Earlier this week, Sabre announced that it’s planning a new 43 Salon Express, an updated classic Down-East styled cruiser that will replace the recently retired Sabre 42 Salon Express.
The 40- to 45-foot range is a winner for Sabre. Indeed, the company has built more than 660 yachts in that size range since it launched the first Sabre 42 sailboat in 1987.
While keeping true to Sabre’s made-in-Maine heritage, the new 43 has some state-of-the-art innovations. It’s the first full-network Sabre under 58 feet, for example, where owners can check critical functions and control any circuit on the boat from MFDs at the helm or their iPad Minis.
And it’s powered by twin 380-hp Volvo IPS500 pod drives, with Volvo’s Interceptor trim tabs, Dynamic Positioning System, and Joystick control built into the armrest of the captain’s Stidd helm chair. The 43 also has a new mast design and large fixed-glazed windows.
In keeping with the times, Sabre says the new 43 is “the most social Sabre to date,” with various seating configurations in the cockpit, salon and lower lounge. The salon has two banks of seating over six feet long, and there’s a second Stidd helm seat next to the captain.
The galley is half up, and it’s made for cruising, with a two-drawer fridge/freezer, two-burner induction cooktop, and a convection microwave. The hybrid lower lounge can serve as a floating office or as a place to curl up with a cup of coffee in the morning or a glass of wine at night. It has a large, U-shaped settee (with a table) that converts to a double bed. The lounge also has a double-door hanging locker forward, drawers and storage under the settee, and a teak-and-holly sole.
The master stateroom is forward, with an island berth, cherry hull ceilings, a large cedar-lined hanging locker, and a bureau with three drawers. It has private access to the head, which has tile in the shower sole.
There’s also a utility room, accessed via a hatch in the salon sole, that’s large enough for a side-by-side washer and dryer, or a wine cooler, or extra storage.
The new Sabre has just enough teak accents to keep purists happy. There are teak cap rails, for example, teak cabin-side eyebrows, a teak table in the cockpit, and a custom teak steering wheel.
The 43’s hull has a deadrise of 15 degrees at the transom, and a cruising speed of 27 knots. Engine upgrades include 440-hp IPS600s, and 480-hp IPS650s. A Seakeeper 6 gyro stabilizer is an option. Air draft is just 13′ 5,” so the boat can pass under a lot of bridges in Florida and locks on the Great Loop. Sabre plans to launch the new 43 SE late next spring.
Specs.: LOA: 47’2”; Beam: 14’2”; Draft: 3’5”; Disp.: 32,000 lbs.; Fuel: 432 gals.; Water: 150 gals.; Power: 2×380-hp Volvo IPS500 pod drives. Read more:
