Cruisers Yachts 50 Cantius Review, Performance and Price

The 50 Cantius is a coupe, not a sedan

Cruisers Yachts launched its Cantius line in 2011 with the 48 Cantius to answer a specific American request: an express cruiser that you could use in October. The idea was a fully glazed, air-conditioned deckhouse with a powered sunroof on top of an express hull. It was a coupe rather than a flybridge sedan, and at the time almost nothing like it came out of a US yard.

The 50 Cantius is the second-generation answer to that idea. It replaced the 48 Cantius, the first model in the line, and Soundings covered its launch in March 2017, describing it as an improved second-generation express coupe with a third stateroom, a galley-up saloon and a larger cockpit. Cruisers called it express-inspired performance with yacht-inspired living space, and that is a fair summary: one level from cockpit to helm, a big glass house, and a lower deck that sleeps six.

If you are searching for a 50 Cantius, you are probably cross-shopping an Italian or British coupe. The difference is that this one is built in Wisconsin (Cruisers now lists its Pulaski facility for the Cantius line), priced in dollars, and serviced through a dealer network built around American boating habits.

A Blount-assisted hull built for pods

Cruisers developed the 50's running surface in house with Donald L. Blount and Associates, the Virginia naval architecture firm behind many fast production yachts. The bottom carries 16 degrees of deadrise at the transom, a modest figure that favors efficiency and stability at rest over slicing through a big head sea.

Construction is resin-infused composite with coring throughout, but Cruisers keeps solid fiberglass in the keel and wherever a through-hull penetrates the bottom. That detail matters on a used boat because it eliminates the classic risk of water migrating into core around seacocks. Facheris Design drew the exterior around a long, low glass house.

Dimensions are 49 feet 5 inches overall and a 15-foot beam, and Cruisers' current specification gives a full-load draft of 52 inches. BoatTest listed a dry weight of 34,400 pounds and 35,985 pounds as tested, while the builder's current sheet quotes 36,000 pounds dry. BoatTest gives bridge clearance as 13 feet 3 inches, and Cruisers quotes 16 feet 1 inch to the top of the mast light, so measure the specific boat before planning around fixed bridges.

Four social zones under one sunroof

The main deck is laid out as four distinct areas: the galley, a dinette, the helm and a lounge. All of it sits under a powered sunroof with nearly 360 degrees of glass, which is what makes the boat feel open with the air conditioning running. Headroom is a generous 6 feet 6 inches at its maximum.

Aft of the glass doors, Cruisers moved the wet bar and grill to the transom on the 50, which frees the cockpit for a U-shaped settee and an aft-facing lounge that seat six to eight people. The swim platform is sized for a tender, and the hardtop has stowage for water toys. Up front, the foredeck seating converts into twin chaise lounges.

Practical notes for owners: the helm is on the main deck with the glass enclosure, so visibility is good and a single person can handle docking with the joystick, but there is no upper helm. If you want a flybridge view, this is the wrong boat.

• Powered sunroof and full glass enclosure
• Transom wet bar and grill
• U-shaped cockpit settee with aft-facing lounge
• Foredeck lounge that converts to twin chaises
• Volvo IPS joystick docking

Three staterooms or two and an office

Below, the master is full beam amidships with large hull windows and a private head with separate shower, and the VIP is forward with a cascading staircase up to an island berth and private access to the day head, which also has a separate shower. At launch, a third stateroom with two bunks to starboard was an option in lieu of a lower deck entertainment lounge, so check which version a used boat has.

For resale in the US, the three stateroom boat is the safer bet because families searching cantius 50 for sale listings tend to filter on cabin count. If you never carry more than two couples, the lounge is more useful day to day.

IPS 600 against IPS 700, real numbers

Early 50 Cantius boats ran twin Volvo Penta IPS 600 pods with 435 hp D6 diesels. Cruisers' published data for that package shows a top speed of 29.28 knots at 3,625 rpm and a best cruise of 25.98 knots at 3,400 rpm, burning 38 gph for a range of about 277 nautical miles with a 10 percent reserve. At launch Cruisers claimed 310 nautical miles at 25 knots.

Later boats were offered with IPS 700 pods driven by 550 hp Volvo Penta D8 diesels, and recent boats also carry a Seakeeper stabilizer as standard. The builder's data gives 32.93 knots at the top and a best cruise of 25.46 knots at 2,500 rpm on 42 gph, for about 246 nautical miles of range. The bigger engines buy roughly 3.5 knots of top speed and more reserve when the boat is loaded.

Our view: if you mostly cruise at 22 to 26 knots, an IPS 600 boat is not a compromise, and it is cheaper to buy and slightly cheaper to fuel. If you carry a full crew, a gyro and water toys, or you run offshore in chop, the D8 boats are worth the premium.

Picking between the 42, 46, 50 and 54 Cantius

The Cantius family has grown and shrunk around the 50. Earlier models included the 41, 45, 48, 54 and 60 Cantius, and today's line is the 42, 46 and 50 Cantius, with the 50 as the flagship.

The 42 and 46 Cantius suit couples who want the glass-house concept in a slip under 50 feet and a budget well under the 50's. The 50 is the first size where a genuine third stateroom and a cockpit for eight fit comfortably. Buyers comparing it with the larger, discontinued 54 Cantius should note that used comparisons are thinner there.

Running costs and resale on a 50 Cantius

At a 25-knot cruise expect about 38 to 42 gph combined, depending on the engine package, according to Cruisers' published data, so a season of fast cruising adds up quickly.

Fixed costs for slip, insurance, two IPS and engine services, generator, bottom paint and canvas care typically land between $55,000 and $95,000 a year. Great Lakes owners add winter storage and shrink-wrapping, while Florida owners usually spend more on air conditioning and bottom work.

Resale has been solid. We estimate 2018 boats at roughly $700,000 to $815,000 today and 2019 and 2020 boats between about $790,000 and $995,000. J.D. Power puts the suggested list price of a 2024 50 Cantius at about $2.27 million, so near-new boats in the $1.4 to $1.66 million range are strong value against new inventory.