Southerly 470 Sailboats for Sale

Layouts on the Used Market

Owner three-cabin arrangements are the more common configuration available secondhand, though two-cabin versions do appear. Ex-charter examples are common, so buyers should expect some boats with higher cycle counts on systems and interiors shaped by short-term-use wear. Capacity for 129 gallons of fresh water and 174 gallons of fuel underpins extended cruising regardless of layout, and the beamy 14.6-foot hull provides the volume those cabin plans exploit.

Equipment and Common Upgrades

Power and energy systems are where the used 470 fleet is most consistently modernized: solar and lithium batteries are commonly fitted, and an inverter is often seen, which together mean a buyer can expect reasonable off-grid autonomy on many boats. For sail handling and close-quarters control, a self-tacking jib, electric winches, and a bow thruster are commonly fitted, while a furling main and spinnaker are often carried — a combination that reduces crew workload on a 38,000-pound yacht. Navigation and safety kit often includes a chartplotter, radar, AIS, autopilot, EPIRB, and life raft, and a number of boats have completed transatlantic or circumnavigation passages with short-handed setups. Comfort equipment such as air conditioning, heating, a freezer, washing machine, bimini, and cockpit shower is often seen rather than universal.

What to Inspect

The swing keel is the defining system and deserves close attention: its pivot, hydraulic actuation, and grounding plate attachment should be checked for wear or leakage, since the shallow-draft capability depends entirely on that mechanism functioning. The solid fiberglass hull should be examined for osmotic or impact damage. Rigging should be measured against the known sheet dimensions — mainsheet of 117.7 feet and jib or genoa sheets of 47.1 feet at 5/8-inch diameter — to confirm replacements were sized correctly anchor.

Availability and Buyer's Takeaway

The typical markets where these boats are found are Sweden and Thailand. For a shopper, the priority checklist is straightforward: confirm keel mechanism service history, verify lithium and solar installations are properly fused and isolated, and validate that any ex-charter hull has documentation for structural and systems upkeep. A Southerly 470 in sound condition offers a rare blend of shoal-draft access and heavy-displacement offshore capability, and the commonly seen passage-making equipment means many examples are already expedition-ready.