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Model profile · for Great Loop buyers
Symbol 50 Pilothouse
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 tall, semi-planing pilothouse cruiser that can do the Loop if the arch/mast come down and fuel is managed at trawler speed; thinly documented, so verify on the hull.
The Symbol 50 Pilothouse (roughly 1997–2002) is a shallow-deadrise, modified-V/semi-displacement pilothouse motor yacht around 51' LOA, 15'7" beam, ~38,000 lbs, with a two- or three-stateroom layout and roughly 600 gal fuel. It was offered with twin ~450hp diesels; the sample hull carries Cummins 6CT8.3M (6CTA8.3) engines, though Cat options also appear across the run. There is very little model-specific owner discussion for the 50 Pilothouse in particular. Much of what follows is brand-general, engine-family, or class-of-boat knowledge flagged as such, and should be verified on the specific hull at survey.
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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.
Handling
CONTEXT
Semi-displacement hull: efficient at trawler speed, thirsty on plane
The modified-V, shallow-deadrise (~10° aft deadrise) hull is a semi-displacement/'fast trawler' form. The builder cites an 18-knot cruise and low-20s top speed, but that is planing-speed operation and burns fuel heavily. For the Loop the boat is normally run at displacement/hull speed to stretch range, where the hull is comfortable but no measured burn figure is published for this model.
src:
HMY Yachts powerboat guide; 2003 Symbol 50 broker listing (yachtr.com)
Fuel & range
QUESTION
What is the actual fuel burn at 8–9 knot displacement speed on this hull?
No measured fuel-burn or range data exists for the Symbol 50 Pilothouse specifically; the only published number is the 18-knot planing cruise. Loop range depends on the displacement-speed burn, which varies with engine, load and bottom condition. Treat any range estimate as unverified until measured.
Your move: On sea trial, run at 8–9 knots and record GPH per engine from the fuel-flow gauges (or a measured top-off), then compute usable range against the ~600 gal capacity with a reserve.
Air draft
CLAIM
Tall pilothouse-with-flybridge profile; a folding/hinged arch may be present
A 50' pilothouse yacht with a flybridge is a tall boat, and air draft is the gating issue for the Loop's fixed bridges and northern canals. A 2003 Symbol 50 listing advertised a hinged arch specifically for Loopers, so a lowerable arch exists on at least some boats. But no factory air-draft figure is published, and what lowers (arch, mast, antennas, flybridge enclosure) differs hull to hull.
src:
2003 Symbol 50 broker listing (yachtr.com); Trawler Forum (air-draft measurement threads)
QUESTION
Does this specific hull have a hinged/folding arch, and what is the measured air draft with everything lowered?
The hinged-arch feature was noted on a different (2003) boat, so it cannot be assumed on a given 2000 hull. Achieving low air draft for the northern canal routes typically requires dropping the arch, mast and antennas, none of which is documented for the 50 PH.
src:
2003 Symbol 50 broker listing (yachtr.com)
Your move: Have the seller demonstrate lowering the arch/mast and measure the true air draft to the highest fixed point in both raised and lowered states; get the lowered figure and what remains fixed in writing.
Draft
CLAIM
Shallow-draft hull (~4' range) suits the Loop's thin-water stretches
BoatUS-sourced figures cite about a 4'2" draft, which is favorable for the shallower Loop segments. Actual loaded draft depends on running gear, fuel/water load and gear aboard.
src:
HMY Yachts powerboat guide (BoatUS figures)
Reading the boat
CONTEXT
Model-specific documentation is thin, so lean on survey and the specific hull
Most online discussion covers the Symbol brand generally or the more common Symbol 45/sister designs, not the 50 Pilothouse. There is no documented 50 PH-specific defect pattern for engine access, cooling routing, mounts or systems, so general survey diligence carries more weight than usual here.
QUESTION
How is engine-room access and how many zincs/service points does this installation carry?
Engine-room layout, access and cooling routing on the 50 PH are described only generically in listings. Twin diesels of this size carry a substantial maintenance load (many zincs, filters, impellers), and accessibility affects how easily that load is met on a long cruise like the Loop.
src:
Sam's Marine/Hatteras forum (Cat zinc-count discussion, engine-family)
Your move: During survey, open the engine-room and check reach-around access to filters, impellers, aftercoolers/heat exchangers and outboard zincs on both engines; count and log the zinc locations.
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.
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