ALOATA

This 1981 Formosa 51 staysail ketch is a well-proven and highly regarded bluewater cruising yacht, designed by William Garden and built by Formosa Boat Building Co. Ltd in Taiwan. A full-keel, long-waterline heavy-displacement design, the Formosa 51 earned a strong reputation for seakeeping and offshore capability during the 1970s and 1980s, and this example has been comprehensively updated between 2023 and 2025 to bring her systems, rig, and accommodation to a high standard. She is offered for sale as a practical and well-found liveaboard bluewater ketch, ready for immediate use.

The programme of work carried out under current ownership is extensive and methodical: a fully overhauled engine with new exhaust, steering, and cooling systems; all-new sails on both masts including furling main, furling mizzen, furling staysail, and a new yankee; refurbished and extended main mast and a new mizzen mast; 900W of solar with an MPPT controller and six new gel batteries; all 14 seacocks replaced with Trudesign fittings; new water, fuel, black water, and grey water tankage; and a hydraulic bow thruster and windlass installation. The teak interior was professionally refinished in 2023.

Highlights Listed below but included in Full Specs:

• Designed by William Garden; long-keel offshore ketch
• Ketch rig with all-new sails — furling main, furling mizzen, furling staysail, and hank-on yankee (2023–2025)
• Refurbished and extended timber-boxed main mast; new timber-boxed pine mizzen mast (2023)
• Perkins 6.354, 125hp diesel — valves and injectors overhauled; new exhaust, cooler, and steering cables (2024–2025)
• 900W solar array with MPPT controller (2023)
• 6 x 160Ah gel battery bank (2023)
• Hydraulic bow thruster — new piping and header tank (2023)
• Hydraulic windlass — new engine-mounted pump and hoses (2023)
• All 14 seacocks and through-hull fittings replaced with Trudesign (2024)
• 1,200-litre water capacity — tanks fitted (2023)
• 650-litre fuel capacity — new 300-litre stainless steel tank (2023)
• Two electric heads (2023)
• B&G touchscreen chartplotter at helm (2023); Raymarine VHF with AIS (2025)
• Hydraulic autopilot control unit at helm (2024)
• Full solid teak interior professionally refinished in satin varnish (2023)
• 33kg Rocna anchor with 100m x 12mm chain (2023)
• Fixed bimini and matching boom tent with foredeck extension (2023)
• New black Dyneema guardrails with safety nets all round (2024)
• Five-cabin layout with upper saloon and wheelhouse

BROKER'S REMARKS

The Formosa 51 is one of the better-known names in classic bluewater cruising — a William Garden design that built a strong following through the 1970s and 1980s for its solid construction, seakindly motion, and practical liveaboard accommodation. This 1981 example has been in the hands of an owner who understands what a vessel of this type requires and has invested consistently to bring her up to a high standard. The work carried out since 2023 is substantial and well-targeted: structural seacocks, rig and sails, engine, tankage, and electrical systems have all been addressed. For a buyer looking for a capable offshore ketch with the major work already done, this is a vessel that repays careful inspection.

Below decks, the accommodation is generous. Five berths across four cabins, an upper saloon and wheelhouse with chart table, and a well-fitted galley with standing refrigerator and dining table make for a comfortable and practical liveaboard environment. The solid teak interior, professionally refinished in satin varnish in 2023 with headliners in oyster white, is in good order and gives the boat a warm character below that is difficult to replicate in a modern production vessel.

With 900W of solar, a large gel battery bank, new tankage, hydraulic bow thruster, and a complete sail wardrobe across both masts, this Formosa 51 is well set up for extended Mediterranean passages and offshore use. Early inspection is recommended.