Kadey-Krogen 48 AE (2012-)

Brief Summary

Kadey-Krogen builds seven models ranging from 39' to 64' (11.88 m to 19.5 m), which are all smack-dab in the sweet spot of the trawler/live-aboard/long-range-cruising market. Over the years, it has been the most popular model, probably because it is an ideal size for most couples in terms of room, capabilities, and price. The new 48 AE (for Advanced Ergonomics) has taken aboard owner's suggestions, new equipment and some new tooling to produce a boat with more than 50 improvements.

Specifications

Length Overall	53' 16.15 m
Beam	16' 8" 5.08 m
Dry Weight	56,450 lbs. 25,605 kg
Draft	5' 1.52 m
Bridge Clearance	29' 3" 8.92 m
Fuel Capacity	1,000 gal. 3800 L
Water Capacity	400 gal. 1514 L

Engine Options

Std. Power	201-hp John Deere Tier II

The Kadey-Krogen 48 AE Mission

The mission has not changed from the previous North Sea model that was introduced several years ago. She is still intended to be large enough for a couple to live on and have another couple aboard now and then, maybe even the kids. 

Further, she is designed to cruise far and wide economically and with as much comfort as possible in a boat that is 48' 6" (14.78 m) on deck and 53' (16.15 m) overall. With a fuel capacity of 1,000 gal. (3,800 L) she has a transoceanic range at displacement speeds. She can also be used as a salty coastal cruiser.

Distinctive Features

• LED lights. All lights on the new 48 AE model are LED, replacing the Halogen lights in the previous model. LED lights are more expensive, but they have a low power draw, are very reliable and do not heat up. The nav lights are also LED.
• Styling. The most distinctive feature of the Kadey-Krogen 48 AE is her overall styling. That hasn't changed in the new iteration. Like most boats in the trawler/LRC space, she has her own distinctive style. For Kadey-Krogen that look — to our eye — is an amalgam of the Gulf Coast shrimp boat with North Sea trawler. The swale of her swooping sheer line is unmistakable even from miles away.
• Bottom shape. All of the builders in the trawler/LRC market have their own bottom-shape story to tell and Kadey-Krogen is no different. The 48 has a deep forefoot, long keel, rising buttocks and a wine-glass stern, all of which are said by the builder to make her more sea-kindly than other long-range cruisers. The builder also says that she is more likely to steer straight in a following sea than are some other designs.

Single Engine.

Many LRC builders these days have thrown in the single-engine towel and gone for twins, but not Kadey-Krogen. When it comes to its concept of single-engine, low-horsepower propulsion, and low operating costs, Kadey-Krogen holds on tenaciously. (Since the biggest bugaboo for single engines is contaminated fuel it is not surprising that virtually 100% of the 48s go out the door with a fuel polisher.)

Displacement Speed Only.

Going hand-in-hand with a single engine are slow speeds, great fuel economy and prodigious range. Since most boaters never take off and sail over the horizon, most builders of powerboats — even trawler-types — have bitten the bullet over the years and stuffed twin engines in their boats so they will become semi-planing and go 15 to 20 knots, or more. Not so, on the 48 AE.

 

The Kadey-Krogen 48 AE Advancements

The builder lists 47 items that it considers important enough to mention as advancements on the new model. In fact, there are a couple of large ones that are not even mentioned. In looking over the list, we find that perhaps the most obvious ones were driven by you-know-who — the lady of the vessel.

Female-friendly items.

Shall we start in the galley? It has been made larger fore and aft and now is equipped with a 30" wide stand-up, stainless steel refrigerator/freezer and a 24" wide four-burner propane Viking stove with oven.

Improvements at the Helm.

Both the lower and the upper helms have been changed to permit the placement of two seats adjacent to the wheel. At the lower helm, the instrument console has been moved forward and bigger screens can now be installed. Red courtesy lighting has been installed throughout the boat.

Safety Improvements.

