Skye 51 Ketch Buyer's Guide
Shopping the brokerage market for a Skye 51 Ketch means looking at a small cohort of early-1980s Kaufmann & Ladd cruisers built by Mao Ta in Taiwan, with roughly eighteen hulls ever produced. These are bluewater ketches rather than weekend racers, and the used fleet reflects that origins in both layout and equipment.
Layouts on the Used Market
Owner three-cabin arrangements are the more common configuration afloat, though both owner and other layouts appear, and ex-charter boats are a common sight in the brokerage pool. The three-cabin owner layout uses the 14.25-foot beam and 50.78-foot hull to separate sleeping spaces for extended cruising or charter use. Ex-charter history is worth noting because those hulls may show higher cycle counts on systems and rigging than privately owned examples.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
Well-found used Skye 51s commonly carry teak decks, spinnaker, autopilot, radar, cabin heating, inverter, electric winches, AIS, chartplotter, and life raft as standard brokerage inventory. Beyond those, buyers often find a watermaker, solar panels, hot water, bimini, and dodger already fitted. Less common but seen as owner upgrades are a code zero, freezer, EPIRB, and documented transatlantic completion. For a buyer, the power-and-energy cluster — inverter, solar, and sometimes watermaker — determines how long you can sit at anchor without running the Perkins 4.236; the canvas cluster of bimini and dodger defines cockpit livability; and navigation gear such as chartplotter, radar, and AIS speaks to whether the boat is ready for offshore work or needs a refit investment.
What to Inspect
The known documentation on this model carries no listed structural defects, so inspection should center on the structures the sources do describe. The solid glass hull carries a skeg-supported rudder, and the deck is built from a cored composite anchor. With a draft of about 7 feet dependent on load, check the fin keel and skeg for grounding damage, as these boats can only enter major marinas anchor. The 757-liter fresh water and 530-liter fuel systems should be pressure-tested, and the Perkins 4.236 installation reviewed for alignment and access.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
Typical markets for the Skye 51 are the United States, Canada, and Turkey. For a buyer, the short checklist is: confirm deck-core condition, verify keel and skeg integrity given the 7-foot draft, test tankage, and review the engine install. A three-cabin owner layout is the easier find; expect ex-charter hulls among the available boats and judge their history accordingly.
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Skye 51 Ketch. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 4 rows
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 26 | 3 | $34,900 | — |
| Apr 26 | 3 | $160,002 | +358.5% |
| May 26 | 2 | $99,900 | -37.6% |
| Jun 26 | 2 | $5,105,690 | +5010.8% |
Where they're listed
Skye 51 Ketch listings appear across 3 countries. United States has the most listings with 7 (70.0%), followed by Canada and Turkey.
Country view
10 listings · 3 countries| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | $34,900 | 7 | 1 | 70.0% |
| Canada | $166,605 | 2 | 0 | 20.0% |
| Turkey | $221,329 | 1 | 1 | 10.0% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bavaria Cruiser 51 | 49.21' | $ 230,565 | 70 | 13 |
| Hinckley Yachts Sou'wester 51 | 51.16' | $ 515,000 | 27 | 11 |
| Formosa 51 | 50.83' | $ 114,521 | 20 | 4 |
| Mao Ta 51 KetchYou are here | — | $ 99,900 | 10 | 2 |
| Morgan Out Island 51 | 51.5' | $ 106,572 | 10 | 4 |
| Spencer Yachts 51/53 | 51' | $ 129,000 | 6 | 2 |