Based on the soft-riding Davis 47 hull, the Davis 52 was an entirely new boat with more advanced construction features, better weight distribution, and improved head-sea performance. She’s built on a solid fiberglass hull with a deep forefoot, a full-length skeg and Divinycell-cored hullsides. At just 45,000 pounds, the Davis 52 is a surprisingly light boat for her size. While the interior could be customized to an owner’s tastes, a popular floorplan contained four staterooms and three heads with the galley up. Davis interiors are often lavish affairs, and the beaujpgul teak woodwork and quality furnishings of the 52 are impressive indeed. A few of her more notable features include single-lever controls, a huge cockpit with in-deck fish boxes, molded tackle centers shaded by a bridge overhang, a sea chest (to eliminate thru-hulls), a big flybridge, and a well-arranged engine room. (Note that the skeg provides some protection to the props and running gear.) A superb performer, optional 1,200hp MAN V-12 diesels cruise the Davis 52 Flybridge SF at a fast 29–30 knots and reach 35 knots wide open, and smaller 820hp MANs (or 800hp Cats) will cruise at 26–27 knots (30+ top).