Review of Southerly 47

Both the hull and the deck is made of fibreglass. Generally, a hull made of fibreglass requires only a minimum of maintenance during the sailing season.

Both the hull and the deck is a sandwich construction which improves the indoor climate. Especially when the water is colder than the air in the cabin, then the double hull insulates against cold water and reduce the condense water in the cabin.

The boat is equipped with 3 cabins, 6 berths, 488.0 liter fresh water capacity and toilet facility.

The Southerly 47 is built with a fractional rig. A fractional rig has smaller headsails which make tacking easier, which is an advantage for cruisers and racers, of course. The downside is that having the wind from behind often requires a gennaker or a spinnaker for optimal speed.

Keel of Southerly 47. A swing keel and grounding plate before being fitted in the recess of a Southerly 47

Swing keel

The Southerly 47 is built with a swing keel. A swing keel is a pivoting lifting keel, allowing to sail both coastal and inland waters.

The boat can enter even shallow marinas as the draft is just about 1.00 - 1.10 meter (3.28 - 3.58 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.

Southerly 47 may be equipped with an inboard Yanmar 4JH5 TE diesel engine at 75 hp (55 kW). Calculated max speed is about 7.0 knots

The transmission is a shaft drive. A shaft drive will in the long run require less maintenance than other types of drive e.g. a sail drive.

The fuel tank has a capacity of 660.0 liters (174 US gallons, 145 imperial gallons).

What is Capsize Screening Formula (CSF)?

The capsize screening value for Southerly 47 is 1.77, indicating that this boat could - if evaluated by this formula alone - be accepted to participate in ocean races.

Southerly 47 holds a CE certification:

What is Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed?

The theoretical maximal speed of a displacement boat of this length is 8.8 knots. The term "Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed" is widely used even though a boat can sail faster. The term shall be interpreted as above the theoretical speed a great additional power is necessary for a small gain in speed.

The immersion rate is defined as the weight required to sink the boat a certain level. The immersion rate for Southerly 47 is about 389 kg/cm, alternatively 2183 lbs/inch.
Meaning: if you load 389 kg cargo on the boat then it will sink 1 cm. Alternatively, if you load 2183 lbs cargo on the boat it will sink 1 inch.

What is Motion Comfort Ratio (MCR)?

The Motion Comfort Ratio for Southerly 47 is 35.4.

What is L/B (Length Beam Ratio)?

The l/b ratio for Southerly 47 is 3.24.

What is a Ballast Ratio?

The ballast ratio for Southerly 47 is 35%.

What is Displacement Length Ratio?

The DL-ratio for Southerly 47 is 206 which categorizes this boat among 'light crusers & offshore racers'.

When buying anti-fouling bottom paint, it's nice to know how much to buy. The surface of the wet bottom is about 74m² (796 ft²).
Based on this, your favourite maritime shop can tell you the quantity you need.

Note: If you use a paint roller you will need more paint than if you use a paintbrush.

If you need to renew parts of your running rig and is not quite sure of the dimensions, you may find the estimates computed below useful.

This section is reserved boat owner's modifications, improvements, etc. Here you might find (or contribute with) inspiration for your boat.

Do you have changes/improvements you would like to share? Upload a photo and describe what you have done.

We are always looking for new photos. If you can contribute with photos for Southerly 47 it would be a great help.

If you have any comments to the review, improvement suggestions, or the like, feel free to contact us. Criticism helps us to improve.