North Wind 47 Sailboats for Sale

Layouts on the Used Market

Owner three-cabin arrangements are the more common find, though both owner and ex-charter layouts appear. The standard interior sleeps six to eight: master aft with en-suite, V-berth forward, guest double amidships, U-shaped galley, saloon with dinette, two heads, and a nav station in teak. Ex-charter boats may show heavier wear in upholstery and galley gear, but the core three-cabin footprint is consistent across the class.

Equipment and Common Upgrades

Commonly fitted equipment on the used fleet includes air conditioning, inverter, bow thruster, radar, autopilot, chartplotter, life raft, electric winches, bimini, teak decks, watermaker, solar, furling main, hot water, and dinghy davits. For a buyer, the load-bearing clusters are power and energy—generators, watermakers, solar, and bow thrusters mean less time at the dock—and sail handling, where electric winches and furling mains reduce crew demand. Navigation is well covered by radar and autopilot as standard cruising kit. Often-seen rather than universal are freezer, cockpit shower, AIS, and EPIRB; heating and spinnaker are less common, owner-level upgrades.

What to Inspect

The rudder stuffing box has been a replaced item on known examples, so check for weeping or play at the stern post. Mast partners and support were renovated on a known example, meaning the deck-to-mast connection should be examined for compression or movement. The entire teak deck was replaced glued without screws in 2013 on one boat—verify whether a given hull retains original or renewed decking and look for screw-less bonding failures. All Vetus windows and Lewmar hatches were renewed in that same record, so aged seals or crazed acrylic on other boats warrant attention. Bilge pumps sit in bow and stern, with a bilge system tied to the main engine water intake; confirm both operate and the cross-connection is sound.

Availability and Buyer's Takeaway

Typical markets are Spain, France, and the Netherlands. For a shopper, the short checklist is: confirm layout (owner three-cabin vs ex-charter), verify teak deck and window renewal status, exercise the rudder post and mast partners, and confirm the bow thruster and electric winch wiring are intact. A North Wind 47 that has had the flying buttress reinforced and the major systems renewed is a proven bluewater platform; one deferred is a project with a known parts list.