← The model library
Model profile · for Great Loop buyers
Navigator 50 Classic
The published record on this model and what owners report, with the
questions worth asking while a boat is still a listing. This page covers the model.
Every boat still needs its own homework.
A semi-planing 1990s motoryacht with a Loop-friendly layout and draft; engine reliability and real slow-cruise range are the things to pin down per-hull.
The Navigator 50 Classic is a mid-1990s semi-planing motoryacht in Navigator's "Classic" flybridge family, sharing a platform with the closely related 5000/53 Classic. It carries a three-stateroom, two-head layout on a slender-for-its-length ~15' beam and was fitted with twin diesels, commonly Volvo Penta. Other fits (including Cummins Diamond Series) appear hull by hull, so confirm what this particular boat carries. Note: we could not find a dedicated owner forum thread or published boat test specifically for the 50 Classic; most model-and-year discussion clusters on sister hulls (42, 44, 46, 48, 53, 56) and on the 5000 Classic, so platform-level findings below should be confirmed against the specific hull. Navigator the company is effectively defunct, which matters mainly for model-specific hardware rather than engine support.
Follow the Navigator 50 Classic and get one
email when something new lands on this page.
How to read the tags on this page.
CLAIMstated by one source, not yet confirmed
QUESTIONopen, and settled by looking at the boat itself
CONTEXTbackground on how this model is built or used
Sources are linked where published.
Model identity
QUESTION
Is this a 50 Classic or a 5000 Classic, and does the LOA/beam match the listing?
Navigator's naming across the Classic family is confusing and the '50 Classic' appears closely related to the '5000 Classic.' One explicitly-1996 5000 Classic listing showed 55' LOA and 15' beam. LOA, beam and layout you rely on may come from a sister hull rather than this exact model, so the figures behind the listing can be inconsistent.
src:
Boatzon (1996 Navigator 5000 Classic listing); YachtWorld broker description
Your move: Ask the broker for the builder's hull ID and original spec sheet, and confirm LOA, beam and model designation against the actual hull rather than a generic Classic-family spec.
Range and cruising speed
CONTEXT
Run slow for Loop range; planing-cruise burn is high
On the Volvo 370hp installs, planing cruise burns roughly 12.2–12.7 gph per engine (~24–25 gph total) at ~2,400 rpm, with one owner seeing about 20 gph at 20 knots. A semi-planing hull run at displacement speed burns far less. I could not find a verified slow-cruise gph figure for this specific hull, so range at Loop speeds is uncertain and should be measured, not assumed.
src:
The Hull Truth; YBW Forum; Amnautical (Loop fuel planning)
Your move: Run a fill-to-fill fuel-burn test at intended displacement cruise rpm on sea trial to establish real gph and range for this hull.
CLAIM
Fuel capacity in the Classic family runs 400 to 600 gallons
The PowerBoat Guide sheet lists 600 gallons for the 5100 Pilothouse, 53 Classic, Sundance 5300 and 56 Classic, 500 for the 44 and 4800 Classics, and 400 for the 42 Classic. It has no entry for the 50 Classic, so treat this as a platform indicator, not confirmed for this hull.
src:
PowerBoat Guide (via navigatoryachts.com); Tampa Yacht Sales; Power & Motoryacht (56 Classic)
Your move: Confirm actual tank capacity from the builder's spec or a tank gauge/sounding.
Air draft
CLAIM
Flybridge with radar, mast and antennas: measure the real air draft
The PowerBoat Guide sheet gives 16'9" of clearance for the 5100 Pilothouse and 19'3" for the 44 Classic, lists none for the other Classic models, and doesn't say whether radar, mast or antennas are included. Measured air draft to the highest fixed point can be meaningfully higher, and that's the number that governs the lower fixed-bridge routes.
src:
Navigator Yachts; AGLCA; Southern Boating / Capt. Chris
Your move: Measure actual air draft to the highest fixed point and identify what (mast, antennas, radar) can be lowered before committing to low-clearance routes.
Draft
CLAIM
About 4'6" of draft is comfortable for the Loop
The PowerBoat Guide sheet lists 4'6" for the 5100 Pilothouse, 53 Classic, Sundance 5300 and 56 Classic, and 4'4" to 4'5" for the smaller 42, 44 and 4800. All sit within common Loop norms. Confirm loaded draft for this hull, since running gear and load can add to published figures.
src:
PowerBoat Guide sheet (Navigator Yachts); Tampa Yacht Sales (53 Classic)
Your move: Confirm loaded draft on the actual hull, accounting for full fuel/water and any running-gear projection.
Systems
CLAIM
DC electrical system is basic, so plan a house-bank refit for anchoring
Owners describe the DC system as based on 8D truck batteries with a poorly laid-out switching arrangement, typical of production boats of the era. It's fine marina-to-marina but under-built for extended anchoring. The Loop involves anchoring out, so budget for a house-bank/electrical upgrade.
src:
Trawler Forum
Your move: Inspect the battery bank and switching layout and get the age of the 8D batteries; budget for an electrical refit if you plan to anchor out.
CLAIM
Aging caulking and deck/window leaks
Owners of Navigators in this family report several frustrating leaks and caulking needing attention with age. Water intrusion over decades can affect core and joinery, so this is worth scoping on a boat now ~30 years old.
src:
Trawler Forum (5600 Sundance owner)
Your move: Have the surveyor moisture-test decks and check window/deck-joint caulking for leaks and any resulting core damage.
Parts and support
CONTEXT
Navigator the builder is effectively defunct
Navigator is reported out of business (now foreign-owned and not shipping to the US), which chiefly affects sourcing model-specific hardware and trim rather than engine parts, since Volvo/Cummins support their own engines.
src:
Trawler Forum
Engines
The engines research is part of the full profile inside the
product. It covers factory options, tested performance and the engine-specific
questions in our members' dossiers, and it travels with every dossier and survey brief
built on this model.
Follow the Navigator 50 Classic. One short email when something
new lands on this page. Only when there's news, and one click stops it.