Design and Construction
The Celestial 50 is built of solid fiberglass in both hull and deck, with lead ballast and a fin keel under a skeg-hung rudder. The wetted surface of the underbody measures about 602 square feet, and her displacement-length ratio of 235 places her among what reviewers categorize as "moderate racers" — a label that speaks more to her weight-to-length relationship than to any race-course intent. The immersion rate of 1,902 pounds per inch means she sits heavily and changes trim slowly under stores and water, a trait that rewards careful loading on a long passage. At a theoretical displacement-hull maximum of 8.5 knots and a calculated top speed near 9.3, she is quick for her length but fundamentally a displacement cruiser.
Rig and Handling
The ketch rig splits sail area between two masts, and the standing and running rigging dimensions are generous for a boat this size. Mainsail, jib/genoa, and spinnaker halyards all run 129.9 feet at a 14-millimeter diameter, while sheets — jib, genoa, and mainsheet — are 16-millimeter line ranging from just over 50 feet for the headsail sheets to nearly 127 feet for the mainsheet. A cunningham and kicking strap of 18 and 36 feet respectively, along with a 36-foot clew outhaul, round out a control suite built for manageable loads when shorthanded or reefed. The fin keel draws between 6.5 and 6.8 feet depending on load, which keeps her out of all but major marinas and is the principal draft constraint a prospective owner must respect.
Accommodations
She carries 245 gallons of diesel and 396 gallons of water, figures that, paired with the 32,400-pound displacement, suggest a self-sufficient range under power and a long independent stretch under sail. The ketch configuration itself implies flexible sail plans for trade-wind or heavy-weather work, though the specific cabin layout, berth count, and joinery are not described in the available record.
Known Issues
The only constraints that emerge are operational rather than defective: the heavy immersion rate means trim shifts are slow and cumulative rather than a sign of weakness.
Refits and Ownership
What can be said from the design data is that her single Ford Lehman diesel of 135 horsepower and straightforward ketch rig are as documented for the design.
The Verdict
The Celestial 50 is a thoughtfully proportioned offshore ketch from the early-1990s design board of Bryce Fuhriman, built in solid fiberglass by a Chinese yard and aimed at the serious cruising fraternity. Her stability numbers, heavy ballast, and damped motion comfort mark her as a passage-maker first, and the split ketch rig gives her the kind of sail-plan flexibility that long-distance sailors value. The principal compromises are draft and a narrow beam that trades interior volume for seakeeping.
Pros
- Lead-ballasted fin-keel hull with a 1.65 capsize screening value and 38.5 Motion Comfort Ratio
- Solid fiberglass construction in hull and deck
- Flexible ketch rig with full-size halyards and sheets sized for manageable loads
- Generous 245-gallon fuel and 396-gallon water capacity 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 relative to beamier contemporaries
