BoatsDiscovery Yachts 50 Catamaran

Discovery Yachts 50 Catamaran

Catamaran, twin keels · Fractional Sloop · First built 2011

A Bill Dixon-designed fractional sloop catamaran, later rebranded as the Bluewater 50, built for blue-water cruising

Designed by Bill Dixon.

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Hull type
Catamaran Twin Keel

See her sail

The Discovery Yachts 50 Catamaran, on the water

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

Footage from Distant Shores TV

Is it for you?

Character

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

LightHeavy

122 — light for her waterline, so she is easily driven and quick to accelerate.

Displacement / length 122
EasygoingPowered-up

20.4 — plenty of sail for her weight; lively and quick to respond.

Sail area / displacement 20.4
  • Heavier than ~76% of boats her size on file

Compared with 254 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

What the fleet has seen

The Discovery Yachts 50 Catamaran, as the fleet has seen it

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

The Discovery Yachts 50 CATAMARAN is a 15.4-meter fractional sloop catamaran, designed by Bill Dixon and built by Discovery Yachts from 2011.0:30 The model received a MKII version in 2015, sharing the same hull, and was renamed the BLUEWATER 50 in 2020.3:13 Aboard *Kiwi Spirit*, a 2010 model originally built for Discovery Yachts founder John Charnley, the current owner completed a five-year circumnavigation and optimized the vessel for shorthanded blue-water cruising.1:10 The yacht's sail plan, including an electric in-mast furling mainsail and a self-tacking inner jib, is manageable by a couple from the helm, with two electric winches and a bank of jammers controlling all white sails.2:09 For light-air upwind performance, it uses a larger overlapping genoa, and a custom bowsprit allows for a Code Zero reaching sail, a 186-square-meter A3 asymmetric spinnaker, and a 200-square-meter parasail for downwind sailing.3:11

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

Seen 2 times across 2 channels of the fleet.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

On the water

The Discovery Yachts 50 Catamaran on video

What they go for

Market signal

Where the fleet has seen this model come up for sale.

1seen for sale

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
Rig & sail area
Rig
Fractional Sloop
Ratios
SA / displacement
20.4
Displacement / length
121.7
Hull
Hull type
Catamaran Twin Keel
Construction
Fiberglass
Production
Years built
First built 2011
Designer
Bill Dixon
Builder
Discovery Yachts

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.

Neel 5115.60 mSame hull family0.2 m longer
SAILING TO BIMINI BAHAMAS & NEEL 51 Trimaran Walk Thru0:28from Sailing Solé
Island Spirit 52515.77 mSame hull family0.4 m longerA high-performance fractional sloop catamaran with a 27.88 sail area-to-displacement ratio for rapid cruising
The New Boat Is Almost Done… I’m Flying to Thailand2:22from The Sailing Doodles Podcast
ST Francis 5015.25 mSame hull family0.2 m shorterA 15.25-metre catamaran with a 1.25m draft and a powerful 27.29 sail-area-to-displacement ratio for rapid cruising
From Dusk To Dawn: Laminating The Inside Of Our RAN 50 - Ep. 406 RAN Sailingfrom RAN Sailing
Saba 5014.98 mSame hull family0.4 m shorterA 15-metre catamaran featuring a rotating fractional spar and a shallow 1.25-metre draft for versatile coastal access
WE Sail with Legends at the Odyssey Sailing festival | Episode 242 #sailing #bvi #regatta #travel5:12from WEsail
Outremer 5115.65 mSame hull family0.3 m longerA 15.65-metre performance catamaran built since 2013, featuring a fractional sloop rig and a 2.35-metre draft
NOT Our Smartest Decision! Hauling in the Middle of NOWHERE9:19from Sailing Nahoa
Voyage Yachts 52015.82 mSame hull family0.4 m longer
Building an Aluminum Sailboat Pt 6 - Your questions answered | EP 2249:14from Distant Shores TV

The family

Boats like this

Nearby designs by size, type, and era — worth a look alongside her.

Bluewater 50 MK III CatamaranA 15.7-metre catamaran featuring a Solent rig and twin keels, optimized for long-range stability and ease of handlingDiscovery Yachts 58A Ron Holland-designed blue water cruiser featuring a high-comfort ratio and a stable, fractional sloop rigDiscovery Yachts 55A Ron Holland-designed bluewater cruiser featuring a skeg-hung rudder and flexible interior layouts for long-range comfortDiscovery Yachts 48A versatile blue-water cruiser offered in fixed and swing-keel configurations, featuring a dual-rudder fin hull.

Keep asking

The fleet has more to say

Search what's been said about the Discovery Yachts 50 Catamaran, or ask a specific question — the answer comes back written out, with links to the moments it draws on.

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