Vagabond 47 Buyer's Guide
Shopping the brokerage market for a Vagabond 47 means weighing a William Garden staysail ketch that has been built since 1972, with most survivors dating from 1978 to 1985 and offered through Contemporary Yachts LTD of Annapolis from 1985 onward. These are heavy, full-keel Taiwan cruisers with teak-overlaid decks and a small center cockpit, and the used fleet splits between owner three-cabin layouts and ex-charter examples, both of which appear with regularity.
Layouts on the Used Market
Owner three-cabin layouts are the more common on the used market, but both are available, and ex-charter examples are common. The typical interior shows a forward stateroom with double or upper-and-lower bunk berths, a head, and a main salon, with the galley to port and a starboard passage to an aft master stateroom below the quarter deck. On deck, seats on the raised quarter deck act as lockers and further lockers sit at the main mast, while the engine room is centered below the cockpit.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
Solar, inverter, autopilot, chartplotter, lithium batteries, dinghy davits, and radar are commonly fitted on brokerage boats. Furling main, watermaker, teak decks, AIS, and Starlink are often seen, while air conditioning, electric winches, freezer, hot water, washing machine, heating, bow thruster, bimini, and life raft turn up as sometimes-or-owner upgrades rather than standard equipment. Original auxiliary power was typically an 80-hp Perkins diesel, and the boats carry below-decks tanks from new.
What to Inspect
One major area of concern with aging Vagabond 47s is the condition of the decks and superstructure, where leaks at deck fastenings, windows, and hardware attachments were often poorly done when boats were built. Another notable area of concern is the quality of original stainless steel hardware, tanks, and rigging chain plates; poor quality materials and welding have led to a number of premature failures. On wood-mast examples, spotting potential problems can be very difficult even for very experienced surveyors and riggers, so a specialist look is warranted.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
Typical markets for the Vagabond 47 include the United States, Montenegro, Thailand, Mexico, Indonesia, and Malaysia. When inspecting a candidate, check the teak decks and superstructure for leak paths at every fastening and window, verify the original stainless tanks and chain plates for welding or material failures, and commission a rigger experienced with wooden masts if the boat carries one.
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Vagabond 47. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 13 rows
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 25 | 3 | $ 165,000 | — |
| Feb 25 | 1 | $ 75,000 | -54.5% |
| Mar 25 | 1 | $ 93,623 | +24.8% |
| May 25 | 3 | $ 39,000 | -58.3% |
| Jun 25 | 1 | $ 109,000 | +179.5% |
| Sep 25 | 4 | $ 120,815 | +10.8% |
| Oct 25 | 2 | $ 70,000 | -42.1% |
| Dec 25 | 2 | $ 94,030 | +34.3% |
| Jan 26 | 5 | $ 85,000 | -9.6% |
| Feb 26 | 1 | $ 25,000 | -70.6% |
| Mar 26 | 2 | $ 92,500 | +270.0% |
| Apr 26 | 13 | $ 90,000 | -2.7% |
| Jun 26 | 3 | $ 90,000 | 0.0% |
Where they're listed
Vagabond 47 listings appear across 10 countries. United States has the most listings with 10 (31.3%), followed by Thailand and Indonesia.
Country view
32 listings · 10 countries| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | $ 104,250 | 10 | 1 | 31.3% |
| Thailand | $ 70,000 | 4 | 0 | 12.5% |
| Indonesia | $ 90,000 | 3 | 2 | 9.4% |
| Italy | $ 125,060 | 3 | 0 | 9.4% |
| Montenegro | $ 148,007 | 3 | 0 | 9.4% |
| Grenada | $ 96,000 | 2 | 1 | 6.3% |
| Guatemala | $ 63,000 | 2 | 1 | 6.3% |
| Mexico | $ 25,000 | 2 | 0 | 6.3% |
| Malaysia | $ 93,623 | 2 | 0 | 6.3% |
| New Zealand | $ 96,650 | 1 | 0 | 3.1% |
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
5 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Velmare 47You are here | — | $ 90,000 | 32 | 5 |
| North Wind 47 | 46.75' | $ 188,710 | 21 | 9 |
| Formosa 47 | 46.42' | $ 109,532 | 14 | 9 |
| Cheoy Lee Offshore 47 | 46.75' | $ 124,950 | 11 | 1 |
| Vagabond 42 | 42' | $ 45,000 | 9 | 4 |