Design and Construction
The California 5.50 is a recreational monohull keelboat built predominantly of glassfibre with wood trim, a combination that reads as honest period Beneteau rather than flashy. The hull carries a raked stem and an angled transom, and the underbody is offered either as a fixed long keel or with optional twin keels for shallower wandering. A transom-hung rudder on a tiller gives direct steering feel and keeps the steering gear exposed for easy inspection. At 18.04 feet overall with a 14.44-foot waterline, 7.55-foot beam, and 1,433-pound displacement, the boat is light on the trailer yet tracks like a miniature cruiser; the 5.09-knot hull speed and 2.68 capsize ratio place it firmly in the stable, forgiving end of the pocket-boat spectrum.
Rig and Handling
Up forward, the 5.50 uses a fractional sloop rig of the Bermuda type, with a deck-stepped aluminium mast and stainless steel wire standing rigging—simple, repairable, and well matched to the modest sail area of 150.7 square feet. The deck-stepped mast lowers the loads into the cabin top rather than a compression post below, which suits a trailerable design that owners routinely unstep for transport. The 18.97 sail-area-to-displacement ratio suggests the boat is lively in a breeze without being overcanvased for short-handed sailing, and the tiller behind a transom-hung rudder keeps helm input immediate.
Accommodations
Below, the California 5.50 provides sleeping accommodation for two people in a double V-berth set into the cabin, a layout that prioritizes a proper berth over settee seating in a hull this compact. There is no pretense of a grand saloon; the boat is a pocket cruiser first, and the V-berth is the heart of the interior. Wood trim throughout softens the glassfibre shell and reinforces the day-sailer-with-overnight-capability brief.
The Verdict
The Beneteau California 5.50 is a straightforward, trailerable pocket cruiser that delivers a surprising amount of real sailing for its 18 feet. 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 with deck-stepped aluminium mast for easy trailering
- Fixed long keel or optional twin keels for varied waters
- Double V-berth accommodation for two in a true pocket cruiser
Cons
- Limited to two berths with no separate saloon
- Out of production since 1988, so only used examples exist
