April 21, 2026
The Ferretti 500: Where Italian Design Meets Owner-Operator Freedom
Owner-operated Italian flybridge: the Ferretti 500 pairs a published 30-knot top end and 25-knot cruise on twin Cummins QSB 6.7s with a two-…
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Expert Review, Technical Specifications & Market Analysis
The Essentials
| Feature | Specifications |
|---|---|
| Overall Length | 50' 4" (15.33 m) |
| Beam | 14' 2" (4.33 m) |
| Draft | 4' 0" (1.23 m) |
| Displacement | 40,786 lbs (18,500 kg) |
| Engines | Twin Cummins QSB 6.7 |
| Fuel Capacity | 357 US gal (1,350 L) |
| Water Capacity | 159 US gal (600 L) |
| Cabins / Heads | 2 or 3 (Guest) + Crew |
| Max Speed | 30 knots |
| Cruise Speed | 25 knots |
Source: Spec & Photos courtesy of Ferretti. Specs verified by Tony Smith, USCG 100 Ton Master, on August 10, 2026.
Part of the Ferretti Flybridge series — see how owners step up through the lineup.
Quick Verdict
- Twin Cummins QSB 6.7 diesels give a published 30-knot top end and a 25-knot cruise on a 50'4" hull — quick enough to make a weekend crossing a morning
- A 4'0" draft is the number that matters if you run the Bahamas banks or the Intracoastal; it opens anchorages a deeper fifty-footer has to pass by
- Two- or three-cabin layouts on the identical hull, plus crew quarters: take the guest berths or take the volume, without changing boats
- 357 US gallons of fuel and 18,500 kg unladen — the numbers to bring to the sea trial when you work out your own cruising range
Our Take
Fifty feet is where a flybridge stops being a project and starts being a boat you take out on a Thursday. The 500 sits right on that line. It is 50'4" over a 14'2" beam, it draws four feet, and Ferretti publishes 30 knots flat out and 25 at cruise on twin Cummins QSB 6.7s. Those are the numbers that decide whether you leave the dock, and they are good ones — a 25-knot cruise turns most of South Florida and a good deal of the Bahamas into a same-day proposition.
The real decision on this boat is not the engines, it is the cabin count. Ferretti builds the 500 in a two- or three-cabin layout plus crew, on the same hull. Three is the obvious answer if you have kids, or guests aboard for more than a night. Two is the one I would look at harder than most buyers do: you get the volume back where you actually spend your time, and at fifty feet volume is what you run out of first. Go and stand in both before you order — this is not a decision you undo with a refit.
Now the part I would want in writing. Range and fuel burn on this boat are sea-trial questions: run her at your intended rpm with the tanks measured, get the observed burn on paper, and work your own numbers off 357 gallons — figures quoted confidently in a listing are worth exactly as much as the test sheet behind them. Do that, and the 500 is a straightforward, properly built boat for the owner stepping up from a forty-something express who wants a flybridge and intends to drive it himself. If you are planning on full-time crew, look at the 580 or the 670 instead — the 500 is built to be owned, not staffed.
Watch Our Ferretti 500 Reviews
Official Ferretti Premiere: Inside the Ferretti 500
Video courtesy of Ferretti.
Ferretti 500 Photo Gallery
Photos courtesy of Ferretti.
Ferretti 500 Articles & Guides
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Frequently Asked Questions
How fast is the Ferretti 500?
The Ferretti 500 tops out at 30 knots and cruises at 25, on twin Cummins QSB 6.7 diesels. Ferretti publishes the engine designation but no horsepower rating for this model, so treat any specific hp figure you see quoted elsewhere as unverified.
Those are strong numbers for a 50-foot flybridge carrying 357 US gallons of fuel. At 25 knots the 500 covers ground like a much larger boat, which is the point: it is sized to be run by its owner and still get somewhere.
How does the Ferretti 500 compare to the 580?
The 500 is the owner-operator boat and the 580 is the first one built around a full-beam owner's suite. That is the real difference, not the ten feet.
The 500 gives you 50'4", a 4'0" draft, 30 knots and a two- or three-cabin choice. The 580 gives you 59'10", three cabins, and up to 32 knots on the optional Volvo Penta D13 1000s — but 31,000 kg and a 4'11" draft to go with it. Buy the 500 for freedom, the 580 for the suite.
Can you run a Ferretti 500 without crew?
Yes — this is the model in the range built for exactly that. At 50'4" with a 4'0" draft and 18,500 kg unladen, the 500 is the last Ferretti most owners can genuinely handle themselves, and the reason many buyers stop here rather than moving up.
The 580 is only ten feet longer but 31,000 kg and a 4'11" draft, and most owners at that size start using help. If running the boat yourself is the point of owning it, that difference matters more than the extra cabin.
What is the Ferretti 500's draft?
Four feet even — 1.23 m. That is the shallowest draft in the entire Ferretti Yachts range, and it is the 500's quiet advantage.
It puts Bahamian banks, shallow Florida bays and small Mediterranean harbours inside your reach that a 670 at 5'6" or an 860 at 6'10" has to look at from offshore. If your cruising is thin water, this is the boat in the line built for it.
How many cabins does the Ferretti 500 have?
Ferretti offers the 500 in either a two-cabin or a three-cabin layout, with crew accommodation, and rates the boat for 12 people aboard.
The choice is a real one rather than a trim level. Two cabins buys noticeably more volume for the ones you keep; three makes the boat work for a family that actually fills it. Stand in both before you sign — at 50'4" on a 14'2" beam, the difference is obvious.