Review of Bénéteau 50

The hull is made of fibreglass. A hull made of fibreglass requires only a minimum of maintenance during the sailing season.

The boat is equipped with 8/12 berths and 1000 liters (264 US gallons, 219 imperial gallons) fresh water capacity.

The Bénéteau 50 is built with a masthead rig. The sail area for the mailsail + jib is 95.4 m² (1,027.0 ft²). The advantage of a masthead rig is its simplicity and the fact that a given sail area - compared with a fractional rig - can be carried lower and thus with less heeling moment.

Fin keel with bulb

The Bénéteau 50 is built with a fin keel. A boat with a fin keel is more manoeuvrable but has less directional stability than a similar boat with a full keel. The advantage of the bulb is that it lowers the center of gravity which increases the righting moment and reduces the draft.

The boat can only enter major marinas as the draft is about 2.30 - 2.40 meter (7.55 - 7.85 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.

The fuel tank has a capacity of 500 liters (132 US gallons, 109 imperial gallons).

Bénéteau 50 may be equipped with an engine at 75 hp (55 kW). Calculated max speed is about 7.8 knots.

What is Capsize Screening Formula (CSF)?

The capsize screening value for Bénéteau 50 is 1.87, indicating that this boat could - if evaluated by this formula alone - be accepted to participate in ocean races.

What is Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed?

The theoretical maximal speed of a displacement boat of this length is 9.0 knots. The term "Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed" is widely used even though a boat can sail faster. The term shall be interpreted as above the theoretical speed a great additional power is necessary for a small gain in speed.

The immersion rate is defined as the weight required to sink the boat a certain level. The immersion rate for Bénéteau 50 is about 415 kg/cm, alternatively 2326 lbs/inch.
Meaning: if you load 415 kg cargo on the boat then it will sink 1 cm. Alternatively, if you load 2326 lbs cargo on the boat it will sink 1 inch.

What is Motion Comfort Ratio (MCR)?

The Motion Comfort Ratio for Bénéteau 50 is 28.4.

Comparing this ratio with similar sailboats show that it is more comfortable than 27% of all similar sailboat designs. This comfort value is just below average.

What is L/B (Length Beam Ratio)?

The l/b ratio for Bénéteau 50 is 3.33.

Compared with other similar sailboats it is more spacy than 69% of all other designs. It seems that the designer has chosen a slightly more spacy hull design.

What is a Ballast Ratio?

The ballast ratio for Bénéteau 50 is 33%.

This ballast ratio is higher than 38% of all similar sailboat designs. Since the ballast ratio and the righting moment (i.e. better ability to resist heeling) is strongly correlated, a ballast ratio just below average indicates an ability to resist heeling below average.

What is Displacement Length Ratio?

The DL-ratio for Bénéteau 50 is 147 which categorizes this boat among 'light racers'.

85% of all similar sailboat designs are categorized as heavier. A light displacement requires less sailarea and has higher accellerations.

What is SA/D (Sail Area Displacement ratio)?

The SA/D for Bénéteau 50 with ISO 8666 reference sail is 16.7, with a 135% genua the SA/D is 20.0.

The SA/D ratio indicates that it is faster than 18% of all similar sailboat designs in light wind.

When buying anti-fouling bottom paint, it's nice to know how much to buy. The surface of the wet bottom is about 70m² (753 ft²).
Based on this, your favourite maritime shop can tell you the quantity you need.

Note: If you use a paint roller you will need more paint than if you use a paintbrush.

Dimensions of sail for masthead rig.

Are your sails worn out? You might find your next sail here: Sails for Sale

If you need to renew parts of your running rig and is not quite sure of the dimensions, you may find the estimates computed below useful.

This section is reserved boat owner's modifications, improvements, etc. Here you might find (or contribute with) inspiration for your boat.

Do you have changes/improvements you would like to share? Upload a photo and describe what you have done.

We are always looking for new photos. If you can contribute with photos for Bénéteau 50 it would be a great help.

If you have any comments to the review, improvement suggestions, or the like, feel free to contact us. Criticism helps us to improve.

[Ref 1]: ISO 8666 Small craft — Principal data.
[Ref 3]: ISO 12215-5 Small craft — Hull construction and scantlings.