 is a narrowly focused grand prix one-design: exotic composite construction, a high-aspect bulb keel with a kelp cutter, and a carbon rig from a name shop. With only eight built, she is a rare sight, and the water-ballast and race instrument package mark her as a serious course weapon rather than a weekend cruiser.
Pros
- Carbon and Kevlar hybrid hull in custom epoxy with integrally glassed carbon keel structure
- High-aspect cast stainless fin keel with lead bulb and built-in kelp cutter
- Carbon-fiber mast and boom hardware with full Ockam instrumentation including polar readouts
Cons
- Only 21.4 gallons fuel and 41.5 gallons water — minimal cruising range
- Just eight built, so spares and class support are limited
- Water-ballast system adds complexity versus a simpler lead-ballast racer
