Design and Construction
The California 5.50 is a recreational monohull keelboat built mainly of glassfibre, with wood trim typical of a period Beneteau. The hull has a raked stem and an angled transom. Buyers could choose a fixed long keel or optional twin keels for shallower cruising.
A tiller controls the transom-hung rudder, providing direct steering and leaving the steering gear exposed for easy inspection. The boat measures 18.04 feet overall, with a 14.44-foot waterline and a 7.55-foot beam. Displacement is 1,433 pounds, making it light on the trailer while retaining the tracking of a small cruiser.
Its calculated hull speed is 5.09 knots, and its capsize ratio is 2.68. Those figures place it at the stable, forgiving end of the pocket-boat spectrum.
Rig and Handling
The California 5.50 carries a fractional Bermuda sloop rig, with a deck-stepped aluminium mast and stainless steel wire standing rigging. It’s a simple, repairable arrangement suited to the boat’s modest sail area of 150.7 square feet.
The deck-stepped mast lowers the loads into the cabin top rather than to a compression post below. It also suits a trailerable boat whose owners routinely unstep the mast for transport. A sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 18.97 suggests lively performance in a breeze without making the boat overcanvased for short-handed sailing. The tiller and transom-hung rudder keep helm input immediate.
Accommodations
Below, the California 5.50 has sleeping accommodation for two people, with a double V-berth in the cabin. In a hull this compact, the layout gives priority to a proper berth rather than settee seating.
There’s no pretense of a grand saloon: this is a pocket cruiser, and the V-berth forms the heart of the interior. Wood trim softens the glassfibre shell and reinforces the boat’s day-sailer-with-overnight-capability brief.
The Verdict
The Beneteau California 5.50 is a straightforward, trailerable pocket cruiser that offers a surprising amount of real sailing in an 18-foot hull. André Bénéteau’s design is easy to own, simple to rig, and well suited to the fishing boat, day sailer, and pocket cruiser roles stated at its launch.
Pros
- Trailerable French glassfibre construction with wood trim
- Fractional sloop rig and deck-stepped aluminium mast suited to trailering
- Choice of a fixed long keel or optional twin keels for varied waters
- Double V-berth with accommodation for two
Cons
- Only two berths and no separate saloon
- Out of production since 1988, so only used examples are available
