In Brief
The Hudson Force 50 is a full keeled pilothouse cutter ketch, from the drawing board of William Garden, a US and Canadian trained naval architect. Introduced in 1973, they were built in Taiwan at the rate of twelve to fifteen per year until 1984 when the boatyard burned down.
They are nearly identical to the Formosa 51, the molds for the Force 50 come from the same plug that formed the Formosa 51. It is said William Garden did kind of a “private label” deal with Formosa, and some believe the Force 50 is has more of a seaworthy classic flavor with subtle improvements. The Force 50 is known to have less room below decks primarily due to her lower freeboard.
This is a go anywhere sailboat with a touch of the traditional complete with a long bowsprit and on some boats, wooden spars. Teak abounds above and below decks.
As testament to the boats seaworthiness, owner Tom Allen recalls a single handed passage between Los Angeles to Monterey, “I lost my main sail rounding Point Lobos in 55 to 60 knots of winds. I was popping out of 25 foot seas with half the boat coming out of the swell and then slamming onto the bottom of the wave. It sounded like someone taking a sledgehammer and hitting the front half of the boat. When I arrived in Monterey I kissed the ground realizing that this is a very sturdy 30 year old boat that I would definitely trust my life in.”
Interior and Layout
Three staterooms, master is aft with head, two double guest cabins forward with shared head and step in shower. Pilothouse with inside helm station, and lower saloon with desk. L-shaped settee to starboard going forward to starboard is a double guest cabin and to port is the head and shower. Forward is an upper and lower to starboard, workbench and cupboards to port.
Specifications
LOA: 65′
LOD: 51′
LWL: 39′ 0″
Beam: 14′ 2″
Draft: 6’ 2″
Displacement: 52,000 lbs.
Engine: 85hp Ford Lehman
Fuel Tankage: 180 US Gal.
Water Tankage: 75 US Gal.
Designer: William Garden
Builder: Hudson Custom Boats / Ta Chiao
Year Introduced: 1973
Year Ended: 1983
Buyers Notes
The condition of these boats vary widely, some have been well cared for while others have been neglected to “desperately needing a refit” status. Prices for these boats can seem cheap but be aware fixes on boats of this size can be considerable, three to five times more than an equivalent 30 foot boat is a good rule of thumb.
Have your surveyor check the boat thoroughly in the usual places, the hull on haulout, the numerous through-hull fittings, bulkheads, chainplates and rigging, engine, drivetrain, electrical systems, and particularly the metal fuel tanks. Water intrusion in the deck and pilothouse area is sometimes a problem. Also check over the base of the mast and booms on boats with wooden spars.
Similar Boats
Links, References and Further Reading
» Owner’s online forum can be found at www.force50.org
Credits
Thanks goes to Tom Allen for co-writing, providing research and owner feedback to this article.
Gallery
![Force 50 [image courtesy of Tom Allen]](http://cdn.bluewaterboats.org/gallery/hudson-force-50/force50-tomallan-1.JPG "Force 50 [image courtesy of Tom Allen]")
![Force 50 [image courtesy of Tom Allen]](http://cdn.bluewaterboats.org/gallery/hudson-force-50/force50-tomallan-2.JPG "Force 50 [image courtesy of Tom Allen]")
![Force 50 [image courtesy of Tom Allen]](http://cdn.bluewaterboats.org/gallery/hudson-force-50/force50-tomallan-3.JPG "Force 50 [image courtesy of Tom Allen]")
![Force 50 on deck [image courtesy of Tom Allen]](http://cdn.bluewaterboats.org/gallery/hudson-force-50/force50-tomallan-4.JPG "Force 50 on deck [image courtesy of Tom Allen]")
![Hudson Force 50, Kukaro, in St. Petersburg [image courtesy of Rick Benko]](http://cdn.bluewaterboats.org/gallery/hudson-force-50/force50-kukaro-stpetersburg.jpg "Hudson Force 50, Kukaro, in St. Petersburg [image courtesy of Rick Benko]")
Good to see this web site! I owned “Locura” a Hudson Force 50, from 1981 thru 1986. She had less than 100 hours on her when I purchased from University of Calif. Irivine for 90K. We lived aboard over 4 years and traveled 41,000 miles on a voyage from Calif. to the East Coast of US, Across the Atlantic to most of the Med, up to the Balitic, Canaries, Caribbean and back to Calif. During the Atlantic Crossing we had 6 days of heavy winds, at times well over 65 knots (the limit of the aeronometer) and breaking seas documented at 40 plus feet. We too one roll which put the spreaders in the water. There was some damage to the bow sprit grating (and I had to secure the outboard ends of the lower spreaders, which had risen, with down hauls, until I could re-wire them in place. The boat handled well with the engine ticking over at 1200 RPM, and the staysail only up on auto pilot the entire way. We had one storm where we had to run back–going inbound thru the Straits of Gibralter against a Lavente with very steep seas. Alan Bond’s Southern Cross (105 footer) had extensive damage and turned back to Cadiz at the same time. Our trip from the Canary Isles to Barbados was about 2800 Nautical miles and we averaged 180 miles a day, or 7.5 knots–not bad 100% under sail. We did leave the Spinaker in the middle of the Atlantic–a squall blew it out at night. We also carried a 150% genoa. We never got the boat over 9.8 knots speed thru the water (sorry current doesn’t count)- and it was digging a big hole then! We never had a 200 mile day, but many in the high 190′s.
