1990 Koopmans 47 Frisian "Sutje" — Ocean-Proven, Ready for Her Next Crossing

Some boats are built for marinas. "Sutje" was built for oceans — and she's spent the last five years proving it, sailing around the world and coming home ready to do it again.

Designed by Dick Koopmans Sr., the Netherlands' most respected name in serious offshore yacht design, the Frisian line was conceived for sailors who put safety, seakindliness, and go-anywhere capability ahead of everything else. A steel hull, a cutter rig built for easy shorthanded sail changes in a blow, and a moderate, stable motion through big water — this is a boat drawn by a man who designed from firsthand ocean experience, not from a marketing brief. "Sutje" carries that pedigree in full, at 47' overall with a steel hull and deck, a fin keel, and nearly 34,000 lbs of displacement giving her the kind of solid, confidence-inspiring motion that bluewater sailors look for.

A Boat That's Already Done the Work

This isn't a boat being sold on potential — it's a boat being sold on performance. "Sutje" has spent the last five years circumnavigating, and she's coming to market with the major systems already renewed for whoever picks up where this voyage left off: a full new sail inventory in 2020, standing and running rigging replaced in 2018, and the standing pipes, valves, and hoses renewed in 2019. In 2024, she received a complete repaint from the keel up — sandblasted and refinished bottom, hull, and deck — so the next owner inherits a boat that looks as ready as her systems actually are.

Layout & Accommodations

Below, "Sutje" sleeps up to six across three cabins with two heads — one manual, one electric — giving real privacy on long passages or with guests aboard. The galley is built for serious cruising, with a Wallas diesel stove, a water-cooled refrigerator (2024), and a 60L/hr SLCE watermaker (2024) that makes extended offshore passages and remote anchorages genuinely comfortable rather than a logistics project. A Refleks diesel heater keeps her warm from the tropics to higher latitudes.

Power & Performance

Propulsion comes from a Perkins 80 hp diesel, backed by dual fuel tanks (225 gallons total) and a 132-gallon water tank — serious range for serious passages. A Windpilot Pacific wind vane handles self-steering under sail without drawing a single amp, while a Raymarine autopilot covers motoring and light-air days.

Electronics & Safety

"Sutje" carries a full offshore electronics suite: Raymarine Quantum radar, Axiom plotter, and a complete instrument package, alongside an ICOM single-sideband radio and Iridium GO satellite communication for true blue-water connectivity. Power is handled by 600Ah of Victron LiFePO4 batteries, a 400W solar array, and a wind generator — an electrical system built to keep her self-sufficient for weeks at anchor. Safety gear includes a 4-person ISO life raft, dual Ocean Signal MOB1 units, and a Dan buoy rescue system — the kind of equipment list that tells you exactly where this boat has been.

Sails & Rigging

The sail inventory is essentially new: Hydranet tri-radial main, genoa, jib, storm jib, and parasailor, all dating to 2020, on a cutter rig with standing and running rigging replaced in 2018. This is a sail plan and rig ready for another five years of serious mileage, not a refit project waiting to happen.

Why This Boat

For sailors chasing the same dream "Sutje" just finished living — a genuinely capable, proven, systems-renewed bluewater cruiser — this is about as turn-key as a circumnavigation-ready 47-footer gets. She's not a boat that needs to be made ready for an ocean crossing. She's a boat that's already done it, and done it recently.

Contact Matt Debicki to learn more!