BoatsSaga Marine 48

Saga Marine 48

Masthead Sloop · Fin w/bulb & Spade Rudder · First built 2003

A Robert Perry-designed masthead sloop built for performance cruising with a stiff 33% ballast ratio

Designed by Robert H. Perry.

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Ballast
Hull type
Fin w/bulb & Spade Rudder

See her sail

The Saga Marine 48, on the water

The fleet's own footage — the truest look at how she really moves.

Footage from 59° North Sailing

Is it for you?

Character

Where this design lands on the numbers a shopper trusts — read straight from her own ratios.

LivelySea-kindly

Her light displacement on a narrow beam gives 31 — a sea-kindly motion in a seaway.

Comfort ratio 31
CoastalBluewater

1.77 — just under the 2.0 offshore line; her beam is modest for her weight.

Capsize screening 1.77
LightHeavy

160 — light for her waterline, so she is easily driven and quick to accelerate.

Displacement / length 160
EasygoingPowered-up

19.1 — plenty of sail for her weight; lively and quick to respond.

Sail area / displacement 19.1
TenderStiff

33% of her weight is ballast — on the tender side; she'll heel readily and want a reef sooner.

Ballast 33%

Light and lively — happiest day-sailing and coastal-hopping in settled weather.

  • Draws less than ~83% of boats her size on file

Compared with 1473 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

What the fleet has seen

The Saga Marine 48, as the fleet has seen it

Derived from the videos the fleet has analysed of this model. ▶ marks open the moment aboard.

The Saga Marine 48 is a Robert H. Perry-designed masthead sloop, built by Saga Marine from 2003, intended as a high-performance cruising sailboat.4:21 It features a fin keel with a bulb and a spade rudder, a 15.9-meter LOA, a 4.2-meter beam, and a 1.8-meter draft, displacing 13,607 kg.17:57 The design prioritizes offshore capability while maintaining compatibility with the Intracoastal Waterway, evidenced by its 65-foot air draft limit and six-foot draft.8:23 Its sail area-to-displacement ratio of 20.07, displacement-to-length of 160, and comfort ratio of 30 place it in a higher-performance cruising category.14:42 Aboard *59° North Sailing*, Andy Schell and August Sandberg reviewed a 2003 Saga Marine 48 named *Arctic Raven*, noting its raised salon layout and its design as a deliberate counterpoint to 1990s production fiberglass boats.6:26

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

Seen once across one channel of the fleet.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

On the water

The Saga Marine 48 on video

What they go for

Market signal

Where the fleet has seen this model for sale, and the asking prices that came with it.

1seen for sale
1channel weighed buying one
US$249,000Median asking

From the fleet's own footage — our observed signal, not broker listings.

The record

Full specifications

The complete reference set — tap any figure to switch between metric and imperial.

Dimensions
Weights
Ballast / displacement
33.3%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Masthead Sloop
Ratios
SA / displacement
19.1
Displacement / length
160.5
Comfort ratio
30.7
Capsize screening
1.77
Hull speed
8.9 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
2139
Hull
Hull type
Fin w/bulb & spade rudder
Construction
Fiberglass
Ballast type
Lead
Production
Years built
First built 2003
Designer
Robert H. Perry
Builder
Saga

Boats like this, on the water

More boats like her, on the water

Comparable boats the fleet has on camera: same type, within a quarter of her length. Open the boat, or watch the video — a timestamp means she only appears in passing.

Bavaria Yachts 50 Vision15.70 mSame hull family0.2 m shorterA 15.7-metre cruiser with a high 24.85 sail-area-to-displacement ratio, designed for powerful, efficient passage-making
3 phases 🛠️❄️☀️ RENTAL SAILBOAT MAINTENANCE4:50from Allende los Mares · Vuelta Vertical
Beneteau First 53f515.90 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Bruce Farr performance cruiser styled by Pininfarina, featuring multiple cabin layouts and an optional shoal wing keel
Sailing Croatia with 4 Beautiful Crew | 1.5 Hour Adventure Film2:11from Sailing Doodles
Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 51915.75 mSame hull family0.2 m shorterAn evolution of the 509 featuring a bow sprit and expanded swim platform for enhanced modern cruising
Chartering a Sailboat in Mexico!0:31from Sailing Doodles
Jeanneau Yachts 5316.06 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Philippe Briand-designed cruiser offering performance rig and shallow keel options, also marketed as the Sunsail 53
The ships destroyed by Hurricane Beryl0:51from Velero Regina
Baltic Yachts 5216.00 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Sparkman & Stephens masthead sloop built by Baltic, balancing a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio with stiff performance
Arctic Sailing to Norway - 5 weeks of winter sailing0:51from ArcticStern Ocean Sailing
Bavaria Yachts C5015.55 mSame hull family0.4 m shorterA 15.55-metre cruiser with a 2.3-metre bulb keel and a balanced sail-area-to-displacement ratio for modern cruising
Preparing Aqualibra for Cape Hornfrom Lucky Pete Sailing AQUALIBRA

The family

Boats like this

Nearby designs by size, type, and era — worth a look alongside her.

Saga Marine 35A Robert H. Perry-designed masthead sloop built for performance and comfort with a balanced fin-and-bulb hullSaga Yachts 43A 1996 performance cruiser with a high 19.2 SA/displacement ratio and a spade rudder for responsive handlingSeamaster 46A Robert H. Perry-designed masthead ketch built for offshore stability with a conservative sail plan and skeg-hung rudderSaga Yachts 409A Tony Castro-designed masthead sloop balancing cruising comfort with a moderate displacement for offshore capabilityPH 41A Robert Perry-designed masthead sloop with a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio built for performance since 1975

Keep asking

The fleet has more to say

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