As mentioned, 100% of the vessel's lights are now LED. Other safety improvements include:

• A dedicated Trident propane locker on the flying bridge. 
• Window thickness increased to 10 mm to conform with CE standards. 
• High-water bilge alarm. 
• Scald-prevention mixing valve on water heater. 
• Charles Industries isolation transformer. 
• Emergency engine start parallel battery switch.

Equipment Changes.

In boats like the Kadey-Krogen 48 that get used day in and day out for months on end, it is interesting for all of us to see what brands are in and which are out. Here are some new brands that are in:

• Maxwell HWC2200 anchor windlass. This is hydraulic. 
• Grohe faucets. 
• Asko washer/dryer. 
• Dometic Masterflush, macerator toilets. Not a vacuum system. 
• ZF Marine electronic steering controls. 
• Sealand Tank Manager for holding tank indicator. 
• Magnum Energy Inverter/converter. 
• Charles 40 amp battery charger.

Ergonomic Changes.

In addition to changes already noted in the galley, the risers on the stairs from the salon to the pilothouse have been lowered to 8" (20 cm) by putting in an extra step. A nearly vertical ladder from the portside deck to the flying bridge has been replaced with molded-in fiberglass steps. Other ergonomic changes are walk-thru aft deck port and starboard boarding gates as well as larger port side hanging locker in the master

Construction Changes.

The 48 AE is now built with just three large molds: one for the hull, one for the main deck and superstructure, and one for the flying bridge, pilothouse roof and the boat deck. The hull is the same as before. But now there is a new mold that incorporates the main decks and the cabin side. By building the major structures of the boat with just three moldings, many joints, cracks and their possible leaks are eliminated.

Powering the 48 AE

The new model John Deere 6068 is Tier II compliant and it is rated at 201 hp at 2600 rpm. When we tested the 48 North Sea years ago, the same 6068 block was used and it produced 225-hp. Do 24 fewer horses slow down the boat's top end? The answer is yes, about .5 of a knot at WOT based on the numbers we got when we tested the old version and a new test done last year that is published on Kadey-Krogen's website. However, fuel consumption also seems to drop in the 7-8 knot range where most people will run the boat. That means range improves slightly.

Displacement Speed.

The waterline of the Kadey-Krogen 48 AE is 45'5" (13.84 m), which means that she has a theoretical hull speed (using a factor of 1.1 x sq root of her LWL in feet) of 7.4 knots. That is where she should run all day and be fuel efficient. She can run faster but according to our test of the 225-hp engine, nmpg will drop by more than half from 7.7 knots to 9.3 knots. On the Kadey-Krogen website, the following ranges are given for the new 201-hp engine, with a 10% reserve in her 1,000 gal. (3,785 L) fuel tank — 6 knots = 4,730 nautical miles 7 knots = 3,020 nautical miles 8 knots = 1,980 nautical miles 9 knots = 1,390 nautical miles.

Deere.

Most boaters are not familiar with John Deere engines unless they have seen them in a tractor. However, they are now the engine of choice used in many models of displacement trawlers and LRCs. The reason is that they are about as close as any diesel engines come these days to being like the old, slow-turning, naturally aspirated diesels that ran forever. Virtually all marine diesels these days are turbocharged both for environmental reasons and for horsepower-to-weight considerations. With the 6068 loping along at 1700 rpm, the boat will be going her hull speed and the engine should run contentedly for longer than most people will own the boat.

The Kadey-Krogen 48 AE is Trans-Oceanic

As the range numbers above demonstrate the Kadey-Krogen 48 AE can cross any ocean on the planet. Pretty much the biggest stepping stones are 2,200 nm from Bermuda to the Azores and about the same distance from California to Hawaii. So if your goal is to cruise the South Pacific, you can do it in this vessel. All you need is a watermaker (50% of the boats are delivered with optional watermakers) and someone to go with you. Other items of equipment that we would have aboard for these kinds of long hauls are an Alfa-Laval centrifugal-force fuel filter, stabilizers (K-K uses American thrusters), scuba equipment, a full complement of electronics and a Givens life raft.

