BoatsShannon Yachts 50

Shannon Yachts 50

Staysail Ketch · Keel/centreboard · First built 1982

A keel-centerboard staysail ketch with a 1.68 capsize screening value, built for offshore stability and shoal-water access

Designed by Walter Schutz.

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Ballast
Hull type
Keel/Cbrd.

See her sail

The Shannon Yachts 50, on the water

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

Footage from Lady K Sailing

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

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

Displacement / length 223
EasygoingPowered-up

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

Sail area / displacement 14.8
TenderStiff

40% of her weight is ballast — moderately stiff, a middle-of-the-road stability.

Ballast 40%

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

  • Heavier than ~77% of boats her size on file
  • Draws less than ~94% of boats her size on file

Compared with 184 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

What the fleet has seen

The Shannon 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 Shannon Yachts 50 is a 15.5-meter staysail ketch designed by Walter Schutz and built by Shannon Yachts from 1982 to the present. This heavy-displacement offshore cruising vessel has a keel/centerboard hull, a 4.3-meter beam, a 2.1-meter draft, and displaces 17,690 kg. Shannon Yachts, founded in 1975, prioritizes durable, high-quality offshore construction, including internally flanged, through-bolted hull-to-deck joints and extensive tabbing where bulkheads meet the hull.4:17 The Shannon 50 was also available with a cutter rig and had a pilothouse variant known as the AEGEAN 51. Its design emphasizes traditional offshore capability over modern features like twin helms or fold-down transoms.6:40

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
39.7%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Staysail Ketch
Ratios
SA / displacement
14.8
Displacement / length
222.8
Comfort ratio
38.8
Capsize screening
1.68
Hull speed
8.8 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
2177
Hull
Hull type
Keel/Cbrd.
Construction
Fiberglass
Ballast type
Lead
Production
Years built
First built 1982
Designer
Walter Schutz
Builder
Shannon 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.

Alden Yachts 5416.48 mSame hull family1.0 m longerAn extended-stern evolution of the 50-foot series, available in both center and aft cockpit layouts as well as cutter or ketch
The Most Unique Catamaran We’ve Ever Sailedfrom Gone with the Wynns
Irwin Yachts 5416.46 mSame hull family0.9 m longerA 16.46-metre staysail ketch with a 39.9 comfort ratio, built since 1988 for stable, long-range cruising
WE WENT TO THE ANNAPOLIS BOAT SHOW - 2025! | EP845:20from Sailing Solé
Garcia Yachts Exploration 4514.88 mSame hull family0.6 m shorterA rugged aluminum cutter by Berret-Racoupeau featuring a centerboard and dual rudders for high-latitude exploration
We found OUR NEXT BOAT... but there is only one PROBLEM $$$ [Ep.93] The Bohemian Journey2:32from El Viaje de Bohemia
Morgan Yachts Out Island 5115.70 mSame hull family0.2 m longerA heavy-displacement staysail ketch with a keel-centerboard configuration designed for comfortable long-range cruising
Sailboat Restoration Q&A Ask Me Anything. I've done it twice 😅24:43from Reversing Entropy
Bristol Yachts 45.513.79 mSame hull family1.7 m shorterA heavy-displacement masthead sloop with a 3.35-metre keel-centerboard draft, built for deep-water cruising performance
This Was the LAST Thing We Expected to Find… | (EP. 022)from Plan-Sea
Southerly 42012.86 mSame hull family2.7 m shorterA Rob Humphreys-designed fractional sloop featuring a versatile swing keel that later evolved into the Southerly 430
Beaching a Southerly 420:13from Distant Shores TV

The family

Boats like this

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

Shannon Yachts 43A staysail ketch with a keel-centerboard hull, offering extensive interior layout customization since 1986Shannon Yachts 38 PHA long-keeled cutter designed by Stadel for offshore stability, offering a comfortable motion and steady passage-makingShannon Yachts 38The inaugural model from Shannon Yachts, this long-keeled cutter was produced with optional pilot house configurationsAegean 51A pilothouse evolution of the Shannon 50, this staysail ketch pairs a deep 2.97m draft with a versatile keel-centerboardShannon Yachts 39A versatile Walter Schulz design offering multiple rig configurations including the unique Scutter and Sketch options

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