Allen speaks with Boaters LIFE about the Saga 48 raised salon design... properly low and sleek and yet still features a very desirable "galley up" design!

Order yours with a centerline 'king" suite. And, don't miss the Captain's office featuring executive swivel chair, dedicated space for PC and even a flat screen monitor if you wish. The inside helm/nav station seconds as a raised Loveseat. Saga has thought of everything... Fast and POSH!

A Deck Salon that Works! Rex: I mentioned something about Deck Salons becoming more numerous at the show. Trying to steer the conversation to my real subject. Allen: "There are some. But, not like the Saga 48, you don't see many aft cockpit deck salons that work, but ours does." "The deck house is not overbearing and although very commodious below, is not visually in the way while in the aft cockpit. You can actually see where you are going! On deck she has a two-wheel arrangement for the cockpit in order to have a clear walk-through transom opening to the swim step. The wheel areas feature sculpted consoles to house instruments and computer screens." "Our boats are well proportioned, and our sailing performance is well beyond that of others. It's just a mathematical formula, and those wide accommodation bags just can't perform." Well proportioned and beautiful to look at. "Our 48 is very new.  It's an interesting boat in that it is designed for a single couple. It has a terrific stateroom and a quarter cabin for guests. It's there if you want to have a guest." Short Specifications List LOA 52'3" Sail Area 1,206 sq. ft. LOD 47'10” DWL 43'7" SA/D 19.98 Beam 13'9" D/L 160 Draft 6' L/B 3.47 Displacement 30,000 lbs. Auxiliary 75-hp Yanmar Ballast 9,850 lbs. Fuel 183 gals.; Water 180 gals. "We have a two-seater inside steering position, so you can sit with your wife if its raining and you're inside. Call it a Love Seat if you would like." Rex: Hmm, ... maybe this guy should talk to my wife when I bring the subject up about possibly getting one of these. Allen: "Or if you're planning a route, you can have your navigation equipment up there with an office down below. It's also very sociable: the galley is right next to the companionway. We've modeled this somewhat from the powerboats.. if you're entertaining in the cockpit and someone goes down below to the galley, you're still part of the conversation. If you have to go "galley down" past the chart table, pass the settee and down the steps to get to the galley your no longer part of the group." "If you're entertaining inside, the galley in the 48 is right opposite the settee. And, it's a soft design without a lot of angles. The settee is long enough that you can have two people with their back against the back rest with legs stretched out reading a book. It's a big dinette that you can put six people around without any trouble." Rex: I am convinced, he's got to talk to my wife. Allen: The berth is 7 foot. We specialize in single couple boats. "We've sold over seventy boats and our customers are those who are in the process of fulfilling a dream of going sailing full time, whether they do or not. They aren't just weekend sailors." "Our rig has a self tacking jib for going upwind. When you not going upwind, you simply roll it up and pull out your Genoa." "Passage making type approach is standard. You may buy it and use if for the weekend. But, you have "going away" in your head. A fairly high proportion of our owners are actually doing that." "A good copy line would be to 'fulfill your dreams'.  We use 'explore and discover', but the idea is the same. A number of people summer in Maine and winter in the Caribbean. One of our owners is in his 70's and came in second in the Transpak.  One gentleman has sailed his boat all the way down to New Zealand and he's on his way back now." Rex: Now, I've just got to call that guy and go for a sea trial. My trusty video recorder in hand. What's his name again? Oh yeah, Allen Poole, president of SAGA. A good guy, knows what he's talking about. And, SAGA knows what's important in a boat. I had better transfer some cash into my checking account sufficient to cover a deposit before I go. Let's see, where did I put that check book?

