Review of Soverel 48

Basic specs.

The Soverel 48 is a large sailboat designed by the maritime architect Bill Soverel in the early seventies. Only a few boats have been produced. The Soverel 48 is built by the American yard Soverel Marine.

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Hull

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

Engine

The boat is typically equipped with a Ford Lehman diesel engine.

The fuel tank has a capacity of 1094 liters (289 US gallons, 240 imperial gallons).

Sailing characteristics

This section covers widely used rules of thumb to describe the sailing characteristics. Please note that even though the calculations are correct, the interpretation of the results might not be valid for extreme boats.

Stability and Safety

What is Capsize Screening Formula (CSF)?

The capsize screening value for Soverel 48 is 1.76, indicating that this boat could - if evaluated by this formula alone - be accepted to participate in ocean races.

Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed

What is Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed?

The theoretical maximal speed of a displacement boat of this length is 8.5 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.

Immersion rate

The immersion rate is defined as the weight required to sink the boat a certain level. The immersion rate for Soverel 48 is about 331 kg/cm, alternatively 1856 lbs/inch.
Meaning: if you load 331 kg cargo on the boat then it will sink 1 cm. Alternatively, if you load 1856 lbs cargo on the boat it will sink 1 inch.

Sailing statistics

This section is statistical comparison with similar boats of the same category. The basis of the following statistical computations is our unique database with more than 26,000 different boat types and 350,000 data points.

Motion Comfort Ratio

What is Motion Comfort Ratio (MCR)?

The Motion Comfort Ratio for Soverel 48 is 31.9.

Comparing this ratio with similar sailboats show that it is more comfortable than 42% of all similar sailboat designs. This comfort value is just below average.

L/B (Length Beam Ratio)

What is L/B (Length Beam Ratio)?

The l/b ratio for Soverel 48 is 3.60.

Compared with other similar sailboats it is slimmer than 69% of all other designs. It seems that the designer has chosen a slightly more speedy hull design.

D/L (Displacement Length Ratio)

What is Displacement Length Ratio?

The DL-ratio for Soverel 48 is 193 which categorizes this boat among 'light racers'.

66% of all similar sailboat designs are categorized as heavier. A light displacement requires less sailarea and has higher accellerations.

SA/D (Sail Area Displacement ratio)

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

The SA/D for Soverel 48 with ISO 8666 reference sail is 13.1, with a 135% genua the SA/D is 16.2.

The SA/D ratio indicates that it is faster than 1% of all similar sailboat designs in light wind.

Maintenance

Rig

Dimensions of sail.

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.

**Guiding dimensions of running rig**
Usage	Length		Diameter
Mainsail halyard	34.4 m	(113.0 feet)	14 mm	(0.55 inch)
Jib/genoa halyard	34.4 m	(113.0 feet)	14 mm	(0.55 inch)
Spinnaker halyard	34.4 m	(113.0 feet)	14 mm	(0.55 inch)
Jib sheet	14.6 m	(48.0 feet)	16 mm	(5/8 inch)
Genoa sheet	14.6 m	(48.0 feet)	16 mm	(5/8 inch)
Mainsheet	36.6 m	(120.0 feet)	16 mm	(5/8 inch)
Spinnaker sheet	32.2 m	(105.6 feet)	16 mm	(5/8 inch)
Cunningham	3.7 m	(12.0 feet)	14 mm	(0.55 inch)
Kickingstrap	7.3 m	(24.0 feet)	14 mm	(0.55 inch)
Clew-outhaul	7.3 m	(24.0 feet)	14 mm	(0.55 inch)

Boat owner's ideas

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

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Finally

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

References

[Ref 1]: ISO 8666 Small craft — Principal data.
[Ref 3]: ISO 12215-5 Small craft — Hull construction and scantlings.