SPECIFICATION SHEET | REVIEW (CRUISING WORLD) | 

Many sailors want a boat with traditional looks, fine joinery, strong construction, conservative lines, and all the modern convenience. The craftsmen at Tayana have been putting those elements together for years. Tayana 48 the hull is a solidly built Bob design, and the cruising skipper can create an interior layout choosing from a range of options designed around the popular center cockpit configuration.

The 40-foot waterline is relatively long to produce good speed, and the boat's underwater profile features a long-chord keel of moderate draft and a solid rudder mounted on a large skeg for good tracking and control response. The hull has a moderate reverse transom. All these components together form a contemporary and well-proportioned boat. Every Tayana can be slightly different below to accommodate in the individual owner's needs. The design process is an easy one, since Tayana's factory dealers use a computer-aided design (CAD) system to layout potential interiors suited to specific needs.

In winds that ranged from 10-20 knots for the test sail, the cutter rig 48 slid through the short, steep waves easily with a solid, gentle motion. The boat sails well to windward in these conditions, and off the wind it tracks ruler straight; it's stable and easy to steer. The Tayana 48 represents a refined approach to the questions of getting a well-executed interior and a solid, proven hull form. The Tayana 48 DS is a variation on the company's popular 48-footer.

Designer Rob Ladd added a deck saloon and raised the floor structure on Bob Perry's original hull to create a spacious, open interior. Raising the saloon floor not only improved visibility from the cabin, but also opened more space for tankage, always welcome on a cruiser. Warm, traditional teak joinery is everywhere. The large wrap-around saloon windows keep the living spaces bright, and headroom ( in spite of the raised floor) will make any tall sailor smile, but additional handholds below would make navigating the wide-open interior easier.

The master cabin aft is equipped with a large double bunk on centerline, a private head and stand-up shower stall, a hanging locker, and plenty of storage space. Two-and three-cabin accommodation plans are available for guest staterooms. The boat's system are carefully installed, with substantial wiring and plumbing that should hold up for years, but this is a complex vessel. The genset is mounted where it will have to be removed to gain access to the front of the engine for repairs, and, because the stainless steel tanks are mounted in the bilge, periodic checks for corrosion are in order.

Diligent monitoring and familiarity with the systems and/or careful selection of a knowledgeable mechanic will be essential. On deck, torails that are more like mini bulwarks combine with 32-inch-tall lifelines and tree-sturdy stanchions stanchions to provide a secure feeling under way. The high center cockpit is comfortable and dry, but there is a large step down from the cockpit to the deck. The ground-tackle system is outstanding. Hefty bow rollers and a powerful windlass make it easy to set and raise the hook, and oversized polished stainless mooring cleats are strong, well placed, and aesthetically pleasing. The Tayana 48DS is big and strong enough to take care of you on a passage, and it will wrap you in luxury as well.

Designer's comments: The design target for the Tayana 48 was to produce a boat that would outperform the competition in this size range in both boat speed and interior volume. This began with a comparative process not unlike the type used by designers designing racing yachs. Hull proportions were studied along with interior layouts in order to produce a hull that was not entirely based upon getting the maximum number of cubic feet into the allotted length overall.

The general hull form features overhangs on the short side for a long useable sailing length. The sections shown moderate deadrise running from the forefoot to just aft of amidships where it begins to flatten out. All deadrise is gone at the transom. Beam at the waterline (BWL) is generous for good initial stability. Beam aft is moderate insuring that the 48 will not show distorted asymmetry when heeled that can lead to wicked helm situation and a boat with two personalities.

The rig is positioned well forward in this design. This does two things that work to the cruisers advantage. It creates a rig that is forgiving in terms of helm balance and the need to reef in order to keep the boat manageable in a breeze. This boat has the power in it's stability to be pressed hard and you can't take advantage of that without good helm balance.

This mast positional also results in the mast being lined up with the main bulkhead which opens up the main saloon space and makes strong chainplate attachment easy. The interior is available in either a three stateroom or two stateroom layout. Numerous optional arrangements are available as are further customizations to the existing layouts.

Headroom is excellent in this design due to the deck onfiguration. My association with the Ta Yang yard goes back to the third fiberglass boat I ever designed, the venerable Tayana 37. The detailing is clean and the joinerwork is excellent. A new 48 shows just how far this Taiwanese yard has come in the last 20 years.