Saga 48: A Fine Bluewater Cruiser Back in the mid-1990s, at a time when a lot of boatbuilders were biting the dust, Scotsman Alan Poole decided to start Saga Marine and produce a line of sailboats initially conceived as counterpoints to the overly beamy cruising boats that were dominating the market. Alan approached me to do the designing and I signed on immediately. Pundits gave Saga little chance of surviving. That was 50 Saga 43s ago and 12 Saga 35s ago. The new 48 is the next logical step beyond the Saga 43 and is intended to be a comfy, fast and easy-to-handle "mom and pop" cruising boat. Allen: The hull form borrows the short ends and nearly plumb stem from my Saga 43 and 35, although this time I have chosen to go with more beam. The L/B of the 48 is 3.47 so the 48 is still far from a fatso when you compare it to many other contemporary cruisers, some of which have L/Bs under 3. A fine entry combined with a waterline length of 43 feet, 7 inches and a D/L of 160 ensures good performance under both sail and power. This design recognizes that most of us end up motoring a lot when cruising. I just had a weekend on Puget Sound of 3-knot tides combined with light, fickle winds. Performance under power is important. I am looking for speed under power of around 9.5 knots. The big, spade rudder is as far aft as I could put it and will give the 48 good tracking characteristics. The keel is a moderately shoal fin-and-bulb type designed more for cruising convenience than blazing upwind speed. The concept was for a quick cruising boat capable of navigating the ICW with the happy couple snug and cuddly, so I gave the boat a raised, double helm seat and inside steering. The galley is big and that suits me just fine. There is lots of counter space and a very large reefer/freezer unit. The dinette is not raised but extends outboard under the side deck. This dinette is 7 feet, 6 inches long and more than adequate for four to dine in comfort. The two heads share a shower stall. There is a nav station adjacent to the aft head. Note the large hanging locker. The forward stateroom is spacious and features a double berth that is 6 feet wide across its widest point. The plumb stem affords us the volume for a large fo'c'sle and the aft cockpit layout leaves plenty of room for a huge lazarette. On deck we chose a two-wheel arrangement for the cockpit in order to have a clear walk-through transom opening to the swim step. The wheel areas feature sculpted consoles to house instruments and computer screens. Just like with the other Sagas, we went with a pipe frame bowsprit that houses the ground tackle rollers. There is a foredeck hatch that allows direct access to the fo'c'sle. I like the looks of this boat. If I didn't I would have changed it. I do find it ironic that while I rail against Euro-styling from time to time, my Saga 48 looks more Euro than the Group Finot-designed Beneteau reviewed next. The Sagas, with their truncated ends, have always had a distinct look. The rig is based on the rigs we did for the other Sagas. There is a self-tacking jib with a single sheet that goes up the mast from the jib track and then down to a coaming-mounted winch. There are tracks for the masthead genoa, which is a light-air or reaching sail. The best way to tack the genoa on this rig is to just bite the bullet and roll it partially or all the way up. You can squeeze it through the small slot without rolling it up, but it ain't pretty. In any wind above 8 knots the tremendous convenience of the self-tacking jib overcomes the small reduction in sail area. There is also a taller rig for those who don't have to worry about going under bridges. The SA/D is 19.98 with the tall rig. This is on the high side for a mom and pop boat, but consider that this boat is designed to be sailed primarily with the non-overlapping self-tacking jib.

Robert Perry - Design Visionary SAGA's designer, Robert Perry needs no introduction to cruising sailors. Perhaps no one yacht designer in the past two decades has influenced cruising boat design and thinking as deeply as Perry. Prior to 1974 the term, "Performance Cruiser" was an oxymoron. Perry literally coined the phrase and showed the world validity of the concept with such benchmark designs as the Nordic 40 & 44, Tayana 37, Baba 40, and Esprit 37. In 1989 CRUISING WORLD magazine established the CRUISING HALL OF FAME named 15 sailing professionals who "have made a difference to cruising sailors everywhere". Bob Perry was one of the first 15 inductees into this auspicious HALL of FAME group Perry's designs are widely recognized as fast, capable, and well balanced. The very first design released with the Perry signature was the Valiant 40 and it eventually went on to be named by SAIL MAGAZINE as the "Cruising Boat of the Decade." In addition, he also writes a monthly design review in SAILING, which is quite influential and widely read by sailing enthusiasts and industry members alike. No one yacht designer in the past two decades has influenced cruising boat design and thinking as deeply as Perry.

