Ta Chiao CT-54 Buyer's Guide
Shopping the brokerage market for a Ta Chiao CT-54 means taking on a 54-foot Taiwanese ketch with traditional lines and a heavily customized interior. The design draws on Robert Perry's early fiberglass work with Ted Brewer's structural input, and the fleet of 104 hulls was built from 1975 until 1986. These are long-range cruisers with an attached rudder, not light-air racers, but they have the bone to cross oceans and the teak to turn heads in any harbor.
Layouts on the Used Market
Charter four-cabin layouts are the more common on the used market, but both owner and charter versions are available, and ex-charter examples are common. The custom nature of Ta Chiao's production means no two interiors are alike, though the typical plan places berths port and starboard aft of the saloon within four separate staterooms and a V-berth forward with guest head. The aftmost cabin typically holds an island queen or athwartship king with a separate stall shower. Charter boats carry a very large cockpit with low combings and long seating, while owner versions have a smaller cockpit with high combings.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
Power and energy systems on these boats commonly include heating, air conditioning, a freezer, hot water, an inverter, and a bow thruster, with solar often seen and a generator space forward of the engine. Navigation and safety gear commonly fitted includes autopilot, radar, chartplotter, Starlink, and a life raft, while EPIRB and a self-tacking jib are often seen. Canvas and comfort clusters bring a furling main, bimini, and dodger as common fits, with hardtop, dinghy davits, swim platform, teak decks, and washing machine often seen. A furling main and bow thruster reduce crew workload at dock and sea.
What to Inspect
The early hulls built from 1975 to 1981 are prone to deck and cabintrunk leaks and rot, the "leaky teaky" group. The rotary-sawn spruce spars and keel-mounted mast step are rot candidates, and period 1970s Taiwanese stainless remains suspect for pitting. The rudder is hollow and ships water, a common source of delamination; many owners drill and fill it with PVC foam. Black iron tanks last about 20 years, so expect replacement if undocumented.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
These boats turn up in Spain, Cabo Verde, the United States, French Polynesia, and Germany. A buyer should:
- Survey deck and cabintrunk for rot, especially on pre-1981 hulls
- Check spruce spars and mast step for decay
- Inspect rudder for water ingress and delamination
- Test or budget for black iron tank replacement
- Verify stainless provenance and pitting risk
- Confirm layout matches owner or charter intent
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Ta Chiao CT-54. 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. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 25 | 2 | $381,086 | — |
| Feb 26 | 1 | $192,291 | -49.5% |
| May 26 | 1 | $129,091 | -32.9% |
| Jun 26 | 1 | $107,800 | -16.5% |
Where they're listed
Ta Chiao CT-54 listings appear across 3 countries. Cape Verde has the most listings with 2 (40.0%), followed by Spain and Germany.
Country view
5 listings · 3 countries| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cape Verde | $118,445 | 2 | 1 | 40.0% |
| Spain | $192,291 | 2 | 0 | 40.0% |
| Germany | $569,882 | 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
6 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amel 54 | 56.43' | $ 580,370 | 32 | 10 |
| Swan 54 | 54.07' | $ 1,450,000 | 12 | 2 |
| Irwin 54 | 54' | $ 145,000 | 10 | 3 |
| Hans Christian 48 | 47.83' | $ 247,790 | 7 | 2 |
| Ta Chiao CT-54You are here | — | $ 192,291 | 5 | 1 |
| Alden 54 | 54.08' | $ 410,447 | 4 | 2 |