Boat Report
Pearl 50
Datafile Pearl 50
Verdict
Data Thumbs up or thumbs down?
Overall length 49ft 3in (15.00m)
UPS
There’s little doubt that the crucial appeal
Hull length 44ft 4in (13.51m) MBY estimate
➤ Unique design cachet
of most aft-cabin boats is their unmatched
➤ Unbeatable aft cabin privacy
privacy, not just for their owners, but also
Beam 14ft 6in (4.42m)
➤ Potential for three cabins & three heads
for guests. The mainstream UK builders
Displacement 18.5 tonnes light, 20.7 tonnes loaded
➤ Impressive standard specifi cation
may produce excellent aft-cockpit
(loaded = light + 100% fuel & water) ➤ Aft deck sunroof canopy
50-footers with similarly luxurious full- Draught 4ft 7in (1.40m)
➤ Hydraulic hi-lo bathing platform
beam owner’s cabins, but spend more than
Air draught 17ft 6in (5.34m)
➤ Wide side decks & deep toerails
a night or two with friends on board an
Fuel capacity 440 imp gal (2,000 litres)
DOWNS
aft-cabin boat like the Pearl 50, and the
Water capacity 110 imp gal (500 litres)
➤ Range and fuel consumption
physical separation provided by the saloon ➤ Flybridge & cockpit stowage
and engineroom means the sort of RPM 1,700 1,800 1,900 2,000 2,100 2,200 2,300 2,400 2,500
➤ Cramped forward shower
seclusion an aft-cockpit boat can’t match.
SPEED 14.0 15.9 17.8 19.6 21.8 24.1 26.3 28.0 29.8
And herein lies the unique charm of the
Rivals
TRIM 6.0˚ 5.5˚ 5.5˚ 5.0˚ 5.0˚ 5.0˚ 5.0˚ 5.0˚ 5.0˚
Pearl 50: it combines the contemporary
GPH 23.6 25.7 28.5 31.2 34.2 36.1 38.9 43.1 48.6
styling of a mainstream boat with the
MPG 0.59 0.62 0.62 0.63 0.64 0.67 0.68 0.65 0.61
benefi ts of traditional aft-cabin fl ybridge
fare from the likes of Hardy and Aqua-Star.
RANGE 209 217 220 221 224 235 238 229 216
Other advantages are easy movement
Speed in knots; GPH & MPG figures use imperial gallons; range in nautical miles.
between the raised aft deck and the
Calculated figures based on readings from on board fuel gauges. Your figures may vary
fl ybridge, plus the option of three full double considerably. Range allows for 20% reserve. 30% fuel, 100% water, 3 crew, safety stores.
Fairline Phanton 48
cabins. But whether a boat lacking a 20˚C air temp, 1,002mb pressure. Light chop swell, Force 3 for speed trials
lazarette and any meaningful fl ybridge Your rivals list will be determined by
storage could successfully cope with the
Cruising 26.3 knots, 238 miles @ 2,300rpm
what specifi cally appeals about the Pearl
cruising paraphernalia for six grown-ups is
Flat out 29.8 knots, 216 miles @ 2,500rpm
50. Is it the unmatched privacy of the
something to analyse carefully. Likewise, detached aft cabin? The separate dinette
long-distance cruising types will need to
SOUND LEVELS dB(A) Saloon Cockpit Flybridge
area opposite the galley? Or is it fi nding
think about the Pearl 50’s unusual fuel Cruising @ 26 knots 79 84 76 something so uniquely styled, that rare
consumption characteristics.
Flat out @ 29.8 knots 80 86 77
beast, a thoroughly modern-looking aft
Other traditionally styled boats can match
Price from £641,239 inc UK VAT (D9-500)
cabin boat?
the privacy of the 50’s separate aft cabin.
Price as tested £678,826 inc UK VAT (twin 575hp)
If contemporary style and the separate
Some can equal the 50’s build and
Designer Bill Dixon & Evan K. Marshall, 2006
aft cabin are the key points, then little else
engineering quality. And a few may even competes directly because almost
compete with Pearl’s impressive standard
RCD category B (for 8 people)
everything is traditional looking or
specifi cation. But if you want the most up-to-
Contact Pearl Motor Yachts Tel: +44 (0)1789 740088
conservatively styled: the 50-footers from
date, stylish, aft-cabin 50-footer around, the
Fax: +44 (0)1789 748078
Hardy, Broom, Sea Ranger and Atlantic,
Pearl 50 has no obvious rivals. MBY Email: info@pearlmotoryachts.com for instance, or Trader’s boats and the
Website: www.pearlmotoryachts.com slightly shorter Aqua-Star 48.
Consequently, Pearl’s strongest
Pearl 50 layouts challenge may come from the current
crop of full-beam owner’s cabin boats. The
£680,000 or so that our 30-knot Pearl 50
costs would buy the Fairline Phantom 48
or the voluminous Sealine T50 and leave
change to spare, although considerably
Three cabins,
less than it fi rst appears if you lift the
three heads
British pair up to the Pearl 50’s high
version.
standard specifi cation. Alternatively, you
could splash £50,000 on extras for the
£630,000 Princess 54 and acquire an
owner’s cabin to die for. Even the 52.5ft
(16m) long Sunseeker Manhattan 50 is
within reach at £676,800 plus extras. All
these boats offer sharper and more
resolute handling, bigger fl ybridges, crew
cabins and roomier enginerooms and/or
Two cabins, two
lazarettes, and excellent full-beam owner’s
heads and a suites. However, none can offer the Pearl
forward dinette.
50’s unique design cachet, its hydraulic
hi-lo bathing platform or the unmatched
privacy of its separate aft cabin.
MBY From January 2007
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