The Stevens 50

[Cherp]

Hello....we're probably all familiar with the Stevens 47, which is a bit of a legend. However, is anybody familiar with the Stevens 50? There were not that many built. My question relates to how they sail. They are quite heavy at around 20 tons. Does that make them a slug, or do they get along all right?

[A CheeseHead]

Friends own a Stevens 50, and I've sailed trans-Med, trans-Atlantic, and parts of the Caribbean with them.

On theirs, the central hatch is now a skylight and no longer a companionway, so entry is largely from the cockpit through the aft 'cabin'. The crew cabin is basically used for storage.

How do they sail? Are they a stone? Well, my friends & I are former 470 racers, also raced offshore in pretty light-displacement stuff, so we like to go fast, but the Stevens isn't meant to be a speedster. Still, it was more than adequately fast for us, and was well-behaved when the weather got "interesting", and nothing critical broke when an inexperienced crew member managed an all-standing jibe. The boat's longitudinally stable, easy to control in a stiff quartering sea, yet is sufficiently maneuverable to handle well in a crowded harbor.

Having raced on things that were called "cruiser-racers" and been bruised by them, I can say that the Stevens 50m is a wonderful sea boat with well-provided with places to grab when passing through the saloon.

My friends had a very clear idea of what they wanted as their new home, and searched for a good while with well-defined parameters. I think the Stevens 50 fits them admirably. If I had the bucks, I'd have one.

[Cherp]

Thank you Mr Cheesehead. Good information.

[A CheeseHead]

The Stevens 50 we talked about? She's in San Francisco, and for sale:
50' Stevens Custom 50 Yacht For Sale - Rubicon Yachts after having been notably gussied-up.

They've dropped the price below $200,000.

[Cherp]

Mr Cheesehead,

Yes, looks the goods. Unfortunately, US 200,000 equates to around AU 285,000,
so in Oz dollars it's quite a pile of cash.

In the years since I posted this thread we've bought a Catalina Morgan 45, in which we've done a deal of cruising. Good American centre-cockpit. Needs a breeze to get her cracking but very comfortable at sea for me and my wife.

Cheers