Bowman 57/58 Buyer's Guide
Shopping the used Bowman 57 means chasing a rare bird: roughly 20 were built before production ended in the late 1980s, and each left Bowman Yachts with owner-specific customization. These are mid-1970s Holman & Pye ketch-rigged bluewater cruisers with solid fiberglass hulls and center cockpits, and the used Bowman 57s that surface tend to be ex-charter or privately specified vessels rather than a uniform production run.
Layouts on the Used Market
Two versions exist. The standard owner's layout sleeps seven in four cabins — aft double and single, saloon settees, and two forward twin-bunk cabins. When inspecting a charter-oriented example, count the fifth cabin and the extra head and shower to confirm it sleeps ten rather than the owner version's seven. Charter four-cabin layouts are the more common on the used market, but both are available, and ex-charter examples are common, so a buyer should confirm berth count and head count against the specific hull rather than assume the owner's version.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
Safety and navigation gear is commonly fitted: radar, AIS, autopilot, chartplotter, and life raft are usual. Often-seen upgrades include an inverter, spinnaker or asymmetric spinnaker, bow thruster, freezer, washing machine, and EPIRB. For a buyer, the autopilot and bow thruster speak to manageable short-handed control of a 42,000-pound ketch, while the freezer and washing machine signal boats equipped for extended liveaboard cruising rather than weekend sailing.
What to Inspect
The transom is delicate, so examine it closely for hairline stress cracks, softness underfoot at the stern, or previous repair patches that hint at impact damage anchor. Because all hulls differ in layout, trace the specific routing of fuel, water, and electrical systems on the individual boat rather than trusting a generic plan. Check the aft cabin for inadequate storage — a design limitation — and confirm whether the deep 8-foot-4-inch draft suits your intended cruising grounds. The solid fiberglass hull has no balsa or foam core, but still sound the laminate for undocumented repair from groundings given the draft.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
Typical markets for these yachts are Antigua and Barbuda and Ireland.
- Confirm whether the hull is standard or charter layout
- Inspect the transom for cracks or softness
- Trace systems routing specific to that hull
- Verify draft against your harbour depths
- Check autopilot and bow thruster function
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Bowman 57/58. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 2 rows
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 26 | 1 | $299,000 | — |
| Apr 26 | 2 | $299,000 | 0.0% |
Where they're listed
Bowman 57/58 listings appear across 1 country. Antigua and Barbuda has the most listings with 3.
Country view
3 listings · 1 country| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antigua and Barbuda | $299,000 | 3 | 0 | 100.0% |
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
2 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amel Mango 52 | 53' | $ 179,000 | 33 | 2 |
| Bowman 57/58You are here | — | $ 299,000 | 3 | 0 |