Construction: 100% hand-laid fiberglass construction Lamination is resin-content controlled, resulting in high strength/weight ratios One-piece hull lamination with integral, molded hull/deck flange Hull is Premium grade ISO-NPG gelcoat for maximum durability and osmotic blister resistance Hull is 100% Vinylester resin backup to gelcoat, for added blistering resistance Premium grade polyester laminating resins in remainder of lamination Bi-directional E-glass non-woven fabrics throughout, locally reinforced as appropriate BALTEK™ aircraft balsa coring in hull and deck for the highest obtainable strength/weight ratio available Core material is voided in areas of through-hulls or deck hardware attachment Heavy duty solid glass centerline laminate for additional strength supporting keel and rig All hardware secured with aluminum or highdensity composite backing plates SAGA White hull with double waterline stripes Structural bulkheads and major furniture components bonded to hull and deck where appropriate for a rigid monocoque hull structure Hull and deck joined with polyurethane adhesive sealant, through bolted every 4" with custom aluminum slotted toe-rail. Integral PVC rubrail providing excellent topsides protection. PVC rubrail can be easily owner-renewed Massive fiberglass sub-floor framing structure, utilizing bi-directional E-Glass reinforcements, for hull stiffness and added strength Mast is "keel" stepped on subfloor structure External, cast lead-antimony keel attached with double row of 1" keel bolts to reinforced solid laminate keel sump Deep keel sump to contain bilge water UHDN self-aligning, low friction rudder bearings Stainless steel, 4 _” dia. rudder shaft, welded substructure Balanced rudder design for extra light helm pressure, tight turning radius for easy docking and maneuvering under power or sail. Easily controllable steering in reverse Bronze/chrome thru-hulls above water line Thru-hull valves are all Marelon™ ball-valves, all double clamped Deck Features: Two colour deck, SAGA White and Sand. Easy cleaning, low glare, diamond pattern non-skid areas as appropriate Seating areas on coaming and cockpit seats are a leather grained non-skid for added comfort with less wear and tear on skin and clothing. Seating areas are SAGA White for comfort in tropical sunlight "Tropics-Friendly" low maintenance deck layout, i.e. no exterior teak or wood trim Rope storage lockers in cockpit coaming Five full-closeable stainless steel mushroom ventilators in cabin top Foot braces molded in cockpit floor Six large laminated glass panoramic windows in coach house Four opening ports in forward house One escape hatch, two opening ports in aft stateroom Six overhead hatches, Lewmar "Ocean Series™" Easy access from cockpit to cabin Companionway sliding hatch with self-draining stormhood, acrylic hatchboards. Captive safety pin secures hatchboards in heavy weather Instrumentation panel at both helm stations give provision for autopilot control, four electronic guages and two ten-inch radar displays. T-shaped cockpit providing two steering stations and separate crew cockpit. 6' 2" cockpit seats suitable for sleeping Large sail locker with step shelf and rope storage USCG approved propane tank storage locker, vented overboard. Space for two 20 lb. tanks Self-draining, life-raft locker for 6-man valise Special safety locker for dinghy motor gasoline tank (holds OMC 6 gal. tank) in port aft cockpit seat, vented overboard Walk-out swim/boarding platform at cockpit floor level with hinged door. No need to climb up and over seats or transom Ultra-rapid cockpit drainage at any heel angle Deck Hardware: Highest quality winches, block, and deck hardware Two 2-speed, self-tailing primary cockpit winches Two 2-speed electric secondary cockpit winches One self-tailing electric-powered 2-speed, cabin top winch, and one cabin-top manual 2-speed self-tailing winch for halyard sheet and reefing control Two winch handles, one "speed-grip", one standard Storage boxes for halyards and reef line tails in the cockpit coamings, self-draining Self-tacking Jib gear, including custom traveler, blocks and single sheet, led aft Cabin top mounted, mid-boom