Solaris 50 Sailboats for Sale

Layouts on the Used Market

Owner three-cabin versions are the more common configuration afloat, though both the standard island-berth forward stateroom and the Pullman-double alternative with crew quarters in the forward sail locker appear. The standard plan gives two generous aft staterooms with square double berths and a large forward owner's cabin with en suite head and separate shower. Ex-charter boats tend to wear the higher-traffic interior harder, but the hull and deck structure — E-glass over Airex foam with a vinylester skin coat and laminated bulkheads — is consistent across the range.

Equipment and Common Upgrades

Most boats on the market carry a chartplotter, teak decks, bow thruster, electric winches, autopilot, inverter, bimini, radar, AIS, watermaker, air conditioning, heating, life raft, asymmetric spinnaker, and hot water as commonly fitted gear. For a buyer, the bow thruster and electric winches matter most for short-handed docking and sail handling; the watermaker and air conditioning extend bluewater independence. Often-seen additions include a self-tacking jib, furling main, freezer, dodger, swim platform, and gennaker — the furling main and self-tacking jib being the rig refinements that ease day-to-day sailing. Less commonly seen are a code zero, spinnaker, cockpit shower, or solar, the latter a frequent owner upgrade rather than factory standard. A large dodger/bimini frame that stows in a recessed trench remains a notable design feature regardless of tier.

What to Inspect

The one documented point of attention is ventilation in the aft stateroom spaces, which a reviewer found poor ventilation is poor in the aft stateroom spaces. Beyond that, inspect the fixed keel bolts — spaced less than 10 inches apart where the keel is recessed into the hull fixed keels are recessed into the hull and secured with bolts less than 10in apart — and confirm the deck joint fasteners on 12-inch centers are intact. The standard 55hp diesel may have been upgraded to a 75hp Volvo Penta on some boats; verify the saildrive and three-bladed MaxProp leg for service history.

Availability and Buyer's Takeaway

Solaris 50s routinely turn up in Italy, Spain, the United States, Greece, France, and Croatia. For a buyer, the checklist is straightforward: confirm layout (three-cabin owner or Pullman crew), verify keel-bolt and deck-joint integrity, assess aft-cabin ventilation against your tolerance, and weigh optional rig upgrades (carbon mast, rod rigging) against standard spec. A careful survey of the structural cage and saildrive will surface the only real variables in an otherwise disciplined build.