Who Goes Cruising Over the Horizon?

It is a select group, but right now we are told by the folks at Kadey-Krogen that this month you will be able to find 48's all over the world and most of them with their owners aboard. According to one spokesman, over 50% of the 48 owners live on their boats at least 6 months a year. Another 30% live on them year around he said. That very high live aboard rate is why the boats are designed as they are. Note that there are no sunpads as you see on many flashy motoryachts. That's because cruising folks don’t want to cut their trip short for a trip to the Mayo Clinic. Their slow displacement speeds are also a given, as no motoryacht yacht could carry enough fuel to go at planing speeds for 2,200 nautical miles.

Accommodations

The accommodation plans have not changed on the new 48 AE. On this page, we are showing two accommodations layouts for the 48. The most popular is the two stateroom layout with the second stateroom configured as an office. That is because most long-distance cruising is done by couples by themselves. The office stateroom makes into a double, and some even have a Pullman installed so three can sleep there. The triple cabin layouts are usually purchased by boaters who have children and grandchildren. But even then, we are told, guest visits are brief.

Price of the Kadey-Krogen 48

The base price of the 48 AE is $1.1 million. Because everyone will use the boat differently, Kadey-Krogen has wisely installed all of the essentials but not many of the "it-would-be-nice-to-have" items. Some of the important standard items of equipment are: the 12 kW Northern Lights generator, emergency dewatering valve using the engine's water pump, Diamond Sea Glaze weather-tight aluminum doors, a (water-tight) Freeman hatch on the bow, Maxwell windlass complete with two sets of ground tackle and washer/dryer. The boat comes standard with the aft deck and the side decks in teak. Teak parquet soles are standard both in the salon and in the accommodations.

Options you may want.

What is not on the standard list are things such as a bow thruster, fire suppression system for the engine room, Glendinning Cable Master, radar mast, davit for your tender, A/C-heating system, dishwasher, ice maker, Stidd helm seat and a fuel polishing system. All of these things will cost about $150,000 to $175,000. Add to that your electronics, tender with outboard and you are around $250,000, depending on how much redundancy you want.

Planning to do more than just coastal cruising? Then you'll want the life raft, Alfa-Laval and other equipment mentioned above. World travelers are probably looking at something on the order of $1.5 million for a well-found Kadey-Krogen 48 AE.

Observations

Coastal Cruising.

You do not need to be an ocean cruiser to enjoy the benefits of the Kadey-Krogen 48 AE. She will take you coastal cruising — which is what most people do — just as well. For retired people or boaters on a budget, the 48 offers room, simplicity, comfort and operating economy all rolled into one. For example, you can make the trip from New England to the Bahamas on one load of fuel. Then, you can cruise all season on another load of fuel in the islands and not have to replenish your tanks until you get back to the States. 

She is an ideal boat to cruise up to Alaska, Nova Scotia or around the Med. She draws 5' (1.52 m) which is not unusual for a boat displacing 56,450 lbs. (25,605 kg.). This will be ok in most places where shallow water is notorious such as the Chesapeake Bay, the Bahamas or the Baltic. Once you get to six or seven feet, that is when things get dicey in these areas.

Trans-oceanic.

Alternatively, if you have transoceanic crossings in mind, as already noted, you have the range to go most anywhere at displacement speeds. We would recommend spending a season or two making long coastal passages before striking out on a trans-pac voyage simply to get used to the vessel and to discover the little things you will need along the way.

Have it your way.

Because Kadey-Krogen only builds 10 to 15 boats a year, the company's principles can lavish attention on the build for a new owner. Essentially the folks at Kadey-Krogen are open to making modifications to suit individual customers' desires within the confines of the molds, structural bulkheads and overall sea-keeping parameters. That is something people moving up from smaller boats are not used to and we urge new boat buyers to fully explore the mission of the boat with Kadey-Krogen personnel so that all options can be examined before a contract is signed.