mainsheet traveler system (provides easy dodger and bimini installation) Fairleads, blocks and tracks for reaching genoa Twin Whitlock direct drag link steering systems, complete with brake and dual leather covered 34” wheels Dual 4” dia. steering compass, pedestal mounted Emergency tiller Electronic single lever engine controls at port helm station SS Bow pulpit, 30" high lifeline stanchions, stern rail incorporated with radar arch and dinghy davits Double lifelines, port and starboard lifeline gates Transom door to access to swim scoop, SS swim ladder Heavy Duty stainless steel bowsprit, complete with self-launching primary anchor system and accommodation for second anchor storage Electric anchor windlass and washdown Secondary deck pipe to divided chain locker below Stainless steel welded grabrails on cabin top Five stainless steel fully-closable mushroom ventilators on cabin top Four 12" mooring cleats, two 10" midships cleats Four high-strength, safety harness padeyes in cockpit Removable tubular webbing jacklines for crew safety harnesses, port and starboard on 4 high-strength padeyes Stainless Steel handrails on swim platform Rigging and Sails Innovative VARIABLE GEOMETRY RIG™ for shorthanded offshore sailing. A SAGA EXCLUSIVE! "Offshore™" polyurethane-coated aluminum mast and boom, stepped through deck to keel/floor frame structure Triple spreader rig, dis-continuous. Stainless steel rod standing rigging. Hydraulic backstay adjuster Harken™ Battcar system for smooth, low friction mainsail hoisting and reefing Two roller furling system for Genoa and Jib Halyards and reefing control lines in low stretch T-900 (Spectra™/Technora™ w/Dacron™ cover) or equivalent Single backstay provides handhold for easy access on and off swim platform Main halyard and reefing lines led aft through jammers. Single line reefing for two reefs, led aft through jammers. Color coded running rigging, internal halyards Forespar™ mechanical rod vang with 16:1 block and tackle. Acts as boom support when reefing or dropping sail One mast-mounted selftailing winch with jammers for reacher and jib halyards Internal mast conduit for electrical wires Sails by Quantum: one fully batten Mainsail with two reefs, one Reacher/Genoa, and one self-tacking Jib, Mainsail cover and UV protection for both head sails. Interior Satin-varnished cherrywood interior joinery, 1" cabin sole, teak veneer splined with holly Laminated trim and door frames Solid Cherry cabinet doors Gold-plated lighting fixtures Vinyl and cherry headlining panels FORWARD STATEROOM: King-measuring double-berth, with 5” waffle foam mattress. Large drawer unit under berth. Cedar-lined hanging locker, six dresser drawers, Vanity with mirror, Full-length over-berth lockers, both port and starboard. Overhead ventilation hatch and opening port. "Seamless, sanitary, unit construction" molded head/shower unit. Separate shower stall w/acrylic door, molded in vanity and stainless steel sink, solid surface counter tops, mirror, storage cabinets, toothbrush and cup holder, toilet paper holder, soap dish, molded-in non-skid floor. OFFICE AREA: Cedar lined hanging/storage locker. Desk with drawers. Cabinetry for computer and computer screen. Executive pedestal chair. Breaker panel. Accommodation for SSB radio and other instruments. Opening port and overhead hatch. AFT HEAD: "Seamless, sanitary, unit construction" molded head with shower access w/acrylic door. Molded in vanity and stainless steel sink, solid surface counter tops, mirror, storage cabinets, toothbrush and cup holder, toilet paper holder, soap dish, molded-in non-skid floor. MAIN SALOON: Large dinette ergonomically designed for maximum comfort. Choice of several superior quality designer fabrics, 5" cushions, Lee cloth provided for secure sleeping while passage-making. Deluxe fold-over cherry table. Storage behind settees. Water tanks and storage under settees. Lockers and bookshelves outboard. Overhead grabrails throughout NAVIGATION/STEERING POSITION: Elevated helm seat to allow visibility forward. Steering by way of autopilot. Electronic remote engine controls. Bookshelf and storage outboard and under seat. Navlight, electronics cabinet and shelf, space for a variety of owner installed electronics. GUEST STATEROOM: Cherrywood privacy door, huge double berth. Cedar-lined hanging locker with shelf over, bureau. 