Design and Construction
The hull is solid fiberglass with a low-deadrise form and an elongated fin keel, while the deck is balsa-cored above it. A sharp bow entry keeps pounding at bay in all but the heaviest weather, and the easy motion in a seaway is helped by the way major weights—the engine among them—sit well away from the ends. The rudder is a large skeg-hung unit carried on three bearings, with the lowest bearing set well above the skeg heel so a hard grounding is less likely to jam the blade anchor. The mast rises just over 65 feet with standard masthead fittings, and the cutter rig's sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 16.7 reflects a powerful, flexible sail plan.
Rig and Handling
That tall cutter rig gives the 47 strong light-air performance and the option to shorten down sensibly when the wind builds, a flexibility that places her among the faster cruisers of her time. Under power in forward she can turn within roughly twice her length, handy in tight quarters, though in reverse at low speed she tends to back into the wind anchor, a quirk worth knowing on a breezy stern-to med moor. With a displacement-to-length ratio near 266 and a 6-foot draft, she is a settled sea boat rather than a featherweight racer, yet she will carry a full cruising inventory without a dramatic fall-off in performance.
Accommodations
Below, the tone is set by teak in solid, veneer, and a substantial teak-and-holly sole. The centre-cockpit layout sends passages port and starboard of the companionway—each just over six feet of headroom—back to a large master stateroom and aft head, while forward of the saloon lies a starboard head with shower, a port bunk-room, and a forward V-berth stateroom; each stateroom gets a hanging locker. The galley runs down the port walkway and a full forward-facing nav station sits to starboard, with the engine tucked beneath an ample counter under the cockpit well and reachable on three sides. Dining is around an L-shaped saloon table—four comfortably, six with the leaf out—and pilot berths above the settees narrow the saloon, a layout Cruising World judged safer underfoot in a seaway anchor. Most owners have since boxed those pilot berths into cruising storage. Ventilation comes from six hatches, 14 opening ports, and five closable dorade vents, while water tanks sit under the settees and further stowage lies beneath the pilot berths.
Known Issues
The balsa-cored deck is the one area where long-term water intrusion would warrant a careful tap test, given the material named. One owner-observed hull, the Aquila, showed no blistering below the waterline after years of neglect and a tired deck that recovered well with refinishing.
Refits and Ownership
The Stevens 47 is straightforward to live with: the engine is three-sided accessible, tankage is generous at 200 gallons water and 115 gallons fuel, and the three-stateroom interior converts easily to long-term cruising use as owners have demonstrated by reclaiming the pilot berths. The 65-horsepower Ford Lehman gives a useful power margin for charging and docking.
The Verdict
The Stevens Custom 47 is a well-considered S&S cruiser that pairs a quick, sea-kindly hull with a genuinely practical centre-cockpit interior. She is not a minimalist boat, but her numbers and layout show a design built to carry people and gear offshore without sulking.
Pros
- Fast, easy-motion hull with sharp entry and centred weights
- Three-stateroom teak interior with strong engine access
- Tall cutter rig with light-air and heavy-weather flexibility
Cons
- Backs into the wind in low-speed reverse
- Balsa-cored deck demands moisture vigilance
