Review of Gulfstar 53 MS

Basic specs.

The Gulfstar 53 MS is a large sailboat designed by the maritime architect Vince S. Lazzara in the early seventies. The Gulfstar 53 MS is built by the American yard Gulfstar Inc.

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Hull

The hull is made of fibreglass. Generally, a hull made of fibreglass requires only a minimum of maintenance during the sailing season.

Rig

The boat equipped with a ketch rig.

Engine

The boat is typically equipped with a Perkins diesel engine at 130.0 hp (96 kW), which gives a max speed about 8.8 knots.

The fuel tank has a capacity of 1514 liters (399 US gallons, 333 imperial gallons).

Sailing characteristics

This section covers widely used rules of thumb to describe the sailing characteristics. Please note that even though the calculations are correct, the interpretation of the results might not be valid for extreme boats.

Stability and Safety

What is Capsize Screening Formula (CSF)?

The capsize screening value for Gulfstar 53 MS is 1.70, indicating that this boat could - if evaluated by this formula alone - be accepted to participate in ocean races.

Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed

What is Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed?

The theoretical maximal speed of a displacement boat of this length is 9.2 knots. The term "Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed" is widely used even though a boat can sail faster. The term shall be interpreted as above the theoretical speed a great additional power is necessary for a small gain in speed.

Immersion rate

The immersion rate is defined as the weight required to sink the boat a certain level. The immersion rate for Gulfstar 53 MS is about 440 kg/cm, alternatively 2469 lbs/inch.
Meaning: if you load 440 kg cargo on the boat then it will sink 1 cm. Alternatively, if you load 2469 lbs cargo on the boat it will sink 1 inch.

Sailing statistics

This section is statistical comparison with similar boats of the same category. The basis of the following statistical computations is our unique database with more than 26,000 different boat types and 350,000 data points.

Motion Comfort Ratio

What is Motion Comfort Ratio (MCR)?

The Motion Comfort Ratio for Gulfstar 53 MS is 37.4.

Comparing this ratio with similar sailboats show that it is more comfortable than 66% of all similar sailboat designs. This comfort value is just above average.

L/B (Length Beam Ratio)

What is L/B (Length Beam Ratio)?

The l/b ratio for Gulfstar 53 MS is 3.53.

Compared with other similar sailboats it is more spacy than 54% of all other designs. It seems that the designer has chosen a slightly more spacy hull design.

D/L (Displacement Length Ratio)

What is Displacement Length Ratio?

The DL-ratio for Gulfstar 53 MS is 186 which categorizes this boat among 'light racers'.

62% of all similar sailboat designs are categorized as heavier. A light displacement requires less sailarea and has higher accellerations.

SA/D (Sail Area Displacement ratio)

What is SA/D (Sail Area Displacement ratio)?

The SA/D for Gulfstar 53 MS with ISO 8666 reference sail is 12.3, with a 135% genua the SA/D is 14.6.

The SA/D ratio indicates that it is faster than 1% of all similar sailboat designs in light wind.

Maintenance

Rig

Dimensions of sail for ketch rig.

Are your sails worn out? You might find your next sail here: Sails for Sale

If you need to renew parts of your running rig and is not quite sure of the dimensions, you may find the estimates computed below useful.

**Guiding dimensions of running rig**
Usage	Length		Diameter
Mainsail halyard	36.0 m	(118.0 feet)	14 mm	(0.55 inch)
Jib/genoa halyard	36.0 m	(118.0 feet)	14 mm	(0.55 inch)
Spinnaker halyard	36.0 m	(118.0 feet)	14 mm	(0.55 inch)
Jib sheet	16.1 m	(53.0 feet)	16 mm	(5/8 inch)
Genoa sheet	16.1 m	(53.0 feet)	16 mm	(5/8 inch)
Mainsheet	40.4 m	(132.5 feet)	16 mm	(5/8 inch)
Spinnaker sheet	35.5 m	(116.6 feet)	16 mm	(5/8 inch)
Cunningham	6.1 m	(20.0 feet)	14 mm	(0.55 inch)
Kickingstrap	12.2 m	(40.0 feet)	14 mm	(0.55 inch)
Clew-outhaul	12.2 m	(40.0 feet)	14 mm	(0.55 inch)

Boat owner's ideas

This section is reserved boat owner's changes, improvements, etc. Here you might find (or contribute with) inspiration for your boat.

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Finally

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References

[Ref 1]: ISO 8666 Small craft — Principal data.
[Ref 3]: ISO 12215-5 Small craft — Hull construction and scantlings.