The Gulfstar 50 Sailboat
Specs & Key Performance Indicators

There were two alternative versions of the Gulfstar 50: the Gulfstar 50 Sailmaster and the Gulfstar 50 TM. The Sailmaster was introduced in 1982 and featured a modified underbody with a longer keel, a taller rig, and a larger sail area. It was also more luxurious and expensive than the original version. Only 27 Sailmasters were built until 1985. The TM (for trunk model) was a rare variant that had a shorter cabin trunk and a flush deck forward of the mast.

The Gulfstar 50 is not in production anymore. Production ended in 1980 after six years of building. A total of 172 hulls were built.

The sailing press generally gave positive reviews to the Gulfstar 50, praising its interior space, joinery, performance, and value. For example, Sail magazine wrote in 1977: "The Gulfstar 50 is an impressive yacht by any standards...She is roomy, comfortable, well-finished, and surprisingly fast...She represents one of the best values in today's market for those who want both luxury and performance in a large yacht."

Owners of the Gulfstar 50 tend to be very satisfied with their boats, especially after making some upgrades and repairs. They appreciate the boat's spaciousness, comfort, seaworthiness, and classic beauty. Some common issues that owners have faced include hull blisters, corrosion of the mast step, leaking deck fittings, and separation of the rudder skeg.

The builders of the Gulfstar 50 were Gulfstar Yachts, founded in 1970 by Vince Lazzara, an industry pioneer who had previously worked at Aeromarine and Columbia Yachts. Gulfstar Yachts started out by building low-cost boats with maximum interior space, but later shifted to producing higher-quality performance cruisers, such as the Gulfstar 50. In the mid-1980s, Gulfstar Yachts merged with Viking Yachts, a powerboat manufacturer, and eventually stopped making sailboats. The company is still in business today as Viking Sport Cruisers.

The Gulfstar 50 can sleep up to eight people on board. The more popular layout features three staterooms: a master stateroom aft with an en suite head and shower and a large U-shaped double berth; a forward stateroom with a V-berth and access to a shared head; and a midships stateroom with upper and lower single berths. There is also a convertible dinette in the main saloon that can sleep two more people.

The Gulfstar 50 was available as either a sloop or a ketch. The sloop rig had a single mast with a foretriangle area of 45.2m² and a mainsail area of 38m², for a total sail area of 83.2m². The ketch rig had two masts with a foretriangle area of 45.2m², a mainsail area of 38m², a mizzen area of 14m², and an optional mizzen staysail area of 12m², for a total sail area of up to 109.2m². There was also a tall sloop option with a higher mast and larger sail area.

The standard or owner's version of the Gulfstar 50 had a more spacious and luxurious interior, with teak veneer cabinetry, a large navigation station, a wet bar, and a walk-in engine room. The charter version had a more simple and practical interior, with Formica cabinetry, a smaller navigation station, no wet bar, and no walk-in engine room. The charter version also had more berths and heads to accommodate more guests.

The Gulfstar 50 had only one keel option: a long fin keel with an encapsulated ballast of lead chunks embedded in concrete slurry. The keel had a draft of 1.7m and a ballast-to-displacement ratio of 30%.

The Gulfstar 50 is a stable and comfortable boat to sail, with good performance in light to moderate winds. It can reach hull speed of 9.3 knots easily and point well to windward. It is also easy to handle, with a balanced helm and a powerful rudder. In heavy winds, however, the boat may become overpowered and need reefing or changing sails. The boat is also not very maneuverable in tight spaces and may require a bow thruster or careful use of prop wash.

The average cost of a secondhand Gulfstar 50 varies depending on the condition, equipment, and location of the boat. According to YachtWorld.com, as of December 2021, the asking prices for Gulfstar 50s ranged from $80,000 to $190,892, with an average of $118,560.

The designer of the Gulfstar 50 was Vince Lazzara, who also designed many other sailboats for Gulfstar Yachts, such as the Gulfstar 37, the Gulfstar 43, the Gulfstar 44, the Gulfstar 60, and the Gulfstar Sailmaster series. He also designed some powerboats for Viking Yachts after the merger with Gulfstar Yachts.

Vince Lazzara was a pioneer in the yacht industry who started his career as a chemical engineer and built the largest fiberglass yacht ever in 1955. He founded Gulfstar Yachts in Florida and produced sailboats and trawlers with high quality and design. He also experimented with composite materials and low glass-resin ratios to improve the performance and durability of his boats.

His son Dick Lazzara followed his footsteps and launched Lazzara Yachts in the early 1990s, together with his brother Brad. Dick is the president of Lazzara Yachts and the main designer of its innovative products. He is known for creating yachts that combine luxury, style, and performance, with features such as split-level designs, open galleys, infinite sight lines, and advanced engineering. He also strives to provide more customization and personalization for his clients.

Vince Lazzara's design philosophy can be summarized as follows:

"I always wanted to build a boat that was better than anything else on the market. I wanted to build a boat that was faster, stronger, more comfortable, more seaworthy, and more beautiful than anything else out there."