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 Moody DS48 the company 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 Moody 41DS. 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.

Large hull with generous displacement moves through the gears easily using the self-tacking jib. Photo: Richard Langdon/Ocean Images

Stately progress

Slipping Lymington, we were soon in the grip of a strong ebb, whipping us out past the Needles with little more than 5 knots of true wind from the south-east, but thanks to the 150hp Yanmar, we were making more than 9 knots over the ground.

Once clear of the Isle of Wight, we had near 10 knots from the south east allowing us to shape a course straight for Alderney. All being well, the tide would slosh us west, then east, before plonking us just outside Braye spot-on slack water.

The high topsides include a full length soft chine. Photo: Richard Langdon/Ocean Images

With a fetch ahead of us, the optional 87m2 overlapping genoa set beautifully, giving useful extra drive compared to the self-tacking jib, while being more versatile than a Code 0. As with most boats equipped with a self-tacking jib, the mast is positioned well forward, with a large mainsail. Our test boat had in-mast furling fitted, with full vertical battens in a cruising laminate main.

As the breeze built, boat speed climbed from 6 to 8 knots, touching 9.5 knots over the ground with a knot or so of tide helping us along. After making smooth and stately progress across an unusually flat English Channel, the clouds closed in and the first rain squall picked the wind up to 20 knots, drenching us in the process. We swapped from genoa to self-tacking jib and continued on an almost entirely even keel.

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While those handling sails got a bit wet, the extendable canopy afforded some shelter at the wheel, and complete shelter for any crew cowering in the cockpit. The other benefit of the large coachroof is that it offers enough space for the optional 800W of solar panels that our test boat was fitted with. Meanwhile, the rest of the crew kept a lookout from the warmth and shelter of the deck saloon.

Deep bulwarks and solid guardrails feel really secure. Photo: Richard Langdon/Ocean Images

Easy handling

Sail handling proved easy on the Moody DS48, with powered Lewmar 65 winches either side, and a second manual 55 winch (powered optional). Each wheel pedestal has duplicate switches for the mainsail furler, genoa furler, and two powered winches, so that sails can be furled, unfurled and sheeted without leaving the wheel. The winches sit atop the cockpit coamings, so can be handled from in the cockpit, or from standing on the side decks, though the overhanging canopy slightly obstructs working the winch when on the side deck.

The only task we actually picked up a winch handle for during the trip was to add backstay tension to the three-spreader fractional rig to deal with a bit of forestay sag when the jib was sheeted in hard.

The breeze was far from settled, requiring frequent adjustments to the sailplan to keep us powered up, and as we hit the east-going traffic, another squall reduced visibility to less than a mile while the wind crept up to 35 knots, giving us 42 knots over the deck.

Sail handling can be done from a protected position. Photo: Richard Langdon/Ocean Images

Two button-pushes left us with just a scrap of mainsail and two thirds of the jib deployed. As the chop built, this lacked a little power to keep us going, but the motion was comfortable and we were still making progress of 6 knots or so. It also gave us the chance to sample how well the boat handled moderate waves – nothing huge, though enough to send spray flying over the bow. Occasional steeper waves hit the bow with a thud, but the DS48 ploughed on unperturbed.

By the time we’d dodged some shipping, the wind was on the nose and Alderney was on the horizon. Not wanting a protracted beat, the jib was furled away and we motorsailed at 8 knots boat speed: the optional larger 150hp Yanmar engine consuming 7.5-8lt of diesel an hour at 2,100rpm.

Deep and well sheltered cockpit is on the same level as the saloon. Photo: Richard Langdon/Ocean Images

Overnight in Alderney

Arriving in Braye still in sunshine, we hailed the water taxi, though if we’d a tender in the garage (up to 2.8m), we could have swung it out on the integral davit arm. Dinner ashore was everything we had hoped, before I retired to the master cabin in the bow.

A large island berth of over 2m long and 1.87m wide sits on the centreline, offering views out of the hull windows. Standing, there’s palatial amounts of space to move around, yet without feeling too exposed at sea, and stowage has been fitted into every available space, with three wardrobes, and numerous smaller lockers and drawers. The en-suite has a separate shower compartment, more locker space and an electric-flush toilet.

Big all-round windows allow plenty of light. Photo: Richard Langdon/Ocean Images

The starboard VIP twin cabin features two generous singles with its own large en-suite, hull window and ventilation hatch in the side deck. A double to port has access to the day heads and shower. This can alternatively be set up as a bunk cabin or utility space, with or without the third heads compartment, which otherwise becomes further stowage. A large double can also be created in the saloon by lowering the table and adding an infill cushion.

