Design and Construction
The hull is solid fiberglass, with a fin keel and a rudder carried on a skeg. The boat measures 50.03 feet overall and 40.03 feet on the waterline, with a beam of 13.78 feet. Draft ranges from 6.56 to 6.86 feet, depending on load.
Her length-to-beam ratio is 3.63, making her slimmer than 66% of comparable sailboat designs. Displacement is 40,124 pounds, including 14,550 pounds of ballast. The resulting 36% ballast ratio is higher than that of 54% of similar designs.
With a displacement-to-length ratio of 276, the Belliure 50 falls among the “heavy cruisers.” That mass is reassuring offshore: her capsize screening value is 1.62, while the reported Motion Comfort Ratio of 43.0 makes her more comfortable than 82% of similar sailboat designs.
Rig, Performance, and Handling
The Belliure 50 has a cutter rig, a sensible arrangement for a heavy, mid-size cruiser. Period standing- and running-rigging data give a practical sense of the boat’s scale. Jib and genoa sheets are about 50 feet long and 5/8 inch in diameter. The mainsheet is roughly 125 feet long, also with a 5/8-inch diameter, while the spinnaker sheets extend about 110 feet.
The hull’s wetted surface is about 613 square feet. Its immersion rate is approximately 1,922 pounds per inch, a meaningful figure when considering how stores and other loads may alter the boat’s trim.
The published hull speed is 8.48 knots, and the theoretical maximum for the displacement hull is 8.5 knots. A separate calculated maximum speed is around 6.9 knots.
Accommodations and Tankage
Below, the Belliure 50 provides seven to nine berths, supporting its role as a family or crew cruiser.
Fresh-water capacity is 450 liters (118 US gallons), while the fuel tank holds 630 liters (166 US gallons). Those capacities suit extended passages without constant resupply and are consistent with the boat’s heavy-cruiser displacement profile.
Power and Equipment
The Belliure 50 may be fitted with an 84 hp inboard Volvo Penta diesel, driving a shaft. The builder’s specification also lists a diesel engine as standard and describes the drive as direct.
The combination of substantial fuel capacity and a moderate-power diesel reflects a design that prioritizes range and reliability over speed under power.
Verdict
The Belliure 50 is a thoughtfully proportioned Spanish cruiser from the mid-1970s. It combines a slim, heavy-displacement hull with a reassuring comfort profile and a practical cutter rig. Its accommodations and tankage suit long-range cruising, while its solid-fiberglass construction reflects the early FRP era of a yard newly committed to building fiberglass leisure boats.
Pros
- Slimmer than 66% of similar designs, with a Motion Comfort Ratio reported as more comfortable than 82% of comparable sailboats
- Seven to nine berths, plus 118 US gallons of water and 166 US gallons of fuel for extended cruising
- Solid-fiberglass hull, fin keel, skeg-hung rudder, and a cutter rig suited to heavy cruising
Cons
- Moderate engine power—84 hp against a displacement of 40,124 pounds—may limit motoring performance in adverse conditions
- Draft varies with load from 6.56 to 6.86 feet, requiring attention to trim and grounding clearance
