Yachts The Surfari 48 Sets Sail

The Surfari 48 Sets Sail

Ted Fontaine designed the high-performance cruising yacht.

By Kim Kavin

June 7, 2018

The Surfari 48 has 808 square feet of mainsail area. Total sail area is 1,324 square feet. This yacht has twin 80-horsepower Yanmar JH 80 diesel engines. Images Courtesy Fontaine Design Group/by Onne van der Wal

Fontaine Design Group, working with Friendship Yacht Co., has launched the Surfari 48.

The Surfari 48 is a high-performance cruising yacht that’s designed to function like a racing yacht under sail, and like a motoryacht under power, with twin 80-horsepower Yanmar JH 80 diesel engines pushing her to a speed of 10 knots.

It’s single-level living from the swim platform through the cockpit into the deck salon space. Images Courtesy Fontaine Design Group/by Onne van der Wal

She has a single-level main deck, which the designer says is unique in the sailing yacht market.

Centerline helm station with 360-degree views

The Surfari offers 360-degree views from the centerline helm station. Images Courtesy Fontaine Design Group/by Onne van der Wal

Composite construction is intended to keep weight down and enhance performance. A carbon-fiber mast and boom are also part of the design spec, with what Fontaine calls push-button sailing systems for ease of handling.

Hydraulic and electric sail-control systems handle sheeting and furling the mainsail and genoa, in a nod to the singlehanded capabilities of Fontaine’s Friendship 40 and 53 designs.

The yacht is designed as a high-performance cruising yacht. Image Courtesy Fontaine Design Group/by Onne van der Wal

Options that owners can select: fixed or lifting keel; one-, two- or three-stateroom layout; various cockpit arrangements.
www.fontainedesigngroup.com