48 Cabo vs 50 Post

Hoping Capt J will weigh in here as he’s commented on these models previously (I’ve read all the threads several times) but would welcome other thoughts as well.

We own a post 42 now and previously owned a 58 Viking, a 31 tiara and a 38 Bert. We love our 42 post but I’d like to move up to a 50’ class sportie in the next ~year or two.

I was set on the 50 post being our next boat due to the value and the fact that we love the unpretentious practicality of posts. It is also familiar to us - basically a 3 stateroom version of what we have now with a little more speed and better sea abilities due to the size and weight if nothing else.

However there’s a 48 Cabo on the market that we could snag for the same price as a 50 post (~ $300k). It needs to be painted (I figure at least $100-$150k to do it right) but it’s otherwise seems to be in good shape. Engines will need a full service (injectors, coolers, etc) but I would do that with any Man powered boat.

So the question - is the 48 Cabo really that much better of a sea boat than the 50 post? It seems the Cabo engine room is probably superior as well but I haven’t been on either boat. Engine room access and rough water handling are both really important to us, but I’ve also been on enough boats to know there’s a lot of subjectivity involved. For example, I don’t care if a boat is “wet” but I care a lot about how it rolls in beam seas because that’s the most uncomfortable motion to me. I appreciate good head sea boats but it seems like they all get a bit uncomfortable in short spaced 4 footers or the confused stuff you often see crossing the Gulf Stream. Except maybe a 54 hat which is too much boat for us.

Is the Cabo superior in all these areas to the 50 post, or is it just a better head sea/following sea boat but rolls more in a beam sea or on the drift?

The Cabo is a few knots faster at cruise with 1050 Mans and burns a bit more fuel but the economy seems close, especially if you slow the Cabo down to match the post’s 27kt cruise. But with the Cabo you can also cruise at 30+ if you are willing to burn another 20gph (at least according to Cabo’s performance bulletins).


It’s really an inconvenient time for us to buy a boat right now for a lot of reasons but the deal on this Cabo seems pretty remarkable. If we pass on it now, I know I’ll be able to find a 50 post in a year or so when the timing to switch boats would be better, but I doubt I’ll find another cabo 48 in this price range.

Thank you, very helpful.

Honestly I think part of the reason it is so cheap is the guy really wants to move it, the gelcote turns people off, and the market is softening and when that happens, boats that are clearly flawed are hurt the most. He could have priced it at $500 or $600k (they are asking over $700k for the only other one on the market) and the boat would surely sit for months.

I also know the mans have not been serviced since 2021, but at least they are honest about it. Low hours since then but still a lot of time. So that’s a big expense but, again, something I’d do anyway.

I get the sense the boat hasn’t been used much in 5 years so there may be a lot more wrong with it just from sitting. I strongly suspect the torsional couplers need to be replaced, turbos maybe too. Gear oil coolers are a very expensive item on these and don’t last forever. If the ACs are original they are probably on their last leg. If there are isolation transformers probably the same. Etc.

So it seems like a rare case of a broker being honest with his client and telling him what it’s actually going to take to close the deal.

I’d address the obvious mechanical items right away and paint it when I’m ready. Maybe put it a mezz as well. Could put $300k into it and not be crazy upside down with a hell of a sled.

Or…I buy it, immediately one thing after another starts breaking because it’s been neglected, and 2 years later I’m $300k into it with nothing but ruined trips to show for it. Boats are great, aren’t they!

I believe the 1050s are actually semi-electric versions of the 820. Both 10 cylinders, but the 1050 is electronically governed. D2840LE401 is the 820hp and 403 is the 1050. http://goldcoastpower.com/brochures/MAN D2840LE4 Brochure Specifications-2.pdf

The 820hp version is the one that has the reputation for bulletproof longevity, I believe the 1050’s are considered hot rods to get that much hp out of the 10 cylinder block.

That said, there are a lot of them around and people seem to be reasonably happy with them.

My Viking had the 1200hp 12 cylinder mechanicals.

Ace Marine out of vero is the closest official Man service. I tried them for a little while on my Viking but I didn’t like that I could never talk to the actual tech servicing my boat. It was always the service manager. But they did a fine job.

All things being equal the 1050’s wouldn’t be my first choice but the performance in the Cabo 48 is hard to beat. Faster and more fuel efficient than the 1015 c18’s - almost 30 kts at 60 gph with the Mans vs about 27kt at 70gph with the Cats.

As much as I’d like to have cats, the performance of the Mans in both the post 50 (820hp) and the Cabo 48 (1050hp) is hard to beat.