Irwin 52 Buyer's Guide
The Irwin 52 spans a near-decade production run from 1976 to 1985, with more than 250 hulls launched as a beamy staysail ketch that redefined the deck-saloon cruiser. On the brokerage market it presents as a substantial liveaboard: a 44,000-pound vessel with motoryacht-like interior accommodations, a transformed center-cockpit layout, and a raised aft deck that became a trademark. Shopping one means weighing the early solid-glass hulls against the 1982 Series II with Klegecell coring and customizable wood interiors, and reckoning with a known set of structural and systems watch-items.
Layouts on the Used Market
Owner three-cabin layouts are the more common on the used market, but both are available, and ex-charter examples are common. Pre-1982 boats share a drop-down galley to starboard, large nav station to port, and palatial saloon, with an aft cabin athwartship double and private head and shower, plus forward a large V-berth, quarter cabin with upper and under berths, and a second large head. Series II models often kept the basic plan but introduced island berths in fore and aft cabins. Decadent features like a stand-up fridge and freezer, breakfast bar with built-in stools, air conditioning, generator, and closet-sized hanging lockers travel with many boats regardless of layout.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
Autopilot, air conditioning, chartplotter, inverter, and hardtop are commonly fitted to boats on the market. Often seen are solar, lithium batteries, furling main, freezer, hot water, washing machine, bimini, dodger, and dinghy davits. Less common owner upgrades include heating, teak decks, radar, and AIS. Most 52s came standard with the Perkins 4-236 85-horsepower diesel, a reliable workhorse with widely available parts despite being long out of production; early boats carried Barlow or Barient winches. The bowsprit houses double anchor rollers with a large chain locker forward, and hawsepipes through the bulwark enclose mooring lines.
What to Inspect
A problem common to most 52s was the corroded iron maststep low in the bilge, and surveyors should check for delaminated floors around the mast, which were glassed-over wood. Other possible problems include leaking chainplates, spars in need of repainting, and spider cracks and delamination on deck. Because 52s were manufactured during the pox period, most boats will have had a blister repair job or two. On early models the deck hardware was a bit undersized for a 44,000-pound boat, and the extensive 12- and 110-volt electrical systems will need updating if original, with pre-1982 wiring access not very good.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
The Irwin 52 typically appears on the used market in the United States, New Caledonia, Australia, Greece, and Italy. For a buyer, the checklist is short and grounded in documented facts: confirm Series II versus early pan-construction status; inspect the bilge maststep and mast-floor bonding; verify blister repair history and deck coring; test the original electrical systems and plan an update; and confirm the Perkins diesels and through-bolted later deck fittings where applicable.
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Irwin 52. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 6 rows
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 25 | 1 | $ 75,000 | — |
| Sep 25 | 2 | $ 150,625 | +100.8% |
| Nov 25 | 1 | $ 86,246 | -42.7% |
| Jan 26 | 3 | $ 86,496 | +0.3% |
| Feb 26 | 3 | $ 119,500 | +38.2% |
| Apr 26 | 2 | $ 115,225 | -3.6% |
Where they're listed
Irwin 52 listings appear across 5 countries. United States has the most listings with 6 (54.5%), followed by New Caledonia and Australia.
Country view
11 listings · 5 countries| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | $ 119,500 | 6 | 1 | 54.5% |
| New Caledonia | $ 86,371 | 2 | 0 | 18.2% |
| Australia | $ 62,428 | 1 | 0 | 9.1% |
| Greece | $ 171,351 | 1 | 0 | 9.1% |
| Italy | $ 216,212 | 1 | 0 | 9.1% |
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
6 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amel Mango 52 | 53' | $ 179,000 | 32 | 12 |
| Siltala Yachts OY 52 | 51.16' | $ 334,431 | 20 | 3 |
| Irwin 52You are here | — | $ 119,500 | 11 | 1 |
| Cheoy Lee 52 | 51.5' | $ 295,000 | 11 | 9 |
| Irwin 54 | 54' | $ 145,000 | 11 | 3 |
| Morgan Yachts 452 | 45' | $ 49,900 | 10 | 1 |