Review of Mayflower 48

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

The boat equipped with a ketch rig. A ketch rig is generally considered easier to handle, because the sails are smaller, and because it can sail on most points to the wind with one sail completely taken down for repair or while reefing. The sail configuration of a ketch allows for better comfort and stability when sailing downwind or on a broad reach.

Full keel

The Mayflower 48 is equipped with a long keel. A full keel provide a better directional stability than a similar boat with a fin keel; on the other hand, better directional stability means also that the boat is more difficult to handle in a harbour with less space.

The keel is made of iron. Many people prefer lead keel in favour of iron. The main argument is that lead is much heavier than iron and a lead keel can therefore be made smaller which again result in less wet surface, i.e. less drag. In fact iron is quite heavy, just 30% less heavy than lead, so the advantage of a lead keel is often overstated.

The boat can enter most marinas as the draft is just about 1.73 - 1.83 meter (5.68 - 5.98 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.

The boat is typically equipped with an inboard Perkins 4.236 diesel engine at 85 hp (63 kW). Calculated max speed is about 7.1 knots

What is Capsize Screening Formula (CSF)?

The capsize screening value for Mayflower 48 is 1.62, indicating that this boat could - if evaluated by this formula alone - be accepted to participate in ocean races.

What is Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed?

The theoretical maximal speed of a displacement boat of this length is 8.4 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 Mayflower 48 is about 328 kg/cm, alternatively 1841 lbs/inch.
Meaning: if you load 328 kg cargo on the boat then it will sink 1 cm. Alternatively, if you load 1841 lbs cargo on the boat it will sink 1 inch.

What is Motion Comfort Ratio (MCR)?

The Motion Comfort Ratio for Mayflower 48 is 42.4.

What is L/B (Length Beam Ratio)?

The l/b ratio for Mayflower 48 is 3.56.

What is a Ballast Ratio?

The ballast ratio for Mayflower 48 is 33%.

What is Displacement Length Ratio?

The DL-ratio for Mayflower 48 is 274 which categorizes this boat among 'light crusers & offshore racers'.

What is SA/D (Sail Area Displacement ratio)?

The SA/D for Mayflower 48 with ISO 8666 reference sail is 12.3, with a 135% genua the SA/D is 14.6.

When buying anti-fouling bottom paint, it's nice to know how much to buy. The surface of the wet bottom is about 35m² (376 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.

Dimensions of sail for ketch rig.

Are your sails worn out? You might find your next sail here: Sails for Sale

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 Mayflower 48 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.