Gulfstar 50 Kth Buyer's Guide
Shopping the brokerage market for a Gulfstar 50 Kth means looking at a 50-foot center-cockpit ketch designed by Vince Lazzara and built by Gulfstar Yachts in the United States. The boat is no longer in production, but a steady population of ex-charter and owner versions changes hands among cruisers who value the volume and the straightforward construction.
Layouts on the Used Market
Owner three-cabin layouts are the more common on the used market, but both are available; ex-charter examples are common. The popular three-stateroom arrangement traces to the charter trade, with an aft master suite, a forward V-berth cabin, and a midship double-single cabin, while the two-stateroom version swaps the midship berths for a wrap-around nav station and more engine room. Charter boats tended toward Formica cabinetry and a smaller nav station; owner versions carried teak veneer and a wet bar. Either layout sleeps up to eight with the saloon dinette folded down.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
Solar, freezers, dodgers, lithium batteries, chartplotters, and biminis are commonly fitted, so most boats already carry the bones of a modern energy and helm-protection setup. Air conditioning, spinnakers, and life rafts are often seen, useful for tropical living and offshore passages. Less common but worth noting as owner upgrades are watermakers and inverters for extended independence, plus radar and AIS for navigation — a buyer should confirm which of these a specific boat actually has rather than assume.
What to Inspect
Documented defects center on structure and deck hardware. Hull blisters have shown up, generally cosmetic but occasionally tied to saturated cavities around the encapsulated ballast anchor. The iron mainmast step in the bilge over the keel is subject to corrosion, and in ketch rigs the mizzen maststep may have compressed the balsa core under the deck. Leaking deck fixtures, hatches, and port windows are common complaints, and the bronze stern tube at the rudderstock can separate from the hull laminate in some boats, needing rebonding. Loose tabs around bulkheads and sub-floor members have also been reported and should be checked.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
These boats are typically found in the United States and Spain. For a shopper, the practical checklist is short: confirm whether the hull is solid or balsa-cored, test the mast-step iron for corrosion, open the mizzen deck core if buying a ketch, exercise every hatch and port for leaks, and ask whether the original Onan generator has been replaced. A repower or day-tank addition is a plus, not a requirement.
- Prefer owner-version teak interiors if finish matters; charter layouts are simpler
- Verify rudderstock skeg bonding and bulkhead tabs
- Budget for generator replacement and possible tank relocation
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Gulfstar 50 Kth. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 5 rows
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 25 | 1 | $120,000 | — |
| Apr 26 | 1 | $220,249 | +83.5% |
| May 26 | 1 | $75,000 | -65.9% |
| Jun 26 | 3 | $59,900 | -20.1% |
| Jul 26 | 2 | $59,900 | 0.0% |
Where they're listed
Gulfstar 50 Kth listings appear across 2 countries. United States has the most listings with 7 (87.5%), followed by Spain.
Country view
8 listings · 2 countries| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | $59,900 | 7 | 5 | 87.5% |
| Spain | $220,249 | 1 | 0 | 12.5% |
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
4 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gulfstar 50 | 50' | $ 100,000 | 14 | 1 |
| Gulfstar 44 Kth | 44.67' | $ 44,500 | 12 | 0 |
| Gulfstar 50 KthYou are here | — | $ 62,400 | 8 | 5 |
| Cheoy Lee Offshore 47 | 46.75' | $ 136,975 | 6 | 1 |