Need opinion - Which one to choose Phantom 48 or Phantom 46?

Hi B.,

Nice to meet you again on this board .

Both the Phantom 46 and 48 are very nice boats and looks are similar, but the 48 is a very recent build. It exists since 2007 whereas the 46 was discontinued in 2006 and existed since 2001. As you already know I had a Phantom 48 and I had boat no. 1 which was the first Phantom 48 to be launched in early 2007. The P48 is actually 15mt in length, therefore it is almost 50ft in length. It is slightly larger than the 46 and definitely more spacious. The P48 has a very nice modern interior with white oak finish instead of the traditional red cherry wood. The interior layout of both boats is very different and the master cabin of the P48 being placed in the center of the boat is very spacious for that size compared to the MC of the 46 which is placed in the bow section of the P46. The engines on the P48 are the Volve D9s which are ofcourse more powerful than the TAMD 75P engines on the 46.
You can also consider looking at a used 2007 Phantom 48 and a few of them already exist on the market.
There are much less P48s on the market than P46s, therefore I would assume selling a P48 at a later stage when upgrading would be easier than selling a P46.
If I can be of any additional help please let me know.

Best regards,

Tarek

As a general rule I always advise people that if they're looking at two boats to go for the larger because they'll be there soon anyway and they may save themselves the depreciation (and commissions) on one boat along the way. In this case though you seem to have a good plan in mind("Since my short time aim is the Squadron 58"). 46 is a good place to get started since you'll find dockage, lifts, etc. much more available. Good luck.

Hi,

Did you have any sort of condition survey done prior to shelling out your cash to buy it?

Congratulations, you made a good decision........to learn on the 46 and get used to boating and then upgrade once you feel comfortable.
The Fairline dealer in Mallorca where your 46 is located is a very good friend of mine. I am sure I can ask them to inspect the boat for you. Your boat will most probably be one of their boats, so they will have the history.
Let me know if you would like me to contact them.

Best regards,

Tarek

First the bad news: ("I can only just hope that the boat has been treated gently and will not cost me a fortune to maintain.") Break Out Another Thousand. In all seriousnous though having a survey done is critical. It's his job to find potential problems and worth his weight in gold.

You can trust James and Russell 100%. I know them well, they are friends and I also bought both my 48 and 78 from them.
Ask James to bring the boat out of water. Look at the hull, rudders, shafts, props, brackets....etc. When you have the boat outside the water, also inspect all anodes and replace if necessary. Go over the engine, gearbox and generator service history with him. If it's close to service hours, ask him to perform a full service. Have a close look at the gelcoat for any surface cracks which they can fix prior to delivery especially around the swimplatform area and aft deck and around the flybridge. Check when the last antifouling was applied and I would suggest that you ask him to repaint the boat's bottom before taking delivery.......it will be much easier to do it there.

Best of luck and enjoy the boat in good health.

TK

This sounds like a good brokerage, but have a survey done. You are not going to insult the broker. In fact he expects it and many insurance companies require it. Boats are complicated and complex machines. Do you know how to check for blisters and will you check every inch for stress cracks? Will you pressurise the cooling systems and motors? Can you tell when the props or shafts are a little bit off? A surveyor is not wearing rose colored glasses. His job is to find what may be wrong or what may cause problems in the near future. I inspect boats for potential owners to narrow the field, but when it gets to "the one" we always bring in a surveyor. Despite my 50 years on boats the surveyor is better equipped to do an in depth inspection.

fairline phantom 48

Does anyone have or have owned a fairline phantom 48 as I have some questions, Thanks Lewis

Bandorka - NYCAP is talking perfect sense. It may well be that the boat is fine but let a surveyor prove it. If there is something seriously wrong which isn’t picked up through a casual inspection by you or the brokers, that will tarnish your relationship with them, your relationship with Tarek and Tarek’s relationship with his friends the brokers. No one will be insulted by your using a surveyor. If something is wrong, he will spot it and if he doesn’t, then he carries the can and all those relationships remain intact.

Hi Lewis,

I owned a Fairline Phantom 48 in 2007..............she was a great boat and very sea worthy.
I had posted a thread about my boat, you might want to have a look: http://www.yachtforums.com/forums/fairline-yacht/6428-pictures-my-fairline-phantom-48-a.html

If you have any specific questions, I will be glad to help.

Regards,

Tarek