Boating comes in all sizes, it’s true. As much fun can be had in a small vessel as on a much larger one. However, there’s only so much fuel and people a smaller boat can carry – that’s why boat owners typically start looking at yachts above 50 feet when they want more than just simple day excursions. Yachts of these size are typically still owner-operated, have greater living spaces and can offer more usability. 3 staterooms are a norm in boats of this size, and a full beam master bedroom may just be available as well. The comfort of the latter must be experienced to be fully appreciated, but once tasted, it will be hard to go back to smaller rooms. These three examples are preowned yachts as well, making them highly affordable and offering great value.

FERRETTI 550 – EUR 990,000

The Ferretti Yachts 550 slots in nicely into this range at 55 feet. The yacht is a relatively new design, with Hull No. 1 launching in 2015. Ferretti has learned many lessons from building the rest of her larger siblings, and have managed to work them into this smaller footprint. She is sleek and sporty to behold, with a flybridge situated further aft for a pleasing overall silhouette, and many reviews have praised her throttle response and behaviour at sea.

This particular example is located in Singapore and first touched water in 2016. Her master stateroom is located amidships with a dedicated head and shower, and two other rooms can house the rest of the guests for a comfortable rest. Her ergonomics are so good that Power & Motoryacht says “Every part of this boat, on the other hand, feels designed from the ground up, exclusively for this particular footprint.”

Leopard 51 PC – EUR 539,000

If real estate is of high priority to you, a catamaran like the Leopard 51 PC may just be what you want. At 51 feet, she has a total of four cabins and four heads. Her spaces feel expansive. There’s just so much room to entertain on board and there are four distinct areas : saloon, forward lounge, forward deck, and flybridge. Every area is large and welcoming with plenty of light and air. What’s more, she has blue-water credentials as well. Her twin hulls provide excellent stability, and a test by Boattest shows she can keep going for more than 1000 nautical miles at 1,500 rpm. That’s remarkable.

This cat is located in Phuket and also hit the water first in 2016.

Lagoon 560 – USD 870,000

French shipbuilder Lagoon makes some of the world’s largest sailing catamarans, and with a 56 feet LOA and a 31 feet beam, the 560 was the largest family cruiser they made at the time. This example has 5 cabins (the other has a 4-cabin layout) and also comes with a tender for quick beach rendezvous. She has been professionally maintained and as you’ll see in the photos, she is in superb condition. All winches are electrically-operated, making sailhandling remarkably easy. A cat of this size is not for the occasional sailor, no, she is meant to be a home on the water which will be anchored in secluded coves for most of her days. In our opinion, that sounds like the dream.

This one also features twin Yammar engines good for 115 hp each, and she is situated in Phuket. Like the other two vessels, she is relatively young still and was launched in 2012.

The fifty-foot category of yachts is considered to be the entry-point into ‘serious yachting’. Typically, they won’t be the first one boaters get but with the talent available in this segment now, they may sometimes be the last one. Check out our pre-owned list of boats if you would like to see more. We update that page regularly so there may be something there you haven’t seen yet!