Little Harbor 54 Buyer's Guide
Shopping the brokerage market for a Little Harbor 54 means considering a Ted Hood centre-cockpit sloop built from 1989 by Little Harbor Yachts in the USA, a heavy-displacement centreboard cruiser with three documented versions. These are substantial offshore boats, and the used fleet reflects both owner and ex-charter histories with different layouts and factory variants to sort through.
Layouts on the Used Market
Owner three-cabin arrangements are the more common find, though both layout types appear. Ex-charter examples are common as well. The standard plan places a centreline queen owner's cabin aft with ensuite head, a U-shaped galley and nav station forward of that, and two guest cabins with upper-and-lower berths sharing a head. The 54-3 version instead used a larger main saloon, a smaller starboard galley, and a single forward cabin with V-berth and ensuite — a distinct interior to weigh if you value guest privacy less than saloon space. The 54-2 carried a different deck layout and taller rig rather than a changed interior.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
Most boats you will see are commonly fitted with air conditioning, heating, and an inverter for living comfort and power management. Canvas typically includes a bimini and dodger, and teak decks are a common sight. For sail handling, furling mains, electric winches, and a bow thruster are commonly fitted, and you will frequently find a gennaker, spinnaker, or asymmetric spinnaker aboard to offset the modest sail area/displacement ratio of 13.0. Generator and watermaker status should be confirmed individually, as these power and energy items carry the most consequence for extended cruising.
What to Inspect
The centreboard trunk and skeg-hung rudder areas deserve close attention given the centreboard and skeg-hung rudder profile and the solid fibreglass hull with no bulb-keel concentration. Because the boat reefed early to stay upright due to her 30.5 ballast ratio without a bulb at the keel foot, inspect rigging and chainplates for signs of repeated moderate-breeze loading. The three factory versions differ in rig height and interior, so confirm which version you are viewing and check the corresponding deck hardware and structure.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
The typical market for these boats is the United States. When you go aboard, check: which of the three versions it is (54, 54-2, 54-3); centreboard and rudder condition; rig and chainplate wear relative to her ballast profile; and which comfort and sail-handling upgrades (air con, inverter, furling main, electric winches, bow thruster) are present. A common ex-charter history means service records and interior wear merit extra scrutiny before commitment.
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Little Harbor 54. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 1 row
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 25 | 1 | $279,000 | — |
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
7 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hylas 54 | 54.08' | $ 495,000 | 44 | 21 |
| Moody 54 | 53.92' | $ 475,736 | 28 | 8 |
| Hallberg-Rassy 54 | 54.92' | $ 884,895 | 25 | 6 |
| Oyster 54 | 53.92' | $ 606,973 | 12 | 1 |
| Swan 54 | 54.07' | $ 1,450,000 | 11 | 3 |
| Little Harbor 53 | 52.67' | $ 375,000 | 10 | 6 |
| Alden 54 | 54.08' | $ 387,373 | 4 | 2 |