| Development | |
|---|---|
| Designer | André Bénéteau |
| Location | France |
| Year | 1981 |
| No. built | 950 |
| Builder(s) | Beneteau |
| Role | Fishing boat, day sailer, cruiser |
| Name | Beneteau California 5.50 |
| Boat | |
| Displacement | 1,433 lb (650 kg) |
| Draft | 1.31 ft (0.40 m) |
| Hull | |
| Type | monohull |
| Construction | glassfibre |
| LOA | 18.04 ft (5.50 m) |
| LWL | 14.44 ft (4.40 m) |
| Beam | 7.55 ft (2.30 m) |
| Engine type | outboard motor |
| Hull appendages | |
| Keel/board type | Long keel |
| Rudder(s) | Transom-mounted rudder |
| Rig | |
| Rig type | Bermuda rig |
| Sails | |
| Sailplan | Fractional rigged sloop |
| Total sail area | 150.00 sq ft (13.935 m) |
| [edit on Wikidata] | |
The Beneteau California 5.50, or 550, is a French trailerable sailboat that was designed by André Bénéteau as a fishing boat, day sailer and pocket cruiser. The design is named for its length overall in metres and was first built in 1981.
Production
The design was built by Beneteau in France, from 1981 to 1988, with 950 boats completed, but it is now out of production.
Design
The California 5.50 is a recreational keelboat, built predominantly of glassfibre, with wood trim. It has a fractional sloop rig, with a deck-stepped mast and aluminium spars with stainless steel wire standing rigging. The hull has a raked stem, an angled transom, a transom-hung rudder controlled by a tiller and a fixed long keel or optional twin keels. It displaces 1,433 lb (650 kg).
The boat has a draft of 1.31 ft (0.40 m) with the standard long keel and 1.64 ft (0.50 m) with the optional twin keel configuration.
The boat is normally fitted with a small 9.8 to 14.7 hp (7 to 11 kW) outboard motor for docking and maneuvering. It has sleeping accommodation for two people, with a double "V"-berth in the cabin.
The design has a hull speed of 5.09 kn (9.43 km/h).
See also
References
- ^ McArthur, Bruce (2023). "California 550 (Beneteau)". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 22 June 2023. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
- ^ Sea Time Tech, LLC (2023). "Beneteau California 550". sailboat.guide. Archived from the original on 10 August 2023. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
- ^ Ulladulla. "California 550 beneteau". Sailboat Lab. Archived from the original on 10 August 2023. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
- McArthur, Bruce (2023). "André Bénéteau". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 22 June 2023. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
- Sea Time Tech, LLC (2023). "André Bénéteau". sailboat.guide. Archived from the original on 22 June 2023. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
- Beneteau. "California 5.50". beneteau.com. Archived from the original on 30 May 2023. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
- ^ Beneteau. "Beneteau California 5.50" (PDF). beneteau.com. Archived (PDF) from the original on 10 August 2023. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
- McArthur, Bruce (2023). "Beneteau". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 30 September 2020. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
- Sea Time Tech, LLC (2023). "Beneteau". sailboat.guide. Archived from the original on 1 May 2023. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
External links
| Sailboat types built by Beneteau | |
|---|---|
| Beneteau series | |
| California series | |
| Catamarans | |
| Cyclades series | |
| Evasion motorsailers | |
| First series | |
| Moorings series | |
| Named boats | |
| Oceanis series | |
| Racing boats | |
| R/C series | |
| Stardust series | |
| Dinghies |
|