29 Nov
Windcraft has one of the sensational new big-volume Moody DS48 bluewater cruisers on the way, due in Australia in March 2025.
The Moody DS48 is a totally new boat – new hull, new deck and a completely new interior. The first thing that stands out is the beam of the boat and the space in the aft cockpit area.
Cruising World has named the DS48 as one of the finalists in its prestigious 2025 Boat of the Year award. The Moody’s emphasis on space featured prominently in the nomination:
“The Moody DS48 follows in the footsteps of its award-winning predecessor, the DS41, offering a blend of luxury and performance. This 48-foot yacht combines the spaciousness of a catamaran with the agile handling of a monohull. Its rigid hull, chines, and 1,680-square-foot sail area deliver speed and stability. Dual helms and a secure deck layout enhance safety and control. The Decksaloon concept includes an open living space that integrates the galley, salon and cockpit on a single level with panoramic views. Belowdecks, the DS48 has accommodations options including an Owners’ stateroom. With a focus on customisation, this yacht is designed for extended cruising and leisurely exploration.”
The Moody DS48 heading to Australia is hull #16 and is a three-cabin version with an internal nav station so it can be helmed from outside or inside, along with every option for extended liveaboard cruising. Windcraft Managing Director Anthony Bishop was at Boot Düsseldorf back in January for the glitzy World Premiere of the DS48 and came away extremely impressed by the latest addition to the Moody range.
“The new Moody DS48 is truly a remarkable design and I wasn’t able to find anything to match it in Dusseldorf,” he confided. “It would be the ideal yacht to cruise any ocean providing the occupants protection from the elements while enjoying single-level living in an elegantly crafted saloon with luxurious 360 degree water views,” Anthony added.
Enticing as the DS 48’s luxurious appointments and build quality are, equally important considerations for any sailor are how does it point? How does it handle in rough conditions? What features make it safe and enjoyable while at sea?
Helpfully Yachting World has provided us with some real-world answers to those questions, putting the big Moody through its paces in some decidedly unpredictable weather in the English Channel, including a nasty squall packing 40 knot gusts. The verdict:
“Even as the spray flew, heel stayed mostly between 10-20º, or less further off the wind. The saloon, not really ‘below decks’, remained light, warm and supremely comfortable, while offering all-round views to make watch-keeping in shelter entirely feasible.
This, combined with the boat’s steady motion, made a potentially gruelling Channel crossing into an exciting but entirely manageable day-sail. The impressive new Moody DS48 is a boat that takes the brunt of the weather so you don’t have to, making rough conditions feel much more pleasant.”
The Moody DS48 tested by Yachting Monthly was configured with a self-tacking jib, over-lapping genoa on a furler and an in-mast furling main. The sails are tri-cut cruising laminate from Quantum, while the rig is from Selden. The mix of conditions experienced showcased the ease of shifting gears with the DS48’s flexible sail plan.
See Inspiration Marine’s behind-the-scenes video of the cross-channel test of the Moody DS48 here:
In the Mood
At 15.42 metres or just over 50 feet, with a beam of 4.85-metre/16 feet, the DS 48 cuts an imposing profile, while its configuration neatly maximises exterior and interior space on one level, similar to a catamaran, hence the term ‘monomaran’, coined for the Moody DS range which also includes the award-winning Moody DS41 and Moody DS54. DS stands for Deck Saloon, featuring a single-level walkthrough from the cockpit through to the galley and saloon, making the DS48 a rarity among sailing yachts that usually have saloons and galleys below the main deck.
Design Brief
Simon Coles from Dixon Yacht Design revealed the initial design brief for this boat was to take the award-winning Moody DS41 and make it into a three cabin version. He also explained the design team spent a lot of hours on the boat’s hull shape and performance.
“A key point with Moody is they have to sail as well as they look,” he noted. “We worked really hard on reducing wetted surface with well-balanced lines. As well we very much kept in mind the Moody ethos of bluewater cruising with amazing 360-degree views, connecting the inside with the outside,” he added.
Layout and inside helm station
There are two interior layouts available: one with a purpose-built chart table and nav station to port, allowing for more space on the portside galley, the second layout extends the saloon seating across the boat with a more symmetrical galley aft. However even in the layout without the dedicated nav station you can still operate the boat from inside with engine start/stop, electric throttle, bow (and stern) thruster control and autohelm controls all available on the portside from the forward facing seat.
Sliding patio doors open to a spacious cockpit with a retractable sun awning that can be open or shut depending on conditions. Those doors, when opened, allow a seamless transition from the saloon to the great outdoors, essentially creating a single-level open floor plan on the main deck.
Galley
The saloon features a new galley design which maximises storage space and runs transversely across the boat as you enter on the same level as the aft cockpit. It means that at sea on either tack you can be working on the high or low side of the boat and you are bracing from side to side and not into or away from the working areas. It comes standard with loads of cupboard space and drawers for everything you would need for longer term cruising, and you can choose how much of this storage space you replace with additional drawer fridges (four is possible), plus freezer, microwave, dishwasher etc.
Two or Three Cabin Versions
The Moody DS48 comes standard with a huge Owner’s cabin with ensuite and a second cabin (double or twin single) much like the Moody 41DS except the second cabin also comes with an ensuite. If you stay with the two-cabin option you also get a walk-in wardrobe for the Owners cabin and a very large storage room that you can configure in many different ways with bench space, cupboards, shelving and room for freezers or washing machines. If you want the third cabin then you lose the Owner’s walk in wardrobe.
Walking forward on the new Moody there is a very large sunbed on the front and a seating area on the bow complete with dining table which would be ideal for private dining once you snugly tied-up in a marina berth.
Tender Garage
If you are cruising in tropical and warmer waters the large swim platform is the ideal place to cool-off and doubles as the launch pad for the DS48’s 2.8m tender, securely housed in a stern garage and quickly deployed thanks to the Moody Smart Tender System that was introduced on the Hanse 510.This is a game changer for using the tender with an electric arm mounted in the tender garage that lifts the tender in and out of the water with a remote control.
The ability of Moody’s decksaloon yachts to combine more than generous interior and exterior space on a single level with impressive sailing performance has made them popular in Australia and New Zealand where the distances involved in cruising often means extended stays away from port.
For more information on the Moody DS48 go to windcraftyachts.com/moody
