Her 40.5-foot load waterline and 13.5-foot beam produce a length-to-beam ratio of 3.76. That moderately narrow hull favors a sea-kindly motion over dockside volume. Displacement is 32,400 pounds, including 12,000 pounds of lead ballast, for a ballast ratio of 34 percent. A capsize screening value of 1.65 and a Motion Comfort Ratio of 38.5 describe a boat designed for stability and a damped ride in a seaway rather than raw acceleration.
Design and Construction
The Celestial 50 has solid fiberglass in both hull and deck, with lead ballast, a fin keel, and a skeg-hung rudder. The underbody has about 602 square feet of wetted surface.
Her displacement-length ratio of 235 places her among what reviewers categorize as “moderate racers.” That label says more about her weight-to-length relationship than any intention to race around the buoys. Her theoretical displacement-hull maximum is 8.5 knots, with a calculated top speed near 9.3. She’s quick for her length, but fundamentally a displacement cruiser.
The immersion rate is 1,902 pounds per inch, so the boat sits heavily and changes trim slowly as stores and water come aboard. On a long passage, that trait rewards careful loading.
Rig and Handling
The ketch rig divides the sail area between two masts, offering flexible sail plans for trade-wind passages or heavy-weather work. Its standing and running rigging dimensions are generous for a boat of this size.
The mainsail, jib/genoa, and spinnaker halyards are each 129.9 feet long and 14 millimeters in diameter. The jib, genoa, and mainsheets use 16-millimeter line, ranging from just over 50 feet for the headsail sheets to nearly 127 feet for the mainsheet. An 18-foot cunningham, 36-foot kicking strap, and 36-foot clew outhaul complete a control suite intended to keep loads manageable when sailing shorthanded or reefed.
Depending on load, the fin keel draws between 6.5 and 6.8 feet. This keeps the boat out of all but major marinas and is the principal draft constraint a prospective owner must respect.
Machinery, Tankage, and Accommodations
The design is documented with a single 135-horsepower Ford Lehman diesel and a straightforward ketch rig.
Tankage is substantial: 245 gallons of diesel and 396 gallons of water. Paired with the boat’s 32,400-pound displacement, those figures suggest a self-sufficient range under power and long stretches of independence under sail. The available record doesn’t describe the specific cabin layout, berth count, or joinery.
Known Issues
The only constraints that emerge are operational rather than defective. The heavy immersion rate means changes in trim will be slow and cumulative; it isn’t a sign of weakness.
The Verdict
The Celestial 50 is a thoughtfully proportioned offshore ketch from Bryce Fuhriman’s early-1990s design board, built in solid fiberglass by a Chinese yard for serious cruising. Her stability figures, substantial ballast, and damped motion make her a passage-maker first. The divided ketch rig provides the sail-plan flexibility valued by long-distance sailors.
The main compromises are her draft and moderately narrow beam. The latter favors seakeeping but gives away interior volume compared with beamier contemporaries.
Pros
- Lead-ballasted fin-keel hull with a 1.65 capsize screening value and 38.5 Motion Comfort Ratio
- Solid-fiberglass hull and deck
- Flexible ketch rig with full-size halyards and sheets sized for manageable loads
- Generous 245-gallon fuel and 396-gallon water capacities for extended independence
Cons
- Load-dependent draft of 6.5 to 6.8 feet restricts her to major marinas
- Narrow 3.76 length-to-beam ratio limits interior volume compared with beamier contemporaries
