Ocean 48 Super Sport
Ocean Yachts’ Most Popular
By Scott Shane
Patriarch Jack Leek founded Ocean Yachts in 1977. Over the years to come, three generations of Leeks assembled yachts in the South Jersey plant. The 48 Super Sport was high on the leaderboard of the success stories produced over the company’s three-plus decades. The longevity of its still wide appeal, is derived from its one-two punch of sleek looks — both inside and out — and performance.
From 1986 through 2003, the 48-foot Super Sport had one makeover and one major redesign. Combined, more than 400 hulls were produced. By numbers alone, it makes a presence on the used market, but its popularity goes much deeper than that.
“The original 48 was an adaption of the popular 46 Super Sport. We learned a lot from those owners. The 46SS offered a two- and three-stateroom layout, the 48 improved upon that with greater interior volume and a more contemporary style,” says John Leek IV, Ocean’s former general manager.
Well-known marine architect Dave Martin designed both versions. The original 48 SS offered a two- and three-stateroom floor plan as well. The two-cabin edition was a galley down placement. Ocean Yachts’ strong following consists of fishermen, fulltime cruisers and hybrids of the two. Most buyers were looking for the third stateroom on a vessel of this size.
“When the 48 SS was introduced, Ocean was ahead of its time as far as amenities. The 48-footer had a custom boat look and the teak added to the appeal for the hardcore fisherman. The families, spouses in particular, approved the interior,” Leek said.
In 1991 the Super Sport got a makeover with a more refined look to the house, adding newly designed windows and a half-tower. It continued to be powered by the workhorse GM 6-71, 485-hp engines. Performance with this package produced a mid-20s cruise and 30-knot top end.
“Ocean strived to build yachts that were efficient to run and maintain by an owner-operator. Customers could afford to fix anything on a 6-71. We built upscale yachts with an owner/operator mentality,” Leek said, speaking of the company’s founding fathers.
In 1995 the 48 SS changed from the keel up. Martin penned a new-style hull. They added a more aggressive deadrise to the modified-V and more width to the beam. They were able to offer larger power options. The optional MAN 680-hp engines produced cruising speeds of 28 knots. The wider beam facilitated an increase in interior volume.
The company began to employ a modular, interior construction technique rather than a stick build. The interior was constructed outside the vessel and then tabbed and secured in place. Ocean felt this method was more efficient to build.
Walking any dock, the Super Sport’s flair is a standout. There are minimal hard angles, mostly sweeping curves and radius angles. The engines breathe through vents in the cockpit; hull lines are clean. The customary taper toward the transom doesn’t affect the cockpit’s square footage. She narrows by the waterline but the beam holds within the confines of the cockpit. The freeboard is sufficiently low enough to land a fish and yet tall enough to keep the grandkids within. All the necessary fishing amenities are in place, including cockpit controls. There is an ample fish box and livewell in the sole.
The ladder to the flybridge is sideways to the bow and salon and rises at a gradual angle. Up top is prepped for a canyon run or a cruise to Nantucket. Twin helm seats and side and forward settees handle the seating. The helm is forward in placement, offering great visibility, but pushes the forward-facing settee a little close to the enclosure. A six-station rocket launcher hangs on the rail behind the helm.
The moneymaker of an Ocean Yacht is the interior. Early on they realized buying a boat is a partnership. The offshore sportsman could deal with an unornamented interior, but it wasn’t going to fly with the family or cruisers. (Post Yachts also had a knack for spacious and stunning interiors.)
“My favorite features are the three-stateroom, two-head layout. It has great amenities with spacious interior compared to other 48-footers; the cockpit and bridge are a good size,” said John Lapsley, owner of the 2002 48SS Sara Faith, which is homeported in Forked River, New Jersey.
The salon joinery is light, the soft goods usually equally bright and inviting. A large L-shape settee absorbs quite the crowd. The galley on the new vintage 48 SS is U-shape and level with the saloon. The working area in between is quite wide; two cooks won’t be doing the excuse-me dance. (A galley-down option was available.) Counter space is appropriate for entertaining, a separate wet bar is to starboard when entering the salon. A four-top dinette is forward of the wet bar, an entertainment system faces aft above the dinette.
The accommodation level is a three-step drop. The cabins are meant for sleeping. At the expense of the immense size of the saloon, they are cozy in size. Three deck hatches welcome daylight in the space. The heads maintain appropriate size for a 48-footer; the stall showers aren’t tight at all.
The engineroom is well lit and easy to maneuver around depending upon which engine package. The popular GM 6-92s leave plenty of room for the Westerbeke genset, air conditioners, batteries and a toolbox. The 8-92s and the bigger Caterpillars tighten things up a bit.
Underway, an Ocean is an Ocean. The minimal deadrise design at the transom pops the Super Sport out of the hole with ease. Once at cruise they are as efficient as they come. They sit well beam-to and the modified-V takes most seas comfortable. A big head sea will initiate a pull back of the throttles, just the nature of the beast.
The Sara Faith has a set of CAT 660hp 3196 diesel engines to push her along.
“It’s a good riding boat that cruises at 25-27 knots with a fuel burn of between 42-45 gallons per hour; she tops out just over 32 knots. It won’t kill you with fuel burn for the size of the boat. For me it’s a great value for what you get overall,” Lapsley said.
Ocean Yachts has stopped producing boats under the Leek family. The Egg Harbor Group has purchased the name and tooling of some of the models, so perhaps the legacy lives on.
