Design and Construction
Lazzara's hand shows in the profile: a powerfully raked bow, a 15-foot 9-inch beam set slightly forward of amidships, and a sheer that angles in for a narrowish stern. At a beam-over-length ratio of 3.3 she is chubby but not extreme, and the flush foredeck broadens forward where a dinghy can be easily stowed. The hull itself is solid fiberglass laid up with chopper guns, with hand-laminated stringers and floors, and it was computer designed. Decks are balsa cored with solid radii around hardware and the mast, a meaningful departure from the open deck cores of early Gulfstars; the hull-deck joint is the standard raised bulwark style. Brightwork is above average, with wide teak combings, a caprail, and handrails, plus four polished chrome dorades. The cabintrunk rises high with deck saloon windows and a hard dodger over the main cockpit, though the layered profile still evokes a wedding-cake look.
Rig and Handling
The Sailcruiser carries a balanced ketch rig of low 55 feet height above water, ready for Intercoastal Waterway bridges. The main is a double-spreader, keel-stepped mast with standard shrouds along the sidedecks; the mizzen is a single-spreader rig set aft of the cockpit at the end of the cabintrunk. There are no inner forestays. Genoa tracks run along the wide caprail atop the bulwark rim, and one previewed boat showed no traveler but midboom and aft blocks coordinating with the halyard to manage the boom. Three large winches aft make singlehanding possible. Under way, owners report excellent sea handling characteristics under sail and power, and the twin turbocharged diesels allow good motoring or motorsailing on one or both engines while making docking and maneuvering easier than a single would.
Accommodations
Below, the interior is a symphony of light teak joinery with cambered corners, cabinetry, and cabin doors — mitered trim, no square corners, and not a speck of formica. Headroom is excellent at over seven feet, even through the starboard-side walkthrough with the galley alongside. Forward is a centerline queen berth; portside aft is a head with separate stall shower. The saloon holds a U-shaped settee to starboard and swivel chairs to port, with a contrasting teak-and-holly sole. Aft, a master stateroom has an aft-facing centerline queen berth, a separate head and shower portside (the shower steps down into the bilge and doubles as a tub), and a little teak door opening to the aftmost cockpit. That aft cockpit, described as hot-tub-like with benches wrapping the sides and stern, is reached from the high main cockpit via open cutaway combings; there is no stern pulpit.
Known Issues
The generous teak outside carries a cost: maintaining the varnish is an enduring expense that should not be taken lightly. More seriously, that stern cockpit layout proves poor in rough offshore conditions, and the boat is not traditionally seaworthy anchor — comfortable at dock, less so as a bluewater profile. This is a boat whose deck layout functions best as a charter or entertainment platform for family, friends, and business associates rather than as a rough-weather passagemaker.
Refits and Ownership
Twin diesel engines (reported as 66 or 77 HP Yanmars, turbocharged) have good walk-in access through a door along the walkthrough and a hatch in the raised saloon sole. A bow thruster is a worthwhile addition given the boat's size and the utility of easy close-quarters handling. With only 23 built, each example carries the cachet of a low-volume, late-era Gulfstar where the builder's craft had peaked.
The Verdict
The Gulfstar 54 Sailcruiser is a late-bloom statement from a builder that began as a bargain motorsailor shop and ended its sailboat era building yachts worthy of comparison to America's luxury marques. She rewards the owner who values joinery, space, and effortless twin-engine maneuvering over offshore austerity.
Pros
- Light teak interior with cambered edges and no formica — peak Gulfstar craft
- Low ketch rig clears ICW bridges; twin diesels ease docking
- Excellent headroom and versatile aft-cockpit entertainment layout
- Only 23 built; a culmination of the marque's quality evolution
Cons
- Varnish upkeep on extensive teak brightwork is a lasting expense
- Aft cockpit layout is not ideal in heavy seas; not a traditionally seaworthy hull profile
