Skye 51 Buyer's Guide
Shopping the brokerage market for a Skye 51 means chasing a rare, purpose-built ocean home: only a few were built by Mao Ta in Taiwan between 1978 and 1985, and most were commissioned by private owners for circumnavigation. These are heavy-displacement cutters of the "Taiwan Turkey" overbuilt school, with solid GRP hulls and traditional teak interiors, not lightly produced boats one stumbles across in every port. A serious buyer is looking for a vessel whose value lies in endurance and load-carrying capacity rather than speed in calm air.
Layouts on the Used Market
The Skye 51 typically offers a three-cabin arrangement, though some versions featured a more open "charter" style interior, and all use the hull's extra length over smaller cruisers to provide significantly more internal volume and larger tankage. The saloon and accommodation spaces are finished in rich teak joinery, with a U-shaped sea- secure galley, deep sinks, and bracing points throughout. On deck the cockpit is deep and well-protected, and wide side decks make forward movement safe when heeled. Tankage is generous, often exceeding 200 gallons each of fuel and water, supporting long independent cruising.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
On the used market these boats commonly carry inverter, spinnaker, freezer, AIS, autopilot, hot water, chartplotter, life raft, solar, and radar as fitted equipment. Often-seen additions include watermaker, heating, code zero, asymmetric spinnaker, electric winches, bimini, dodger, swim platform, teak decks, Starlink, and EPIRB. Many boats were fitted with Perkins or Lehman diesels known for extreme longevity if maintained, though the original engines can be noisy by modern standards; a ketch rig was an alternative to the usual cutter. Prospective owners should expect that a modern windlass and lines led aft may already be in place to make short-handed handling easier.
What to Inspect
Many Skye 51s were delivered with thick teak decks screwed into the sub-deck, and over forty years these screws can become paths for water ingress into the core; check for soft spots and staining on the interior headliner. Original fuel and water tanks were often mild or stainless steel buried deep in the bilge or under joinery, and replacement is a major undertaking involving cabin-sole removal. Chainplates and their attachment points should be pulled and inspected for crevice corrosion given the rig's power. Earlier GRP resins were prone to blistering, so a moisture meter is essential when checking for osmosis. Many older boats still have original non-tinned wiring, and a total rewire should be expected without a recent refit.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
Typical markets for the Skye 51 are Türkiye, Canada, and the United States. Because so few were built, viewing one requires patience and a willingness to travel. Before committing, verify that teak decks and buried tanks have been addressed, confirm chainplate integrity, test the hull with a moisture meter, and budget for a rewire if the boat is untouched.
- Confirm teak deck leaks via headliner staining and soft spots
- Budget for buried tank replacement if still original
- Pull and inspect chainplates for crevice corrosion
- Use moisture meter for blister/osmosis check
- Expect total rewire if no recent refit documented
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Skye 51. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 3 rows
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 26 | 1 | $ 188,845 | — |
| Mar 26 | 1 | $ 114,900 | -39.2% |
| Apr 26 | 3 | $ 188,845 | +64.4% |
Where they're listed
Skye 51 listings appear across 3 countries. Turkey has the most listings with 3 (60.0%), followed by Canada and United States.
Country view
5 listings · 3 countries| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turkey | $ 188,845 | 3 | 0 | 60.0% |
| Canada | $ 170,963 | 1 | 1 | 20.0% |
| United States | $ 114,900 | 1 | 0 | 20.0% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bavaria Cruiser 51 | 49.21' | $ 226,614 | 67 | 15 |
| Hinckley Yachts Sou'wester 51 | 51.16' | $ 509,309 | 26 | 8 |
| Sweden Yachts 50 | 50' | $ 267,368 | 16 | 1 |
| Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 51 | 50.83' | $ 137,342 | 11 | 2 |
| Mao Ta 51 Ketch | 50.78' | $ 99,900 | 10 | 7 |
| Hylas 51 | 51' | $ 165,000 | 7 | 3 |
| SKYE 51You are here | — | $ 188,845 | 5 | 1 |