BoatsBowman Yachts 57/58

Bowman Yachts 57/58

Masthead Ketch · Fin With Rudder On Skeg · First built 1975

A traditional counter-stern ketch offering deep keel or centerboard options for versatile offshore cruising

Designed by Holman, Pye & Kim Holman.

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Ballast
Hull type
Fin With Rudder On Skeg

See her sail

The Bowman Yachts 57/58, on the water

The fleet's own footage — the truest look at how she really moves.

Footage from The Paper Boat Project (Stefan Heiberg)

Is it for you?

Character

Where this design lands on the numbers a shopper trusts — read straight from her own ratios.

LivelySea-kindly

Her light displacement on a narrow beam gives 15 — a quick, lively motion that feels every wave.

Comfort ratio 15
CoastalBluewater

2.30 — right around the 2.0 line, the edge between coastal and offshore.

Capsize screening 2.30
LightHeavy

84 — light for her waterline, so she is easily driven and quick to accelerate.

Displacement / length 84
EasygoingPowered-up

29.0 — a lot of sail for her weight; powered-up and eager, a real performer.

Sail area / displacement 29.0

Light and lively — happiest day-sailing and coastal-hopping in settled weather.

  • Lighter than ~98% of boats her size on file

Compared with 951 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

What the fleet has seen

The Bowman Yachts 57/58, as the fleet has seen it

Derived from the videos the fleet has analysed of this model. ▶ marks open the moment aboard.

The Bowman Yachts 57/58, designed by Holman, Pye, and Kim Holman, is a masthead ketch built by Bowman Yachts and John King Shipyard from 1975 to the present. This traditional counter-stern sailboat has an LOA of 17.4 meters, a beam of 4.5 meters, and a draft of 2.1 meters, displacing 7563 kg. It was available in deep keel or keel/centerboard versions, with sloop or cutter rig options. The Mk II and Mk III variants feature 360-gallon water tanks. Engine options included the Mercedes OM314, Tempest Ford 6.87, and Perkins H 6.534.

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

The record

Full specifications

The complete reference set — tap any figure to switch between metric and imperial.

Dimensions
Weights
Rig & sail area
Rig
Masthead Ketch
Ratios
SA / displacement
29.0
Displacement / length
84.0
Comfort ratio
14.9
Capsize screening
2.30
Hull speed
8.9 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
2337
Hull
Hull type
Fin with rudder on skeg
Construction
Fiberglass
Ballast type
Lead
Production
Years built
First built 1975
Designer
Holman, Pye, Kim Holman
Builder
Bowman Yachts, John King Shipyard

Boats like this, on the water

More boats like her, on the water

Comparable boats the fleet has on camera: same type, within a quarter of her length. Open the boat, or watch the video — a timestamp means she only appears in passing.

Grand Soleil 52 Performance17.05 mSame hull family0.3 m shorterA 2024 Matteo Polli design featuring a versatile race-ready configuration with an extended bowsprit and large sail plan
Grand Soleil 52 Performance, an elegant and well-balanced sailboatfrom SVN solovelanet
Beneteau Sense 5517.20 mSame hull family0.2 m shorterA 17.2-metre cruiser with a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 22.21, built for spirited performance and volume
First Impressions of Trinidad and Tobago2:01from Huub Vlogs
Dufour Yachts 5617.07 mSame hull family0.3 m shorterA 17-meter masthead sloop with a 2.44m draft, designed for high-volume offshore cruising with a 9.92-knot hull speed
#82 / Expedition Svalbard – Too Close? Polar Bear Encounter in the High Arcticfrom Sailing Polaris
Beneteau Oceanis Yacht 5417.12 mSame hull family0.3 m shorterA performance-oriented cruiser sharing its hull with the First Yacht 53, featuring dual rudders and a high sail area.
Genoa Boat Show 2020 - boats, what's new4:18from SVN solovelanet
Amel 5417.20 mSame hull family0.2 m shorterA robust staysail ketch designed for serious blue-water cruising with a high comfort ratio and stable skeg-hung rudder
270 | Season finale! We sold our boat Shogun - Sailing Around the World16:20from SAWLORS - Sailing Around the World
Grand Soleil 52 LC17.05 mSame hull family0.3 m shorterA 17-metre cruiser featuring a 2.5-metre bulb keel and a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio for fast passage-making
Grand soleil 52, work in progressfrom SVN solovelanet

The family

Related models

The designs closest to hers — usually the rest of the builder's range, sometimes the same hull sold under another name.

Bowman Yachts 49 KetchA Holman & Pye designed masthead ketch built for offshore passage-making with a stable, heavy-displacement hullBowman Yachts 46 CorsairA Holman and Pye designed masthead sloop built for offshore stability with a skeg-mounted rudder and deep fin keelBowman Yachts 45A high-performance cutter with a 20.89 SA/displacement ratio, engineered for speed and offshore agilityBowman 48A 1981 cutter featuring a 31% ballast ratio and a skeg-hung rudder, designed for offshore stability and comfort

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