The weakness of the boats was the teak decks and leaking. If I had kept the boat , I would have removed the teak decks, and gone with just glass. There is “mystery” wood core in the decks. Also the booms and masts are prone to glue failure and potentially rot. Some boats have had these replaced with Aluminum spars. There was a later model which had a larger aft cabin, with the cockpit on top.
We know the boat got to Nassau with the owner I sold it to in the late 1990′s. I saw her for sale about 2005 in New Orleans–and looked to be in sad shape then. We also saw two of the Force 50′s which had been confiscated by DEA because they were hauling drugs–and we were profiled a number of times by US Coast Guard.
Overall one of the best cruising boats her size, and very sea worthy. We had considerably larger tankage than listed above. As I recollect 250 of fuel and 250 of water, plus we carried a fuel bladder tank under the main saloon of 200 gallons. Our next long distance cruising boat was a Cal 46, because we did not need the size or accommodation of the Force 50.
I would love to be able to be pen pals with you mr Austin.
I am the current proud owner of your old boat. Your stories would mean a great deal to me and probably more.
I’m about to relaunch the boat after a couple of years of refinishing her!
Hope to here more from you and if you want to keep up I can send you a photo or two.
Maxwell
I have been rebuilding a Force 50 for 10 years after salvaging from 70 ft. Of water. Last but not least is the bow sprit- would you know the lenght? I am also interested in the main and mizzen heights please. Thanks Forrest
My wife and I just rescued a Hudson Force 50 that was for sale for over a year and showed so poorly that no offers were made and was eventually offered to 501c-3 charities to fix up and sell and they refused her. So we took her on to get her out of her slip in 30 days and she is our new 4th “child”. So I can get you her dimensions or any info you want from our boat.
Hi Mike, thanks for your reply.
I need the over all measurement for the bowsprit, the measurement between tacks for staysail and jib on the bowsprit.
thanks , Forrest.
Hello All, SO VERY MANY people, all over the forums and internet, are enquiring about the differences between the Hudson Force/Formosa/CT54/Mikelson group of yachts. If someone knowledgable did a proper comparison/review, it would be one of the sailing community’s most popular articles! Needless to say, I’m another one interested in acquiring one of these yachts, having spent weeks surfing the web for information about the differences!
Can you please give me more information on the actual position and price ?
Thank you, Guido Blasi
I own a force 50 and I am re doing most of the systems. I would like some info from other owner operators as to what their exhaust set up is. The engine I have is a Ford Lehman 2722E. Also any information about the keel construction,bolts and any known problems would be appreciated.
I am a Belgian living most of the time in France, and also own a force50 currently being rebuilt in Deale MD. USA . Can anybody tell me what happened to the force 50 website ?
I sail a Hudson Force 50 and agree with the comments above. Ours is a 1980 center cockpit version without the pilot house. We sailed her up to the Chesapeake (where we keep her) from St. Petersburg, FL following the Gulf Stream. We logged a day with average speed over 10 knots over the ground (13.8 knots max!). All four sails were up on a starboard beam reach. She was barely heeled over 15 degrees … smooth and dry.
Regards,
Capt. Rick
I also like , the Hudson 44 Sea Wolf Ketch. Hudson Seawolfs are popular for their sea worthiness and sailing capabilities.
It is one of todays’s most successful and exciting ketches.This is a really comfortable center cockpit cruiser. The basic layout of the
yacht allows for four separate enclosable partitions. Any crew member can obtain
privacy by just closing a door in a designated cabin. The captains quarters
contain a huge king size bunk and its own head and shower. The guest quarters
also contain a double berth, a head with its own shower as well. The largest of
the cabins in the main saloon containing a U-shaped sitting area that converts
into a double bunk. The last of the cabins is the crew quarters that contain two
comfortable single upper & lower bunks in the forepeak. The entire interior
is teak. All of the doors, lockers, tables, throughout are teak. All the
necessary equipment to cook your favorite gourmet meal while anchored in your
favorite spot and includes everything necessary to make your trip in safety and
comfort.
What an amazing boat!!! hope to own one not so far…
The Hudson Force 50 in the photos was built in 1979. My wife and I purchased her in 1992 and lived aboard for 15 years. We sold her in 2007.
She was named “Christy Lee” when we purchased her and then we changed the name to “HoneyDo II”. In 2010 she was renamed to “Juliana”.
Part of her beauty that you can’t see from the photos is the complete Teak interior. It was really beautiful. I hope the latest owner is enjoying her as much as we did.
This vessel was not built by Cheoy Lee. It comes from Hudson Enterprises, Inc. in Taipei, Taiwan. Cheoy Lee is a family owned and operated shipyard in China.
Hi, thanks for your input and you are correct. Apologies for the inaccuracy. Have amended the article accordingly. Cheers Rosemary
You should mention the brand names Mikelson and Venice. I think these refer to same design that you call the Formosa 51. Last year in our little marina, there just so happened to a Force 50 and a Mikelson 51 slipped next to each other. Side by side the differences were striking and to my eye much to the favor of the Mikelson 51. The Mikelson was sloop rigged compared to the Force 50′s ketch rig. She also had a bald clipper bow compared to the Force 50′s bowsprit. But the real attraction was the more pronounced sheerline and excessively raked mast which gave the Mikelson a romantic style that more plain Force 50 didn’t quite stir. Watch out for the leaky teaky decks!
Not all Mikelson’s are sloops. We visited one in Annapolis which was ketch rigged with the bowsprit and Sitka Spruce spars. “Skol” was for sale at the time for $300K. She had everything including a dive compressor … beautiful boat!