Sabre 48

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Photo by: Billy Black

Walking forward I was reminded of Sabre’s 40-year cruising pedigree. The decks are wide, the molded nonskid will grip your feet, and the stainless rails are at the perfect height. It was also refreshing to find a dual anchor roller — a must-have on a cruising boat, in my opinion. Two large bow lockers absorb fenders and lines.

Another smart touch was the starboard opening door next to the interior helm. Would the side profile be a little cleaner without it? You bet. However, I like Sabre’s lean toward functionality. This door is especially convenient for cruising couples, allowing the helmsman to easily step out to secure a spring line. The benefit of a fresh breeze blowing into the salon can’t be discounted.

The other entrance to the salon is through the stainless-steel door in the cockpit. The adjacent aft-facing window drops away to join the interior with the cockpit area. In fact, Sabre does a superb job of creating the feeling of an open express boat within the design parameters of a “salon express.” With the optional sunroof opened and the aft window lowered, there will be plenty of breeze flying, saltwater aroma and a connection with the outdoors. Sabre’s in-house naval architect, Kevin Burns, also placed extra emphasis on creating unobstructed sight lines throughout the salon — it really paid off. Even when seated at the L-shape settee abaft the helm, I was able to take in the sights of Portland, Maine, during our sea trial.

“One of the things that’s nice about this style of boat is that on a day like this you can still go out and have a nice day on the water,” commented Collins, referring to the chilly, gray overcast day of our sea trial. Indeed, we remained warm inside with plenty of places to sit back and simply enjoy being on the water. (Boaters in the Pacific Northwest, take note.)

The helm is another area that reveals Sabre’s combination of classic and contemporary styling. A leather-wrapped, curvy helm housed the two Garmin displays and Cummins electronic engine gauges. Leaning against the standard Stidd helm seat, I had a nearly unobstructed, 360-degree line of sight. It was nice to see an Exalto wiper on the center window in addition to the ones on the outboard windows. I’m constantly amazed at the number of builders that skimp on that vital center wiper. It’s these types of details, along with items such as the double anchor roller, side door, loads of stowage and wide decks that ensure that the Sabre 48 is more than just a pretty face.



Our test boat was fitted with a pair of 550-horsepower Cummins QSC 8.3 diesels coupled to Zeus pod-drives. At speed, the moderate V-hull has a stable and secure feel that I’ve come to expect from each Sabre. Burns altered the bottom and pod angle slightly in order to bring the bow down and create an optimum running angle throughout the speed curve. We shot out of the hole like a bucking bronco and reached a top speed of 34 knots, running at approximately 3.5 degrees. At 2,700 rpm I recorded a high cruise of 30.2 knots. Most remarkably, we registered a total fuel burn of 44.7 gallons, which gives the 48 a range of approximately 315 miles with a 10 percent reserve. That’s damn efficient.