Fountaine Pajot Saona 47 Sailboats for Sale

Layouts on the Used Market

The Saona 47 was produced in a Maestro private-owners configuration and a charter layout, and both turn up on the used market. The owner's version dedicates the entire port hull to a master suite with a double berth aft, a vanity, extensive stowage amidships, and a forward compartment with a surprisingly long shower, big sink, and enclosed toilet; the starboard hull then holds two sleeping cabins with large double berths and en suite heads. The charter version provides en suite accommodations for three couples plus crew's quarters, with the starboard hull carrying a fore-and-aft double bunk aft and an athwartship berth forward, a single crew cabin in the bow, and to port a single-bunk cabin between two double cabins. A wide sliding door connects the oversized aft area to an expansive, bright saloon with an L-shaped galley, island counter, and forward nav station, while topside living is on a single level with a transom couch, port-side dining for eight, and a raised helm to starboard.

Equipment and Common Upgrades

On the used market, used Fountaine Pajot Saona 47s commonly carry a watermaker, solar, chartplotter, inverter, electric winches, autopilot, bimini, radar, AIS, lithium batteries, swim platform, air conditioning, freezer, and life raft as fitted equipment. Often-seen additions include a cockpit shower, asymmetric spinnaker, dinghy davits, hot water, teak decks, and washing machine. Less commonly, boats will have come with or received heating, gennaker, spinnaker, EPIRB, code zero, Starlink, or a furling main as owner upgrades. The standard fitment of a hydraulic teak-grated swim platform between the hulls and a three-winch helm with one electric halyard winch carries across most examples.

What to Inspect

Documented known issues on the Saona 47 center on interior acoustics, visibility, and rig tune. The interior is primarily hard, sound-reflective surfaces, and wave noise inside while underway has been recorded, so check for any owner-added sound insulation and assess hull liner condition. The saloon windows provide good visibility if you are fairly tall and standing but not if you are short or seated, and piloting from the inside nav station is inhibited by lack of visibility when the sails are up — verify window clarity and any aftermarket film or covers. The big saloon space could use better grab points, though the overhead is too high to mount grabrails there, and better grab points forward on deck would be welcome; inspect deck-mounted hardware for added handholds. From the helm, large blind spots exist — the port stern is blocked by the upper deck even under power, and the entire port hull and masthead wind vane are invisible under sail — so confirm mirror or camera additions if fitted. One test boat presented rigging issues that made it difficult to set proper tensions on the mainsail; have the rig inspected for proper tension hardware and the square-topped main's batten and roach condition.

Availability and Buyer's Takeaway

Used Fountaine Pajot Saona 47s on the used market are typically found in the United States, France, Croatia, Greece, British Virgin Islands, and Spain. For a buyer, the checklist is straightforward: confirm which layout matches your plans (owner three-cabin versus charter multi-cabin), verify the presence of commonly fitted systems like lithium batteries and air conditioning, inspect the hard interior surfaces for noise mitigation, check helm visibility modifications, and have the rig professionally tuned given the known mainsail-tension difficulties.