MOODY DS48

A TWO-DAY CROSS CHANNEL TEST EXAMINES WHETHER A HEAVY DECK SALOON DESIGNED FOR SINGLE LEVEL LIVING CAN ALSO OFFER ENGAGING SAILING

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Many new launches these days aim to be lighter, faster and more open. Not so the Moody DS48. From the moment you scale the boarding ladder (via steps which fold out from the solid guardrails to surmount her deep bulwarks), and set foot on the recessed side decks, this is a boat that you are most definitely in, rather than on.

High topsides, muscular bow sections and a formidable deck house make the Moody DS48 an imposing yacht, even from the pontoon. Set all 165m² of canvas and with 21 tonnes of boat in full motion, it becomes even more formidable.

The Solent is normally an ideal test ground for sea trials; sheltered enough to play in, yet with strong tides and a decent fetch that can kick up a steep chop. But when it came to testing the new Moody DS48, designed for long-distance passagemaking, nothing less than a Channel crossing would do. I joined the boat at Lymington in the morning, and with our crew of five decided that dinner in Alderney would make for a fitting goal - so with a booking made for 2000hrs at the Braye Beach Hotel, we had some miles to make.

For the DS48 Moody has continued its long association with Bill Dixon, who has a reputation for drawing seaworthy, high-volume hulls with a good turn of speed. DS stands for Deck Saloon, the first of the range being the DS45 launched in 2007, and followed by the 41.

The newest 48 is an evolution of the concept.

Simon Coles, senior designer at Dixon Yacht Design says, "We set out to draw a boat that maximised the inside-outside feeling of single-level living, while handling the extra displacement from all the kit people want with them on a world-cruising boat." He also explains how the aft shape is designed to cope with the added displacement "without dragging the transom", and that the relatively deep forefoot should prove sea-kindly.