Description:

The Irwin 52 was a trend-setting boat. It was a deck-saloon cruiser before there were deck-saloon cruisers. What's more, the Irwin 52, with more than 250 hulls launched, may be the most popular big boat, 50-foot-plus, ever built. These beamy ketch-rigged cruisers offered no apologies for their motoryacht-like interior accommodations, spacious cockpit, wide side decks and raised bulwarks. It boasts of good performance under power as well as sail.
The 52 sports a generous rig with more than 1,350 square feet of working sailing area. The underbody is refined with a cutaway long keel and a partially balanced rudder. The 52 moves under sail. Indeed, with its long 44-foot waterline it reaches along at 8 knots steadily.
The Irwin 52 cockpit transformed center-cockpit design. Unlike most center cockpits of the time, it was large, comfortable and not just squeezed into the space above the engine room or distorted to allow for headroom in the pass-through to the aft cabin. You can sleep comfortably on either side and visibility is terrific.
The wide side decks and substantial bulwarks are great features of the Irwin 52. The stanchions are tall. Handrails on the trunkhouse are the perfect height to be useful. The aft deck features huge lazerettes.