Absolute 50 Fly Buyer's Guide, Generations, Price and Specs

One name, two modern boats

Anyone shopping for an absolute 50 fly needs to know which boat a listing describes. The 50 name goes back to 2011, when Absolute launched its first ever flybridge, but the boats that show up on the US market today come from two later generations. The redesigned 50 Fly appeared in the fall of 2016 as part of what Absolute called its Generation 2017 range, with hull No. 1 tested by Yachting and Motor Boat & Yachting that December. It was refreshed for 2020, shown at the Düsseldorf boat show that January, and built in updated form until 2023.

Both versions share the same basic package: 49 feet 10 inches overall, a 14-foot-6-inch beam, 423 gallons of fuel, Volvo Penta IPS pods, three guest cabins with a full-beam master amidships and an optional crew cabin in the transom. The differences sit in the engines, the windows and a long list of detail changes, and they show up clearly in asking prices.

Searches for a 2018 absolute 50 fly or a 2021 absolute 50 fly therefore lead to different boats. Below we cover what each one is, how they perform and which is the smarter buy.

The 2016 to 2020 boats and their award-winning debut

The first of the modern 50 Fly hulls ran on twin 435 hp Volvo Penta IPS600 pods, and that was the only engine choice. Yachting's Patrick Sciacca drove hull No. 1 off Cannes and saw a 24-knot cruise and a 30-knot top end, with 11 other guests lounging on the flybridge. Motor Boat & Yachting reached 28 knots on a glassy day and questioned whether the single engine option left enough margin for a fouled bottom and a full load of cruising gear. Both reviewers praised the interior volume and the quiet ride.

Juries agreed with the testers. The 50 Fly won the European Powerboat of the Year award in the above 45 feet class for 2017 and took Best Flybridge Yacht up to 55 feet at the 2017 Asia Boating Awards.

Construction followed Absolute's formula of a solid fiberglass hull with a grid of longitudinal and transverse stringers, with plywood bulkheads and decks bonded to it to make a stiff, monocoque structure. Air conditioning came in two sizes, a 48,000 BTU Mediterranean package and a 60,000 BTU Tropical package, and on a boat bought for US waters the larger system is the one you want.

What changed for the 2020 update

The refreshed boat kept the hull dimensions but moved to Volvo's D6 IPS650 pods at 480 hp each, again as the sole package, with the full Volvo software suite of joystick, cruise control, autopilot, automatic trim and electronic steering as standard. Power and Motoryacht's Alan Harper called out the sliding doors below: three of the five interior doors on the lower deck slide into their bulkheads, which makes the cabins and heads feel noticeably larger.

Absolute also reduced the window pillars so the saloon glass and the hullside glass in the cabins run nearly uninterrupted, added a mirrored transom, reworked the furniture to create more stowage and fitted new air conditioning systems. Harper measured 6 feet 5 inches of headroom in the saloon and 6 feet 2 inches in the master, with a king in the owner's cabin, a queen in the VIP and 6-foot-4-inch twin berths.

Option lists grew too: a hardtop, a saloon side door, roller blinds for cockpit privacy, an 880-pound hydraulic platform, the crew cabin, tropical air conditioning and even a small fridge in the master. When you compare listings, those options matter more than the model year.

Midships master, forepeak VIP and a kids' twin

Pod drives push the engines far aft, which let Absolute put a full-beam master amidships, the spot with the gentlest motion. Hull windows on each side light it, and MBY noted an almost flat floor and generous headroom with a compact sofa and a large dresser. The VIP sits in the forepeak with its own access to the second head, which also serves as the day head and is shared with the third cabin. The third cabin has twin berths and, on later boats, a walk-in closet.

The crew cabin is the 50 Fly's party trick. It is reached through a door in the transom, has its own toilet and a wide transom window, and costs extra. Power and Motoryacht suggested American owners would use it as a teenager's hideaway, and MBY described it as good enough for an occasional guest. Without it the space becomes a well-finished lazarette.

On the main deck the galley sits aft, angled into the corner and opening to the cockpit through sliding glass doors, with an electric glass partition to close it off from the saloon. The dinette and lounge are a step up and forward, and the lower helm has a side-deck door that makes shorthanded docking much easier.

Cockpit, flybridge and a grill on the swim platform

The flybridge extends aft far enough to shade the cockpit, and it carries a forward sunpad, companion seating, a wet bar with electric grill, sink, ice maker and fridge, and a U-shaped settee with a dining table. The hardtop was optional but most boats have one; MBY warned that it does nothing for the tall profile, though its sliding hatch lets in sun.

Down in the cockpit a transom bench and table sit under the overhang, and an optional outdoor galley in the transom adds a grill and sink at swim-platform level. Forward, a three-person sunpad with hinged backrests and a low bench give a third outdoor zone, reached along protected side decks.

Speed and fuel burn, generation by generation

Neither 50 Fly is a fast boat, and both are honest about it. The medium-V hull planes readily and, according to Power and Motoryacht, will stay on plane down to about 16 or 17 knots, which makes a low-20s cruise relaxed and economical. Steering is light and the turning circle is large; MBY found it a little lazy, while Yachting thought the fly-by-wire steering inspired confidence in hard turns.

For most buyers the difference between the two power packages is a knot or two, not a different experience. The IPS650 boats feel a little stronger with a full load, which addresses MBY's main criticism of the original.

• 2016 to 2020, IPS600: BoatTEST reached 26.7 knots at 3,600 rpm and found best cruise at 24.7 knots and 3,400 rpm on 38.4 gph, about 245 nautical miles with a 10 percent reserve
• 2016 to 2020, IPS600: Yachting reported a 24-knot cruise and 30 knots flat out on hull No. 1
• 2020 to 2023, IPS650: Power and Motoryacht clocked just over 27 knots on the first updated boat in Italy
• 2020 to 2023, IPS650: Absolute's own figures quoted by BoatTEST show 29 knots at 3,845 rpm and 27.4 knots at 3,600 rpm on 44.1 gph, about 236 nautical miles of range

What a 50 Fly costs to buy and keep

Used prices in the US run from about $700,000 for an early IPS600 boat to around $1.3 million for a 2023 hull with the right options. That is a useful discount on the newer 52 Fly, which sells new for well over $2 million in the US once options are added.

Plan on $60,000 to $100,000 a year for slip, insurance, Volvo servicing on two D6 engines and pods, generator and air conditioning maintenance, bottom work and a normal season of fuel. At a 24-knot cruise the IPS600 boats burn around 38 gph, so 200 miles of cruising uses roughly 320 gallons.

Which 50 Fly to shop for

If budget allows, the 2020 to 2023 boats are the better buy: more power, sliding doors, better glazing, newer systems and stronger resale. The earlier boats are the value play, and a well-kept 2018 or 2019 with the tropical air conditioning, a hardtop and documented pod service can be a lot of boat for the money.

With production over, the closest new equivalent from Absolute is the current 52 Fly, which moves the owner's suite to the bow and adds D8 IPS800 power. Buyers who prefer a slower, more trawler-like boat at the same length should also look at the Navetta 48 and Navetta 52.