Ker 50
Updated
The Ker 50 is a 15.35 m semi-displacement racing yacht designed by Jason Ker and built by Nebe, first launched in 2006. It races in Class 0.
Length
15.35 m
50′ 4″
Beam
4.14 m
Draft
3.19 m
Displacement
10.2 t
Sail area
148 m²
On the podium
Where a Ker 50 finishes when she goes racing.
Not enough data yet to show how this design finishes. It has not been found in the race results we have collected so far.
Recent regattas
The latest events where a Ker 50 was on the start line, named as the organisers publish them.
No regattas found yet.
Raced one we are missing?
Report a regattaRound the buoys, or offshore
A short windward-leeward and a night at sea ask different things of a boat. Here is how this one does in each.
Round the buoys
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Not enough data yet: no races of 10 NM or less carry a published distance.
Offshore & coastal
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Not enough data yet: no races over 10 NM carry a published distance.
Who she races against
The designs a Ker 50 actually lines up with, most often first. The bar shows how those meetings ended.
Not enough data yet to say who this design races against. No result we have collected puts it on the water beside another design we track.
Speed at every angle
The shape of this design's speed, drawn from the measured fleet. Pick a wind and watch it stretch.
Upwind VMG
6.92
35°
Beam reach
11.16
90°
Broad reach
13.66
135°
Downwind VMG
10.50
170°
Speed in knots at 20 knots of true wind. Green marks the angles that pay: the closest useful beat and the deepest run worth sailing.
Where it wins and where it pays
Every boat is judged against its own measurements — length, weight, sail area. The quicker those say it should be, the more it has to deliver just to break even. Going fast is not enough: it has to go faster than its own numbers promised.
The stronger it blows, the better this design looks. On a windy coastal course it is in its element; on a light-air windward-leeward it has to be sailed well to hold on.
Where it gains
Its best ground is cracked off once it pipes up, where it does more than its size and sail area promise, and by a margin worth having. It holds that advantage on the run as well, so the gain is not down to one leg of the course.
Where it pays
There is no condition where it falls away badly, which is worth something over a season of mixed weather.
Above the line it delivers more than promised and gains on the fleet. Below, it falls short. Move the wind: plenty of boats sit on one side in the light and the other when it blows.
Full width is 0.6 kn either way.
At 10 knots this design makes back more than its rating asks on the upwind.
How fast is a Ker 50
Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.
| Angle | 6 kn | 10 kn | 14 kn | 20 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beat VMG | 4.59 | 6.14 | 6.64 | 6.92 |
| 52° | 6.97 | 8.72 | 9.20 | 9.53 |
| 60° | 7.35 | 8.95 | 9.49 | 9.88 |
| 75° | 7.62 | 9.13 | 9.87 | 10.52 |
| 90° | 7.47 | 9.09 | 10.02 | 11.16 |
| 110° | 7.39 | 9.40 | 10.29 | 11.46 |
| 120° | 7.22 | 9.41 | 10.68 | 12.25 |
| 135° | 6.56 | 9.02 | 10.49 | 13.66 |
| 150° | 5.49 | 8.08 | 9.55 | 12.12 |
| Run VMG | 4.75 | 7.00 | 8.32 | 10.50 |
How they are set up
The range each sail spans across the fleet.
Nearly all carry a folding propeller. A bowsprit is standard across the fleet. Crew weight is declared around 1150 kg.
Rigging
Ker 50 rig and sail dimensions
A Ker 50 carries 20.45 m of mainsail hoist on a 6.83 m boom, a forestay 20.05 m above the deck and a 8.30 m bowsprit. Typical figures across the 2 boats measured under the current VPP, with the range each one spans.
Rig
Sails
The spinnaker spreads widest of all — 237 to 266 m² depending on bowsprit and set-up. Before ordering a sail, read the figure on your own measurement record rather than the typical one for the design.