5" waffle foam berth cushion, designer fabric. Two opening ports and one deck hatch. Galley: Large U-shaped design with marbleized solid surface Top loading freezer unit aft with 12 volt holding plate Icebox with 12 volt evaporating plate Gimbaled four burner FORCE 10™ LPG stove, remote electronic solenoid propane shutoff valve plus gas sniffer, one 20 lb. aluminum LP tank (space for two 20 lb. tanks) Stove safety bar with eyelets and chef's belt Highly polished double SS sinks, designer faucet hardware, manual foot pump for salt water supply to sink Generous storage cabinets and drawers for dishes and utensils Ventilation provided by mushroom vent, opening port and overhead ventilation hatch Convenient waste basket storage locker Microwave oven Mechanical (Engine): 85 HP Westerbeke, 4 cylinder, naturally aspirated diesel Dripless shaft seal, 1 3/8" SS shaft with bronze strut Feathering three-blade prop 160 amp alternator, dual belt Non-corroding muffler and exhaust system 105 gal fuel (approx.) in one tank, located below cabin sole for low centre of gravity RACOR™ dual fuel filter with cross-over Heavy duty engine compartment insulation and low frequency sound barrier Engine room work light Bronze raw water strainer Remote bulkhead mounted oil filter Remote bulkhead mounted oil change pump Deluxe engine panel in cockpit at port helm station: Hour meter, tachometer, water temperature gauge, oil pressure gauge, warning lights and buzzer Single lever electronic gear-shift and throttle controls mounted at port steering position and at in-board steering position Electrical: Chainplates and rig grounded with 7AG solid copper wire to keel for lightning protection SSB grounding plane Six golf cart battery bank for house use; and one #27 12 volt engine start battery, separate switch for each system. Custom electrical distribution panel with AC & DC magnetic breakers, digital AC & DC voltage meters and ammeters, battery test system, hinged panel access Two 120 volts, 30 amp AC shorepower system with polarity tester and GFI protection, two 50 ft. shorepower cord Prosine 2.0™ True Sine Wave 2000 Watt inverter complete with Smart™ Regulator and remote panel 12 volt gold-plated lighting fixtures located throughout cabins Indirect floor lighting throughout cabins Entrance lighting with remote switches at companionway and owner's stateroom, wired direct to battery and in-line fused. Two 2000 GPH Electric bilge pumps with automatic float switch, wired direct to battery with in-line fuse protection One electric sump pump for shower/sink drainage Pulpit-mounted, high intensity running lights; steaming light, mast mounted, to latest COLREGS Halogen foredeck floodlight Masthead light combining anchor light, strobe, and auxiliary tri-colour running lights Antenna cable in mast and from step to electrical panel Wherever possible all wiring and connections are installed above cabin sole and clear of bilge PVC conduits and messenger lines for easy after market wiring installation Raypilot 650™ Autopilot mounted at in-board steering position, driving an electric linear drive Plumbing: All through-hulls UL© approved 1/4 turn, ball valves of non-corrosive Marelon™ All through-hull hoses equipped with two hose clamps for redundancy All through-hulls labeled Hot and cold pressure water system with 12 volt multi-fixture pressure pump and accumulator tank with charcoal filter Hot and cold fresh water shower in cockpit 11 gal. hot water heater with engine heat exchanger and 120 volt AC operation, UL© approved Manual backup fresh water pump at galley sink Manual salt water pump to galley Approx. 240 gal water capacity in four tanks, selector manifold for tanks Two Vacu-Flush™ toilets, Both exhaust to one 50 gal holding tank, "Y" valve, seacock, electric macerator pump for overboard discharge without dockside facilities, where legal HD manual emergency bilge pump mounted in cockpit Second HD manual emergency bilge pump below cabin sole for operation with all hatches and ports closed