Sabre 48

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Photo by: Billy Black

I need to come clean: I no longer embrace the opportunity to test a new boat with the same vigor and unbridled enthusiasm I did 10 years ago. Don’t get me wrong — I love running boats, but admittedly the thrill has diminished slightly over the course of time. This is partly due to the fact that the majority of boats we run today are fairly predictable, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Allow me to explain.

At last count, I had more than 125 tests under my belt. Some were memorable and some not so much. And some were memorable for being, well, not so memorable. Years back there were a few boats that did not hold up to our standards, and thus never made it into the pages of this magazine. There was the express cruiser that sank in its slip an hour before my sea trial — making it fairly difficult to complete a full evaluation. There was the boat that leaned out of its turn, and kept leaning, leaning and leaning, prompting the marketing manager to whisper “uh-oh” while edging toward the only PFD on board. And then there was the express cruiser that would require Shaq to stretch his toes while standing on a ladder to see over the bow from the helm. (The builder suggested adding an optional $2,000 video camera on the bow pulpit to avoid running over a cruise ship while under way.)

Yet today, with all of the advancements in design technology, precision mold machines and tank testing, a builder has to work fairly hard at creating a bad design. (Of course, there is a varying degree of quality in build processes.)

Then a boat, like the Sabre 48, comes along that causes me to stand at attention — a boat that tramples on the formula of predictability and reminds a jaded boat-tester like myself that running boats can still be thrilling (watch the video and see the gallery, too).

Sabre practices an “evolutionary versus revolutionary” design philosophy, according to Bentley Collins, Sabre’s vice president of marketing and sales. Every new model relies on a strong, classical pedigree, displaying a family resemblance throughout the line. Yet, take a look at a 10-year-old Sabre and compare it with this 48, and it’s obvious that the designers and engineers are not simply spitting out more of the same.

Sabre is one of the masters of building classically inspired Down East designs that incorporate modern styling details. Combined as a whole package, these details create a timeless, elegant, yet contemporary design. The proportions of the 48 work perfectly, in my opinion. The tumblehome of the transom flows seamlessly into a deck with moderate sheer, which benefits from a cabin house design that is absent of any harsh 90-degree angles. The rake of the after portion of the house flows into the vertical strut of the upper deckhouse, which is accented by the engine room vents that carry the same angle — Brooks Brothers meets Giorgio Armani.



The cockpit was another welcome surprise. Many traditional builders don’t put as much effort into cockpit seating comfort as builders of more Euro-inspired designs. It’s as if some Yankee boatbuilders feel the need to embrace their Puritan roots — a group of people so uptight that even the British told them to take a hike. The one-level arrangement of the 48’s cockpit works extremely well for entertaining and allows for a seamless transition from the swim platform to the salon. A stainless-steel safety rail surrounds the aft three-quarters of the cockpit for additional security. An L-shape settee across the transom hugs a teak table and faces a bench settee across the aft bulkhead, allowing for a natural conversation pit at anchor or under way. This is where I would plant myself with a cup of coffee and the morning paper while on the mooring in a secluded cove. Our test boat featured an optional teak deck in the cockpit for a little extra security under foot. Sabre also offers a FreedomLift tender system on the platform to ensure that launching and retrieval are hassle-free.