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Model profile · for Great Loop buyers

DeFever 48 Tri-Cabin

The published record on this model and what owners report, with the questions worth asking while a boat is still a listing. This page covers the model. Every boat still needs its own homework.

A heavy, well-regarded long-keel trawler with simple reliable Lehman diesels and ample range; a strong Loop platform if tanks, transmissions and air draft check out.

The DeFever 48 Tri-Cabin is a heavy semi-displacement trawler-yacht built in Taiwan (CTF yard) across roughly 1978–1992, with limited later production reported. It is a classic three-cabin cruiser on a solid-fiberglass hull with a long protective keel, typically displacing around 50,000 lb. Several engine options were fitted over the run — naturally-aspirated Ford Lehman 120/135 are the most common on 1980s boats, with some Cat 3208s and later diesels — so the engine must be confirmed on the specific hull. Little content is specific to any single model year; the traits below are drawn from the whole 48 production run and near-identical sister hulls.

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How to read the tags on this page. QUESTIONopen, and settled by looking at the boat itself CONTEXTbackground on how this model is built or used Sources are linked where published.

Background

CONTEXT
Heavy semi-displacement long-keel trawler-yacht Built by the CTF yard in Taiwan on a solid fiberglass semi-displacement hull with a long protective keel and hard aft chines, displacing roughly 50,000 lb. It is a popular DeFever design; sources conflict on the number built (one HMY/BoatUS page says about 100 in one place and over 200 in another), so treat production counts as unconfirmed. src: HMY Powerboat Guide / BoatUS notes

Range & fuel

CONTEXT
Displacement-speed fuel burn is modest and range is large Multiple Lehman-powered 48 owners report cruising 7.6–8.1 knots at roughly 4–6 gph combined, and around 3 gph at 7 knots; one notably low report of ~2 gph at 6.9 knots likely reflects a lightly-loaded or single-engine case. Brokerage sheets cite 8-knot cruise, ~10-knot max, and large fuel tankage (one 1985 Lehman boat listed at 950 gal). At these figures the boat has ample range for the Loop, but full tanks are significant weight and old tanks may have unusable capacity. src: Trawler Forum '48' Defever Trawler'; 'Hull Speed, DeFever 48'; Curtis Stokes listing

Systems

QUESTION
What is the age, material and condition of the fuel tanks? This is a 1980s Taiwan-built boat with large-capacity tankage; original metal tanks of this vintage are a common concern on heavy trawlers and can lose usable capacity or develop leaks. Tank condition affects both range and a potentially expensive repair.
Your move: Ask when the tanks were last inspected or replaced, what material they are, and request access ports or a borescope look during survey.

Air draft

CONTEXT
Measure actual air draft and identify what lowers As a tri-cabin trawler the boat typically carries a flybridge with radar, VHF antennas and other high gear that set the true overhead height. Owners note you can generally clear low fixed bridges by lowering radar and antennas, but the clearing height depends on the specific boat's rigging. src: iNavX; Cruisers Forum
Your move: Measure the actual air draft from the waterline to the highest fixed point, then confirm exactly which items (arch, radar, antennas, mast) can be lowered and the resulting reduced height.

Handling

CONTEXT
Long keel and twin screws make a forgiving, protected running gear The long protective keel shields the props and rudders from grounding damage — useful in the shallow, debris-prone stretches of the Loop — while twin screws aid low-speed maneuvering in locks and marinas. The trade-off is a heavy boat that is slow to accelerate and stop. src: HMY Powerboat Guide

Reading the boat

CONTEXT
Treat findings as fleet-wide, not year-specific Very little content is specific to any single model year of the 48; the traits here come from the whole roughly 1978–1992 production run and near-identical sister hulls (DeFever 41/49). Use them as things to verify on the individual boat rather than as confirmed specs for a given year.

Engines

The engines research is part of the full profile inside the product. It covers factory options, tested performance and the engine-specific questions in our members' dossiers, and it travels with every dossier and survey brief built on this model.

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