Beneteau Cyclades 50.5 Guide, the Five-Cabin Charter Fifty

The Beneteau Cyclades 50.5 and why charter fleets bought it

The Beneteau Cyclades 50.5 was built to answer one charter company question: how many paying guests can you put on a 50-foot monohull that a bareboat skipper can still handle? Beneteau's answer was five cabins and three heads, plus a separate skipper's berth in the forepeak, on a 15.65 m Berret-Racoupeau hull with twin wheels and a simple rig. Sailboatdata notes that it was mostly sold to the charter trade, and the boats on the used market today confirm it.

The Cyclades 50 came in three versions on the same hull. The 50.5 has five cabins, the 50.4 four and the 50.3 three, the numbering following the Cyclades rule that the digit after the point counts the cabins. Beneteau's heritage archive files the model under the Cyclades 50.4 name, and Beneteau's range brochure printed in November 2006 already shows all three versions. Listings include a 2006 50.4, and sailboatdata gives 2008 to 2010 as the build years it has on record, so production probably ran from late 2006 to 2010.

Hull and keel by the numbers

On the factory sheet the 50.5 is 15.65 m overall with a 15.24 m hull, a 4.90 m beam and a light displacement of 12,680 kg. The cast iron keel weighs about 3,950 kg and is bolted on with a wide base; Beneteau gives 2.10 m of draft, while sailboatdata lists 2.00 m. The mast stands 20.90 m above the waterline, so check bridge clearances on inland routes such as the Intracoastal Waterway, where 65 ft fixed bridges are common.

Sailboatdata's ratios describe a capable cruiser rather than a performance boat: a sail area to displacement ratio of about 20.7, ballast of 31 percent of displacement, a D/L of 154, a comfort ratio of 23.4 and a capsize screening value of 2.12. A 43 ft 3 in waterline gives a theoretical hull speed near 8.8 knots.

Inside the five-cabin plan

The 50.5 layout described in brokerage listings has four double cabins, a twin bunk cabin and three heads, each with toilet, washbasin and shower. A separate skipper's cabin in the bow is reached through a deck hatch, with its own toilet in some boats, so a hired skipper can sleep aboard without taking a guest cabin. One listing counts eleven berths in total, which is about as many people as you would want on a 51-foot monohull.

The saloon, according to Beneteau's 50.3 equipment list, has 2.02 m of headroom, a U-shaped settee around a 2.20 m table, and a central unit housing a top-opening 130 liter icebox with eutectic refrigeration that runs off the engine or shore power. The galley and chart table follow the Cyclades pattern. Interior finish is practical rather than lavish, with laminated wood-strip floors and wipe-clean PVC upholstery in the saloon.

For a private owner, the 50.5's real use is family cruising with grandparents, friends and teenagers all aboard, or owner-operated charter. If you will rarely carry more than four people, look for a 50.3 instead.

The 50.3, an owner's version hiding in the range

Beneteau's 50.3 equipment list shows a very different boat inside the same hull. Three cabins and three heads, with an island berth of 2.12 by 1.76 m in the forward cabin, hanging lockers both sides, and a private forward head through its own door. Aft, two large cabins share the stern. A sail locker forward with 1.81 m of headroom gives the stowage that a cruising couple needs.

50.3s are rare on the used market and usually priced above five-cabin boats, but they are the best choice for long-term cruising. A five-cabin 50.5 can be converted by combining cabins or turning one into a workshop, but the work is expensive and rarely looks factory.

Deck layout, sails and the Yanmar 110

The deck follows the rest of the Cyclades family: two stainless wheels with compasses, an underhung rudder with a fiberglass stock, primary winches close to the helmsmen, lines led aft through jammers, a large cockpit table with mounts for electronics, a liferaft locker aft of the cockpit and a wide swim platform. The mainsail is semi-fully battened with three reefs, which is a sensible choice for a boat sailed by charter crews of varying skill, and the genoa is on a Profurl furler.

Below the companionway sits a Yanmar 110 hp diesel on a shaft, listed by brokers as a 4JH4-HTE, with two 200 liter fuel tanks under the aft berths. A few early boats list a 100 hp Yanmar. The 980 liters of fresh water in three tanks is generous enough for a full boat for several days, and the electrical panel has 21 twelve volt circuits, four 230 volt circuits and voltmeters for both.

Surveying a Cyclades 50 after its fleet years

A 51-foot charter boat lives a hard life. In the survey, put the keel attachment first: look for cracks in the structural molding around the keel bolts, signs of grounding on the leading edge of the keel and filler or fresh paint where the keel meets the hull. Check the rudder bearings and stock for play, and the twin wheel cables and quadrant for wear.

Three heads mean three sets of toilets, hoses, holding tanks and shower pumps, all of which age badly with heavy use. Sails and running rigging on a boat this size are expensive to replace, so ask how old they are. If the boat has a bow thruster, generator or air conditioning, run each one under load. As with the smaller Cyclades, the hull has a balsa core, so take moisture readings around through-hulls and fittings. Finally, verify VAT status and that the boat has been fully released from any charter management contract.

Prices and the cost of running a 51-footer

Listings we found ranged from about 89,900 to 159,000 euros for 2007 to 2009 boats, with most five-cabin 50.5s between roughly 105,000 and 140,000 euros. A 2006 50.4 was listed far higher at 240,000 euros, an outlier rather than a market price. In dollar terms, a realistic band for a sound boat is about $100,000 to $175,000, which is very little money per foot for a 51-foot sailing yacht.

The catch is upkeep. A slip for a 51-footer, insurance, haul-outs, antifouling, engine and generator service, rigging and sails can cost $18,000 to $35,000 a year in the US, more if you keep the boat in a premium marina. Keeping the boat in Europe or the Caribbean and offsetting part of the cost through private charter is one way to make the numbers work.

Where the 50.5 sits in the Cyclades family

The Cyclades 50 was the largest of three hulls. Below it sat the 43-foot Cyclades 43.3 and 43.4 and the 39-foot Cyclades 39.3, which used the Oceanis 393 hull. Sailboatdata also lists a later Cyclades 51.5 that shares a hull with the Moorings 51.5, a different boat from the 50.5 and not part of this page.

Search terms such as Beneteau 50 Cyclades, Beneteau Cyclades 50 and Beneteau 50.4 all point at this hull. The Farr-designed Beneteau 50 built from 1995 to 2004 is a different, older boat.