Argentine maritime architect Germán Frers, who had already collaborated with the yard on the CS 395, drew the CS 50 for a 1987 launch. Only one completed example is recorded in 1987, and the design left production after the 1988 model year, when its tooling was retired. That makes the CS 50 a brief-production flagship rather than a volume model.
Design and Construction
The CS 50 is built predominantly of fiberglass, with a solid-fiberglass hull. Its lead fin keel carries 12,125 pounds of ballast against a displacement of 27,557 pounds, producing a ballast ratio of 44 percent and placing the yacht firmly in the serious-cruiser camp.
Frers gave the boat a 38.38-foot waterline and a 14.16-foot beam, for a length-to-beam ratio of 3.53. Those proportions read as a beamy, moderate-displacement hull rather than a slender racer. Wetted surface is about 56 square meters, while a displacement-length ratio of 219 puts the CS 50 among “moderate racers” in the standard nomenclature—quick enough to be interesting and heavy enough to settle into a seaway. An internally mounted spade rudder and fixed fin keel complete its conventional late-1980s performance-cruiser underbody.
Rig, Performance, and Handling
The CS 50 carries a masthead sloop rig as standard and could optionally be cutter rigged. That flexibility suited its intended roles of long-range cruising and club racing.
Total sail area is 1,390 square feet, giving a sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 24.38. That figure is consistent with a boat designed to move in a breeze without demanding a full crew. The standing and running rigging dimensions are generous: Jib and genoa sheets run 15.2 meters at 16 mm diameter, the mainsheet stretches 38.1 meters, and the spinnaker sheet 33.5 meters, all at 16 mm.
The design has an average PHRF handicap of 84, with both the recorded high and low also at 84. That tight band suggests consistent real-world performance across the measured examples. Theoretical hull speed is 8.3 knots. A capsize screening value of 1.88, paired with a Motion Comfort Ratio of 29.6, frames the CS 50 as a yacht engineered for stability rather than outright speed.
Draft, Tankage, and Cruising Capacity
At just under 50 feet overall, the CS 50 provides the volume expected of a Frers flagship. Fuel capacity is 74 U.S. gallons, and fresh-water capacity is 134 U.S. gallons. Those generous figures support extended cruising without frequent replenishment.
The standard keel draws 8.67 feet. Although the builder advertised a 6.67-foot shoal-draft keel as an option, no shoal-draft examples were actually built. Every surviving CS 50 therefore has the deeper keel and is restricted to major-marina depths.
Load-dependent draft ranges from 2.03 to 2.13 meters. The boat’s immersion rate is about 338 kg per centimeter, so it settles meaningfully under load—an important consideration when provisioning for a long passage.
Known Issues and Limitations
The main configuration caveat is the lack of a shoal-draft version. Although one was offered, it was never delivered, so buyers seeking shallower access won’t find one. The standard 8.67-foot keel also limits the boat to larger harbor entrances.
Verdict
The CS 50 is a short-run, Frers-penned flagship that combines a high ballast ratio, a beamy fiberglass hull, and a versatile rig in a credible bluewater cruiser-racer. Its brief production run makes it a rare find, while its clean record on defects makes it a comparatively low-risk older yacht—provided the buyer accepts the deep-draft limitation.
Pros
- High 44 percent ballast ratio, with 12,125 lb of lead ballast
- Frers design with a masthead sloop rig and optional cutter configuration
- Generous capacity for 74 gal of fuel and 134 gal of water
- PHRF handicap of 84, indicating predictable performance
Cons
- Only deep-draft examples exist; the 6.67 ft shoal keel was never built
- Standard 8.67 ft draft restricts access to major marinas
- Very low production: a single 1987 example is documented, and the design was out of production after 1988
