I had a 1648, then went to an 1852. Then, like a fool, went back to a 1648 and HATED it. I never realized how unstable it was when it was my first boat. After having the stability and room of the wider beam and reminding myself the hard way how nice that extra room and stability was, I'll never own another 48. I also don't believe that a 48 is significantly faster than 54. I'd love to race one fully loaded sometime. The planing surface area and draft are better in a wider hull. The 48 sits deeper in the water with a similar load and "plows" more. Your best advice will come from guys who have owned BOTH, not just the ones who own one or the other and think their chit is the best just cuz they own it.
