Hull and Deck Design
The Berret/Racoupeau office gave the Pilot Saloon 47 a futuristic cabinhouse profile that made an immediate impression when the boat was first shown. The raised saloon is the architectural centerpiece, lifting the interior above the waterline plane to admit natural light and create a visual connection between the helmsman and the crew below. Beam measures fifteen feet, two inches and is carried well aft, a choice that enhances form stability and widens the after sections to give the cockpit and companionway area genuine working room. The composite arch overhead is integrated into the deck architecture and serves a dual practical purpose: it gets the mainsheet out of the cockpit while simultaneously providing a structural platform for the bimini top.
Rig and Sailing Performance
The 47 carries a nine-tenths fractional rig whose proportions place her firmly in cruiser-racer territory. The sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 18 paired with a displacement-to-length ratio of 188 puts meaningful canvas aloft without making the boat unwieldy for a short-handed bluewater passage crew. Dual steering stations flank the cockpit, and their placement ensures clear, unobstructed access to the transom — a practical advantage when handling a tender, working the swim platform, or managing docklines. The 100-horsepower Yanmar gives the boat reserve power in light air or adverse conditions, appropriate for a vessel of this displacement class.
Accommodations
Below the raised saloon, three cabins and two heads easily accommodate six. The dinette in the saloon is generous by any standard, with seating arranged on three sides and supplementary light arriving through windows and overhead hatches. Wauquiez gave equal thought to how the crew actually operates the boat: the nav station sits on the port side of the saloon, across from the dinette, so the navigator works within the social space rather than in isolation, keeping the whole crew connected to route decisions. The standard lead bulb keel draws seven feet, nine inches; a shallow-draft option is available that saves twenty-two inches, broadening the range of anchorages the boat can explore.
Keel and Stability
The ballast-to-displacement ratio of just under twenty-nine percent, combined with the form stability delivered by the wide, aft-carried beam, gives the Pilot Saloon 47 a composed motion offshore. The capsize screening figure sits at 1.89 and the comfort ratio at 30, numbers that confirm the boat is weighted and dimensioned for open-water passages rather than coastal day-sailing only. The bulb keel concentrates ballast low and efficiently, which matters when a heavy pilot-saloon superstructure raises the center of gravity relative to a conventional sloop.
The Verdict
The Wauquiez Pilot Saloon 47 is a thoughtfully resolved answer to a real question: how do you build a performance cruiser that a live-aboard couple or a family can genuinely enjoy at sea and in port? The Berret/Racoupeau team delivered a boat whose rig numbers make her honest to windward, whose hull carries beam where it matters for both stability and interior volume, and whose raised-saloon architecture turns the navigation and social spaces into a single, well-lit room. The result earned Wauquiez a loyal following among bluewater-focused sailors who find center-cockpit pilothouse designs too sluggish and conventional sloops too spartan down below.
Pros
- Raised saloon delivers exceptional natural light and connects helmsman to crew
- Nine-tenths rig with cruiser-racer sail-area ratios rewards capable sailors
- Three-cabin, two-head layout accommodates six in genuine comfort
- Composite arch removes the mainsheet from the cockpit and supports a bimini
- Dual helm stations give unobstructed transom access
- Shallow-draft keel option broadens cruising ground without compromising offshore credentials
Cons
- Pilot-saloon superstructure raises windage and center of gravity compared with conventional sloops
- Fifteen-foot beam demands attention in tight marina berths
- Relatively low ballast ratio requires respect for the stability curve in extreme conditions