The following morning we awoke to a strong, gusty south-westerly that would be rubbing the tide up the wrong way for most of the crossing home. We set off with most of the genoa out and a partially reefed main in a solid Force 5, but before long we’d furled more of the genoa away and were broad reaching in 20-26 knots of wind at 7.5 to 9 knots through the water.

With the short, steep seas building to 2-3m with breaking crests, the autopilot was working hard, and once or twice let the boat round up when things got too much – time spent adjusting the settings would probably correct this.

Light spills into the saloon and same-level galley. Photo: Richard Langdon/Ocean Images

Having taken the steering in hand, it inevitably turned into a competition to see who could get the highest speed. Inspiration Marine’s Phil Dollin held the record of 12.3 knots for almost the whole crossing, pipped only in the closing miles by a lucky surge while I was at the helm, nudging 12.6 knots. In flatter water inside the Solent, a maximum speed of 9.3 knots, close reaching in 12 knots of breeze, is a truer reflection of the boat’s speed potential.

Rough weather test

The rough weather certainly gave us a good insight into what the boat is really like to helm and sail. The deep single rudder offered plenty of grip and in flat water would happily bear away with full sail pinned in hard. Only once, when a breaking wave caught its stern did the Moody DS48 round up, though not badly. It is, however, a more physical boat to helm in these conditions on a broad reach than a lighter boat might be. The plus side is that despite its substantial displacement, the boat is still fun to sail and the helm responsive enough to reward properly trimmed sails and to keep her in the groove upwind by feel.

The forward double cabin offers plenty of space. Photo: Richard Langdon/Ocean Images

The conditions also demonstrated the true value of the deck saloon. The crew distributed themselves around the boat – the stern seats made a great place from which to helm or to view the action, though I’d have liked some armrests amidships to break up the wide stretch of flat seat. The deep cockpit felt brilliantly secure and offered seamless connection with the saloon and galley. Beside the full-height sliding door, a slide-down window meant a steady stream of food and hot drinks could be passed straight from the galley to those on deck. The only thing lacking was somewhere to hang dripping foulies and lifejackets when coming inside.

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 and low heeling angles, made a potentially gruelling Channel crossing into an exciting but entirely manageable day sail. The Moody DS48 is a boat that takes the brunt of the weather so you don’t have to.

The starboard VIP twin cabin features two generous singles. Photo: Richard Langdon/Ocean Images

Practical considerations

The layout on our test Moody DS48 had a dual-purpose table to port. From the aft seat, looking forwards, VHF radio, autopilot and throttle controls are immediately to hand, with space to wield a paper chart on the table. Serious passage-makers might be tempted to opt for the dedicated navigation station positioned forwards, close to the windscreen. This gives better all-round views while offering more space for chart stowage and for instruments, though you lose a possible sea berth and two seats for guests at dinner.

In either configuration, I’d have liked an additional pair of hatches at the forward corners of the coachroof to make it easier to look up at the sails, as well as aiding ventilation.

Below the cabin sole, the upgraded 150hp Yanmar fitted easily, alongside a generator, double fuel polishers, inverter, air conditioning and diesel heating.

Moving aft, the two cockpit lockers are cavernous, needing steps to get all the way down into them. These house the steering gear and autopilot – it’s an option to have two fitted for redundancy, one to each side. There’s also a washing machine, plus more than enough space for bikes, tools, and assorted toys. In the transom seat, you can either have a handy shallow locker, or a gas grill and fridge. Rope tails from the winches stow neatly in deep rope bins in the coaming, though some stowage for cups and binoculars was missing.

Moving through the gears easily under genoa. Photo: Richard Langdon/Ocean Images

Moody DS48 specifications

LOA: 15.42m 50ft 7in
Hull length: 14.65m 48ft 1in
LWL: 13.83m 45ft 4in
Beam: 4.85m 15ft 11in
Draught: 2.15m 7ft 1in (shoal 1.80m 5ft 11in)
Displacement: 21,160kg 46,650lb
Ballast: 6,175kg 13,614lb
Sail area (main + jib): 130.90m2 1,409ft2
Engine: Yanmar 110hp (150hp option)
Fuel tank: 570lt / 125gal
Water tank: 766lt / 168gal
Sail area/displacement ratio: 17.4
Displacement/LWL ratio: 187.5
Price as tested: £1,026,841
Builder: moody-yachts.com

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