Gulfstar Yachts 50

BoatsGulfstar Yachts 50

See her sail

The Gulfstar Yachts 50, on the water

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

Footage from Be The Captain

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 39 — a sea-kindly motion in a seaway.

Comfort ratio 39

CoastalBluewater

At 1.68 she sits well under the 2.0 line — a solidly ocean-capable hull for her size.

Capsize screening 1.68

LightHeavy

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

Displacement / length 250

EasygoingPowered-up

13.4 — modest power for her weight; easygoing rather than lively, and happier with a breeze.

Sail area / displacement 13.4

TenderStiff

30% of her weight is ballast — on the tender side; she'll heel readily and want a reef sooner.

Ballast 30%

A capable offshore cruiser with an easy motion when the sea gets up.

Heavier than ~84% of boats her size on file
Draws less than ~91% of boats her size on file

Compared with 1709 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

What the fleet has seen

The Gulfstar Yachts 50, as the fleet has seen it

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

The Gulfstar Yachts 50 is a masthead sloop built by Gulfstar Yachts between 1975 and 1980, designed by Vince and Richard C. Lazarra. It has a fin keel with a rudder on a skeg, measures 15.2 meters LOA, 4.2 meters beam, 1.7 meters draft, and displaces 15,875 kg. The model was available as a sloop or ketch, with a tall sloop rig offering 976.50 sq ft of sail area and a ketch rig 963.94 sq ft. Many Gulfstar 50s were originally used in the charter trade. The model is sometimes referred to as the GULFSTAR CSY 50, though it was not specifically built for or by CSY. Kyle Jackney, with 40 years in the marine industry, considers Gulfstars in the mid-30s to low-40-foot range to be among the best value used production sailboats for cruising.0:02

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

The record

Full specifications

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

Dimensions

Weights

Ballast / displacement

30.0%

Rig & sail area

Rig

Masthead Sloop

Ratios

SA / displacement

13.4

Displacement / length

250.3

Comfort ratio

38.9

Capsize screening

1.68

Hull speed

8.4 kn

Pounds / inch immersion

1938

Hull

Hull type

Fin with rudder on skeg

Construction

Fiberglass

Production

Years built

1975–1980

Units built

172

Designer

Lazarra, Vince, Richard C. Lazarra

Builder

Gulfstar 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.

Baltic Yachts 5115.52 mSame hull family0.3 m longerA 15.5-metre cruiser produced through the 1980s, offering a powerful sail-area-to-displacement ratio for its size

From Brittany to Norway - Sailing and Winter Storms0:48 from ArcticStern Ocean Sailing

Hallberg-Rassy 4914.96 mSame hull family0.3 m shorterA versatile staysail ketch or sloop offering a high comfort ratio and a stable fin keel with skeg-hung rudder

Beware of ORCAS! Part 2: Sailing SOUTH through Orca Territory to Portugal | Ep 2760:21 from Distant Shores TV

Orion 5015.09 mSame hull family0.2 m shorterA Gary Mull-designed staysail ketch built for offshore stability with a high comfort ratio and skeg-mounted rudder

Big Seas! Transatlantic Crossing | Ep 2610:10 from Distant Shores TV

Hallberg-Rassy 4814.99 mSame hull family0.3 m shorterA German Frers-designed bluewater cruiser featuring a stiff 42% ballast ratio and a stable, comfortable motion at-sea motion

Hallberg-Rassy 48 - A Yacht Delivery from Bremen to Ellos. Wonderful trip on a fabulous boat!from Halcyon Yachts - International Yacht Delivery

Dufour Yachts 4815.29 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 15.29-metre performance cruiser with a 4.85-metre beam and a 2.35-metre draft for offshore stability

Testing the Dufour 48, more space and luxury0:18 from SEILmagasinet

Kraken Yachts 50 (Dibley)15.24 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 15.24-metre offshore cruiser with a 19.77 sail area-to-displacement ratio for balanced performance in varied conditions

A RACE across Europe to SAIL on our DREAM BOAT [EP 144]2:48 from Sailing Millennial Falcon

The family

Boats like this

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

Gulfstar Yachts 50 SailmasterA heavy-displacement cutter designed by the Lazzaras for comfortable, stable long-distance cruising Gulfstar Yachts 41A fin-keel masthead sloop built from 1973 to 1975, offering a balanced displacement for coastal cruising CSY 50 (Pilot House)A heavy-displacement masthead sloop designed by the Lazzaras, often identified as the Gulfstar CSY 50 Gulfstar Yachts 53 MSA shoal-draft masthead ketch designed by V.S. Lazzara for comfortable, stable long-range cruising Gulfstar Yachts 60A heavy-displacement cutter designed by R.C. Lazzarra for offshore comfort and stable, long-range cruising Gulfstar Yachts 43A shallow-draft masthead sloop by Vince Lazarra, designed with a long keel for stable, comfortable coastal cruising

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