Irwin 52-3 Sailboats for Sale & Market Overview

Hull type

Monohull · fin

Rig

Cutter

LOA

52' · 15.85 m

Displ.

46,500 lbs · 21,092 kg

First year

1987

The Irwin 52 Mark III represents the final and most refined iteration of a design that fundamentally changed the landscape of the large production cruising yacht. Introduced in the mid1980s, the "523" (or Mark III) was the culmination of Ted Irwin’s philosophy: maximizing interior volume and cockpit comfort without completely sacrificing the performance required for bluewater passages. During its production run, the Irwin 52 was often cited as one of the most popular yachts over 50 feet ever built, largely because it offered the accommodations of a much larger vessel at a price point accessible to the middlemarket cruiser. The Mark III specifically addressed several criticisms of the earlier Mark I and II versions, offering a more contemporary deck profile, a redesigned transom that often incorporated a more functional swim boarding area, and refined rigging geometries.