05 Sep
The August-September issue of Club Marine magazine details how Moody’s stunning new DS48 raises the standard for luxurious long-range liveability and shoulders the load when the going gets rough.
First up: a disclaimer.
Windshift reviewed the Moody DS48 for Club Marine. The main and very good reason for that is along with the Owner and several Windcraft employees, I’ve probably spent the most sailing time on Moody’s spacious, assured, and well-equipped deck saloon cruiser since it arrived in Australia.
I was on the delivery crew from Sydney to Sanctuary Cove and back, and have now been out sail training in a wide range of conditions, from the barest zephyr to 30 knots. And my verdict stands: “The Moody DS48 is a supremely comfortable and assured cruising yacht that will transport its crew in a level of refined luxury that will be the envy of the vast majority of fellow sailors, and an internal helm station is an absolute game-changer on long bluewater passages.”
If anything, this view has been reinforced by two other deliveries I’ve done in the past month. The first was from Sydney to Mackay on a 60-foot race yacht, and the second was from the Gold Coast back to Sydney aboard a 44-foot catamaran.
In the first instance, the crew on deck shivered through a succession of driving squalls off Byron Bay, completely exposed to the elements in the yacht’s large cockpit, with the grinding pedestals providing the best way to traverse the slippery deck. It wasn’t pleasant.
On the Moody, this isn’t necessary, as the DS 48’s deck saloon layout makes internal driving easy, safe, and low stress. The dedicated nav station to port with its 12” Raymarine Axion Pro screen, autopilot, and electric engine throttle means you can sit at the nav table and have all the critical functions within easy reach.
When coming on or going off watch on a conventional design like the racing yacht, you have to navigate the companionway. In somewhat challenging conditions, as we experienced, with the odd wave breaking into the cockpit, a quick and dry transition is especially appreciated by those down below trying to get some kip.
Again, the DS 48 does away with the angst by its single-level ‘monomaran’ configuration connecting the saloon to the cockpit. Once inside, the saloon’s panoramic curved front window grants more than adequate forward visibility while you stay dry and warm.
The second outing on the cat featured a welcome respite from earlier poundings and the room in the cockpit/saloon, and especially my cabin with its own ensuite seemed and was luxurious.
But during the short period we had to bash into a head sea off the Gold Coast, the cat made heavy going of it, the bow bobbing up and down and making limited progress. In that kind of choppy seaway, the big Moody at 21 tonnes just shoulders the swells aside with minimum fuss.
You can read my full review of the Moody DS48 in the August-September Issue of the Club Marine magazine. If you’re not a subscriber, the article will be available on both the Club Marine and Windcraft websites soon.
More info on the Moody DS 48:
