Skye 51 Buyer's Guide
The Skye 51 is a rare, heavy-displacement ocean-going cutter built by Mao Ta in Taiwan in the early 1980s, with only around 18 hulls produced. Most were commissioned for private owners planning circumnavigations, and that pedigree shows in a boat designed to carry everything needed for years away from a marina. Shopping the brokerage market means understanding both the creature comforts added over decades and the structural items that separate a sound example from a money pit.
Layouts on the Used Market
Used Skye 51s typically present as three-cabin vessels, though some carry a more open charter-style interior. The accommodation is a high-volume liveaboard, using its length to deliver more internal space and larger tankage than comparable mid-40s cruisers. The interior is usually rich teak joinery, with a U-shaped sea-going galley, a deep protected cockpit, and wide side decks that stay safe to walk forward when heeled. Tankage is generous, commonly over 200 gallons combined, supporting long independent cruising.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
On the used market, Skye 51s commonly carry inverter, autopilot, chartplotter, radar, AIS, solar, liferaft, and freezer as standard cruising kit. Often-seen upgrades include watermakers and heating for extended living, plus code zero and asymmetric spinnaker rigs for light-air help given the boat's modest sail-area ratio. Electric winches, bimini, dodger, swim platform, teak decks, Starlink, and EPIRB are also frequently found. For a buyer, the consequential clusters are power and energy — inverter, solar, and sometimes a watermaker define off-grid range — and sail-handling and navigation, where autopilot, chartplotter, radar, and AIS turn a heavy cutter into a manageable passage-maker.
What to Inspect
The most common structural concern is the teak deck screwed into the sub-deck, where fasteners can admit water into the core over time; check the interior headliner for soft spots and staining. Original steel or stainless tanks buried in the bilge or under joinery are a major replacement job requiring cabin-sole removal. Chainplates should be pulled and checked for crevice corrosion given the rig's power, and a moisture meter is essential to assess blistering risk in the earlier GRP resins. Many older boats retain original untinned wiring, so budget a full rewire absent a recent refit.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
Skye 51s typically appear in Turkey, Canada, and the United States. For a shopper, the short checklist is: confirm teak decks and tanks have been addressed or price the work; inspect chainplates and hull moisture; verify wiring status; and accept that the boat needs breeze or engine to move. A sound, refitted example remains one of the better values for a serious offshore home.
- Teak decks and buried tanks: addressed or budgeted?
- Chainplates pulled and checked for corrosion
- Moisture meter survey for hull blistering
- Wiring tinned or recent rewire completed
- Rig and engine serviced and quieted if possible
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 | $192,285 | — |
| Mar 26 | 1 | $114,900 | -40.2% |
| Apr 26 | 2 | $182,775 | +59.1% |
Where they're listed
Skye 51 listings appear across 3 countries. Turkey has the most listings with 2 (50.0%), followed by Canada and United States.
Country view
4 listings · 3 countries| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turkey | $192,285 | 2 | 0 | 50.0% |
| Canada | $173,265 | 1 | 0 | 25.0% |
| United States | $114,900 | 1 | 0 | 25.0% |
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
8 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bavaria Cruiser 51 | 49.21' | $ 230,742 | 70 | 13 |
| Hinckley Yachts Sou'wester 51 | 51.16' | $ 515,000 | 27 | 11 |
| Sweden Yachts 50 | 50' | $ 268,545 | 15 | 0 |
| Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 51 | 50.83' | $ 139,844 | 13 | 6 |
| Mao Ta 51 Ketch | 50.78' | $ 99,900 | 10 | 2 |
| Hylas 51 | 51' | $ 167,000 | 8 | 3 |
| Spencer Yachts 51/53 | 51' | $ 129,000 | 6 | 2 |
| SKYE 51You are here | — | $ 182,775 | 4 | 0 |