Robert H. Perry drew the CT-54 as one of his earliest fiberglass designs, with structural input from Ted Brewer. The result is a traditional cruiser measuring 54 feet on deck and 62 feet overall, with a clipper bow, long keel, and attached rudder. Perry described the boat as his version of the traditional full-keel cruisers for which William Garden was known. The exclusive US distributor later characterized the 54 as more a Brewer design than a Perry one.
Design and Construction
Ta Chiao built the CT-54 with a heavily overbuilt solid-fiberglass hull, encapsulated ballast, and keel-stepped masts. Perry and Brewer supplied a laminate schedule and structural layout, but the yard didn’t follow it. Instead, it used a beefy single-skin laminate without longitudinals, leaving the early hulls with little structural framing to stiffen them.
Forward, the deck mold is lower and incorporates a bulwark hull-to-deck joint. Aft, the raised quarterdeck uses a standard inner flange and stands a good two feet above the main deck. All 54/56s carry substantial teak on deck, including a teak caprail and carved, ornate handrails on the quarterdeck.
Other traditional details include molded hull seams that imitate wooden planking. At the bow, there’s a wide, eight-foot teak bowsprit with trailboards and a two-piece dolphin striker fitted with a teak baluster.
Two cabin-trunk versions were built: one with Perry’s original deck and another modified by the yard to provide more headroom. Perry estimated that about three-quarters of the 104 hulls had the yard’s modified trunk.
From 1975 through 1981, the yard was still learning, and the decks and cabin trunks from those years are prone to leaks and rot. This so-called “leaky teaky” construction used mitered edge pieces and black caulking. In 1981, Ta Chiao upgraded to a four-inch deck cored with 2.5-inch plywood between 3/4-inch fiberglass skins. That change fixed the leakage and rot that had plagued the earlier boats.
Rig and Sailing Qualities
The CT-54 is a cutter-ketch with a bowsprit and an inner staysail set on a self-tacking boom, an arrangement that tends to clutter the foredeck. Early boats mostly carried spruce spars with bronze chocks and portholes. Later boats shifted to aluminum spars and stainless hardware, though all masts are keel-stepped.
Ted Brewer persuaded Perry to enlarge the rig, a change Perry later called a good move. Owners report that the staysail and mizzen balance the boat beautifully; one owner logged 9.5 knots under that pair alone. During trials of the first hull on San Francisco Bay, Perry found the helm balance perfect.
The CT-54 isn’t a light-air racer, but it excels in moderate to strong conditions. It has a soft motion and a proven ability to handle heavy weather, including a reported encounter with 50-foot seas off Cape Hatteras. Its full keel also gives it better windward performance than the later CT-56. The 56’s keel was cut away forward to reduce wetted surface, but that change sacrificed weatherliness.
Accommodations
Below, a widening stairway creates the impression of descending into a grand space. It opens into a raised saloon with settees to port and starboard.
Ta Chiao built the interiors on a highly custom basis, so layouts vary widely. One owner reported that no two among a dozen boats seen were alike. Some layouts put the galley to starboard and a portside dinette forward of the saloon, although most place them aft.
Forwardmost is usually a V-berth, with a guest head and shower to port. Most boats provide sleeping quarters in four cabins, with paired berths to port and starboard abaft the main saloon. The aftmost cabin may have an island queen or an athwartship king, along with a hatch, side portholes, and stern pirate ports. It also has a large master head with a separate shower stall.
Interior finishes range from parquet or teak-and-holly soles to solid-teak paneling. Owner-selected wood tones vary from honey-colored to dark purplish shades. Two dorades ventilate the foredeck, and two more serve the aft stateroom.
Machinery and Cockpit Arrangements
Most CT-54s have Ford Lehman diesels rated at either 120 or 135 hp. The engine sits beneath the saloon and is reached by lifting numerous small floorboards. Rare versions carry a large Perkins instead.
The yard offered owner versions with a smaller, high-combing cockpit and charter versions with a very large, low-combing cockpit suited to lying down.
Known Issues and Common Refits
The early boats built through 1981 make up the “leaky teaky” group. Their cabin trunks are commonly rotten, and their decks are prone to leakage.
Spruce spars and stepped mast bases need inspection for decay. Any original 1970s Taiwanese stainless steel is also suspect because it is prone to pitting.
The rudder is another known weak point. Its hollow construction allows it to ship water, and delamination is common. Many owners drill the rudder and fill it with PVC foam to prevent it from becoming soggy; this is the most common structural refit.
Original black-iron tanks last about 20 years and should be assumed to need replacement. Replacing them can be complicated: removing the forward fuel tank requires taking out the forward bulkhead and sawing the tank out.
The Verdict
The CT-54 is a heavily built, traditional Perry-Brewer ketch with real bluewater pedigree and a custom interior that rewards a careful survey. Early boats require close scrutiny for deck and rudder rot, although the 1981 deck upgrade resolved the worst leakage problems. This is a comfortable, stable passage-maker rather than a light-air performer.
Pros
- Exceptional seaworthiness, with many circumnavigations and ocean crossings
- Heavily overbuilt solid-fiberglass hull with encapsulated ballast
- Traditional profile with a clipper bow, bowsprit, and extensive teak detailing
- Balanced, soft-riding cruiser in moderate to strong conditions
Cons
- Early decks and cabin trunks from 1975 through 1981 are prone to leaks and rot
- Hollow rudder ships water and commonly needs an owner-applied foam-fill modification
- Original stainless hardware and spruce spars are susceptible to pitting and rot
- Black-iron tanks have a life of around 20 years and require replacement
