BoatsMoody 54

Moody 54

Cutter · Fin With Rudder On Skeg · 2000–2004

A cutter-rigged 16.43-metre cruiser featuring a skeg-mounted rudder and a 34% ballast ratio for offshore stability

Designed by Bill Dixon, built by A. H. Moody.

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Ballast
Hull type
Fin With Rudder On Skeg

See her sail

The Moody 54, on the water

The fleet's own footage — the truest look at how she really moves.

Footage from SEILmagasinet

Is it for you?

Character

Where this design lands on the numbers a shopper trusts — read straight from her own ratios.

LivelySea-kindly

Her moderate displacement on a narrow beam gives 35 — a sea-kindly motion in a seaway.

Comfort ratio 35
CoastalBluewater

1.81 — just under the 2.0 offshore line; her beam is modest for her weight.

Capsize screening 1.81
LightHeavy

201 — moderately heavy for her waterline, a balanced cruising weight.

Displacement / length 201
EasygoingPowered-up

16.6 — moderate power for her weight; steady, all-round performance.

Sail area / displacement 16.6
TenderStiff

34% of her weight is ballast — on the tender side; she'll heel readily and want a reef sooner.

Ballast 34%

A capable cruiser that sits just inside the offshore line — coastal work with real passages in her.

  • Heavier than ~88% of boats her size on file
  • Draws less than ~86% of boats her size on file
  • Beamier than ~87% of boats her size on file

Compared with 1250 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

What the fleet has seen

The Moody 54, as the fleet has seen it

Derived from the videos the fleet has analysed of this model. ▶ marks open the moment aboard.

The Moody 54 is a 16.4-meter cutter-rigged sailboat designed by Bill Dixon and built by A. H. Moody, Son Ltd. and Moody Yachts between 2000 and 2004. It features a fin keel with a rudder on a skeg, a beam of 4.8 meters, a draft of 1.8 meters, and a displacement of 20017 kg. Alex Rosén, a Norwegian sailor known for Arctic voyaging and offshore racing, is considering a Moody 54 for long-distance family cruising, specifically favoring its deck saloon configuration for offshore passages.35:53

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

Seen once across one channel of the fleet.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

Who's been looking

Market signal

Crews the fleet has filmed weighing this model up — no sale seen, and no asking price.

1channel looked into buying

From the fleet's own footage — our observed signal, not broker listings.

The record

Full specifications

The complete reference set — tap any figure to switch between metric and imperial.

Dimensions
Weights
Ballast / displacement
33.9%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Cutter
Ratios
SA / displacement
16.6
Displacement / length
201.4
Comfort ratio
35.3
Capsize screening
1.81
Hull speed
9.1 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
2621
Hull
Hull type
Fin with rudder on skeg
Construction
Fiberglass
Ballast type
Lead
Production
Years built
2000–2004
Units built
55
Designer
Bill Dixon
Builder
A. H. Moody, Son Ltd, Moody Yachts (A. H. Moody, Sons)

Boats like this, on the water

More boats like her, on the water

Comparable boats the fleet has on camera: same type, within a quarter of her length. Open the boat, or watch the video — a timestamp means she only appears in passing.

Oyster Yachts 49516.10 mSame hull family0.3 m shorterA modern Humphreys-designed fractional sloop featuring a high-stability hull with dual rudders for offshore control
SAILING to the Island of the Bulls0:03from Distant Shores TV
Pearson Yachts 53016.15 mSame hull family0.3 m shorterThe largest yacht ever built by Pearson, this William Shaw-designed staysail ketch balances heavy-displacement comfort
Mistakes, money saving and lessons we learned buying an old sailing boat Episode 4630:31from Sailing Catalpa
Oyster Marine 54 (Humphreys)16.43 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Rob Humphreys-designed bluewater cutter featuring a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio and versatile keel options
Sep 22 2025 Hedonic Adaptation is simply the mind's Homeostasis7:45from Sven Yrvind
Hallberg-Rassy 5016.34 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA German Frers-designed bluewater cruiser featuring a modern fractional rig, dual rudders, and a high-stability hull
Hallberg-Rassy 50 English0:08from SEILmagasinet
Tayana 5516.76 mSame hull family0.3 m longerA Peter Beeldsnijder-designed cutter with a skeg-hung rudder, built for heavy-displacement offshore cruising
The $89k 55 Foot Bluewater Yacht That Got Cheap Enough to Be Dangerous3:17from Practical Sailor
Oyster 53 (Humphreys)16.41 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Rob Humphreys-designed masthead sloop built for blue-water cruising with a high comfort ratio and stable hull form
Forced to TURN AROUND - Sailboat Delivery: Annapolis to BVI's [EP 188]10:18from Sailing Millennial Falcon

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