The Wauquiez 48 Pilot Saloon Sailboat
Specs & Key Performance Indicators

The Wauquiez 48 Pilot Saloon was designed by Ed Dubois and built in France by Henri Wauquiez (Chantier).

'Pipistrelle', a Wauquiez 48 Pilot House Cruising Yacht at anchor in Deep Bay, Antigua, West Indies.

A Wauquiez 48 Pilot Saloon. This one has been fitted with a double headed Solent Rig

Published Specification for the Wauquiez 48 Pilot Saloon

Underwater Configuration: Fin keel & spade rudder

Hull Material: GRP (Fibreglass)

Length Overall: 48'10" (14.9m)

Waterline Length: 41'0" (12.5m)

Beam: 14'9" (4.5m)

Draft: 7'1" (2.2m)

Rig Type: Masthead sloop

Displacement: 37,478lb (17,000kg)

Designer: Ed Dubois

Builder: Wauquiez (France)

Year First Built: 1997

Year Last Built: 2002

Number Built: 22

Owners Association: Wauquiez Owners Info

Published Design Ratios for the Wauquiez 48 Pilot Saloon

1. Sail Area/Displacement Ratio: 16.3

2. Ballast/Displacement Ratio: 29.4

3. Displacement/Length Ratio: 243

4. Comfort Ratio: 37.0

5. Capsize Screening Formula: 1.8

Summary Analysis of the Design Ratios for the Wauquiez 48 Pilot Saloon

eBook: How to Avoid Buying the Wrong Sailboat

Download this eBook to make sure you buy wisely!

1. A Sail Area/Displacement Ratio of 16.3 suggests that the Wauquiez 48 Pilot Saloon will, in the right conditions, approach her maximum hull speed readily and satisfy the sailing performance expectations of most cruising sailors.

2. A Ballast/Displacement Ratio of 29.4 would usually mean that the Wauquiez 48 Pilot Saloon would have a tendency to heel excessively in a gust, and need to be reefed early to keep her sailing upright in a moderate breeze.

However, as she has much of her ballast concentrated in a bulb at the foot of the keel, she's likely to be considerably stiffer than her published Ballast/Displacement Ratio might suggest.

3. A Displacement/Length Ratio of 243, tells us the Wauquiez 48 Pilot Saloon is a moderate displacement cruiser, which means she'll carry all your cruising gear without it having a dramatic effect on her performance. Most of today's sailboats intended for offshore cruising fall into this displacement category.

4. Ted Brewer's Comfort Ratio of 37.0 suggests that crew comfort of a Wauquiez 48 Pilot Saloon in a seaway is similar to what you would associate with the motion of a moderate bluewater cruising boat - a predictable and acceptable motion for most seasoned sailors.

5. The Capsize Screening Formula (CSF) of 1.8 tells us that a Wauquiez 48 Pilot Saloon would be a safer choice of sailboat for an ocean passage than one with a CSF of more than 2.0.

Any Questions?

Is the Wauquiez 48 Pilot Saloon still in production and, if not, when did production end and how many of these sailboats were built?

The Wauquiez 48 Pilot Saloon sailboat designed by Ed Dubois was built between 2000 and 2005. A total of 22 units were built.

What is the difference between the Dubois and the Berret-Racoupeau versions of the Wauquiez 48 Pilot Saloon?

The Dubois version is the original design by Ed Dubois, while the Berret-Racoupeau version is a newer design by Berret Racoupeau Yachts Design that was launched in 2016. The Berret-Racoupeau version has a longer waterline length, a wider beam, a larger sail area, and a different interior layout than the Dubois version. The Berret-Racoupeau version is known as the Wauquiez 48-2 Pilot Saloon.

What is the history of the builders of the Wauquiez 48 Pilot Saloon and is the company still in business?

Wauquiez is a French boat building company that has been turning out nicely designed semi-custom yachts for over 50 years. The company is still in business and continues to produce high-end yachts.

What sailplan and rig options, if any, are available for the Wauquiez 48 Pilot Saloon?

The Wauquiez 48 Pilot Saloon comes with a standard masthead sloop rig. However, some owners have fitted their boats with a double-headed Solent rig. Additionally, some boats have been equipped with asymmetric spinnaker rigging, in-mast furling, and a chainplate for an inner forestay.

What other sailboats have been created by the designer of the Wauquiez 48 Pilot Saloon?

Ed Dubois was a prolific yacht designer who created many other sailboats during his career. Some examples include the Westerly Oceanlord, Westerly Oceanmaster, Westerly Seahawk, Westerly Falcon, Westerly Typhoon, and Westerly Tempest.

The above answers were drafted by sailboat-cruising.com using GPT-4 (OpenAI’s large-scale language-generation model) as a research assistant to develop source material; to the best of our knowledge, we believe them to be accurate.