BoatsDiscovery Yachts 55

Discovery Yachts 55

Masthead Sloop · Fin With Rudder On Skeg · 2000–2021

A Ron Holland-designed bluewater cruiser featuring a skeg-hung rudder and flexible interior layouts for long-range comfort

Designed by Ron Holland.

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

See her sail

The Discovery Yachts 55, on the water

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

Footage from Berthon International

Is it for you?

Character

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

LivelySea-kindly

Her moderate displacement on a narrow beam gives 39 — a sea-kindly motion in a seaway.

Comfort ratio 39
CoastalBluewater

1.71 — just under the 2.0 offshore line; her beam is modest for her weight.

Capsize screening 1.71
LightHeavy

186 — moderately heavy for her waterline, a balanced cruising weight.

Displacement / length 186
EasygoingPowered-up

17.1 — moderate power for her weight; steady, all-round performance.

Sail area / displacement 17.1
TenderStiff

42% of her weight is ballast — stiff, standing up well to her sails.

Ballast 42%

A capable offshore cruiser with an easy motion when the sea gets up.

  • Heavier than ~90% of boats her size on file
  • Beamier than ~83% of boats her size on file

Compared with 1144 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

What the fleet has seen

The Discovery Yachts 55, as the fleet has seen it

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

The Discovery Yachts 55 is a 16.7-meter masthead sloop designed by Ron Holland and built by Discovery Yachts from 2000 to 2021. This fin-keeled cruiser, displacing 22,500 kg, was available with multiple interior layouts and rig configurations, including a cutter version and a MKII launched in 2014 with updated windows. The final hull built was #55. Aboard *Sapphire 2 of London*, a Discovery 67, a skipper-owner completed a circumnavigation, praising the boat's stability and performance in heavy weather, including 38-knot winds encountered between Saint Lucia and Colombia.13:36 The crew used a parasailor for downwind sailing during a 3,000-mile Pacific crossing from Panama to the Marquesas.20:53 The owner emphasized thorough system preparation, particularly for the watermaker, shortwave radio, and satellite communications, noting Starlink's improvement for weather file downloads.11:26

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

Seen 13 times across one channel of the fleet.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

On the water

The Discovery Yachts 55 on video

[OFF MARKET] Discovery 55 (ALTARAMA) with Alan McIlroy - Yacht for Sale - Berthon InternationalThe 2002 Discovery 55 Altarama features a carbon fiber Hull Spars rig and upgraded lithium battery banks.Berthon InternationalDiscovery 55 “SHEKINA” Yacht for Sale | The Perfect Platform | Tour with Tim CarburyThe 2012 Discovery 55 Shekina features a reinforced Kevlar hull and a 160-horsepower Yanmar engine.Berthon InternationalDiscovery 55 “KINGFISHER” Yacht for Sale | A Fine Example | Tour with Andrew FairbrassThe 2011 Discovery 55 Kingfisher features an 11-kilowatt Onan generator, Raymarine electronics, and a water maker.Berthon InternationalDiscovery 55 “EUPRAXIA” Yacht for Sale | In Turnkey Condition for Next Owner | Tour with Tim CarburyThe 2008 Discovery 55 Eupraxia features a 2025 engine rebuild and new standing rigging throughout.Berthon International[OFF MARKET] Discovery 55 Mk II (KNOTTY GIRL) - Yacht for Sale - Perfect for CouplesThe 2015 Discovery 55 Mk II features a B&G Zeus navigation suite and a 160-horsepower Yanmar engine.Berthon International[OFF MARKET] Discovery 55 (BLUE HARMONY), with Alan McIlroy - Yacht for Sale - Berthon InternationalThe 2011 Discovery 55 Blue Harmony features a Selden rig and electric winches for shorthanded sailing.Berthon International[OFF MARKET] Discovery 55 (HUAHINE), with Sue Grant - Yacht for Sale - Berthon InternationalThe 2007 Discovery 55 hull number 17 features a Solent rig, powered winches, and Eberspacher hydronic heating.Berthon International[OFF MARKET] Discovery 55 (C-QUEST) - Yacht for Sale - Berthon InternationalThe 2007 Discovery 55 SeaQuest features a 2022 B&G electronics suite and a recently serviced engine room.Berthon International[OFF MARKET] Discovery 55 (AMOR VINCIT), with Sue Grant - Yacht for Sale - Berthon InternationalThe 2017 Discovery 55 Amor Vincit features a Mark II hull with a custom Mark I interior layout.Berthon International[OFF MARKET] Discovery 55 (SYLVIA), with Sue Grant - Yacht for Sale - Berthon InternationalThe 2008 Discovery 55 Sylvia features a fully automated rig, lithium-ion power, and recent 2023 sail upgrades.Berthon InternationalDiscovery 57 “JUNO” Yacht for Sale | Last of the Sisterhood | Tour with Sue Grant (2)The 2014 Discovery 57 Juno features a Solent rig, 160-horsepower Yanmar engine, and custom pivoting davits.Berthon International

What broke, what changed

Gear aboard, as the crews told it

Moments from individual boats of this model that the fleet has filmed — one crew, one piece of kit, one day on the water. Not a review of the class, and not a count of anything.

Each line is one crew's account of their own boat. Another Discovery Yachts 55 may be fitted out entirely differently.

What they go for

Market signal

Where the fleet has seen this model come up for sale.

1seen for sale
1seen sold

For sale

Sold

From the fleet's own footage — our observed signal, not broker listings.

The record

Full specifications

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

Dimensions
Weights
Ballast / displacement
42.2%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Masthead Sloop
Ratios
SA / displacement
17.1
Displacement / length
185.8
Comfort ratio
38.6
Capsize screening
1.71
Hull speed
9.4 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
2757
Hull
Hull type
Fin with rudder on skeg
Construction
Fiberglass
Ballast type
Lead
Production
Years built
2000–2021
Units built
52
Designer
Ron Holland
Builder
Discovery Yachts

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.

Oyster Marine 54 (Humphreys)16.43 mSame hull family0.3 m shorterA Rob Humphreys-designed bluewater cutter featuring a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio and versatile keel options
Sep 22 2025 Hedonic Adaptation is simply the mind's Homeostasis7:45from Sven Yrvind
Hylas 5416.48 mSame hull family0.2 m shorterA German Frers-designed cutter with a high comfort ratio and bulb keel, built for stable, long-distance blue water cruising
Hylas 54 Raised Saloon (QING) with Sue Grant - Yacht for Sale - Timeless Bluewater Cruisingfrom Berthon International
Moody 5416.43 mSame hull family0.3 m shorterA cutter-rigged 16.43-metre cruiser featuring a skeg-mounted rudder and a 34% ballast ratio for offshore stability
The Sailor Alex Rosén25:51from SEILmagasinet
Tayana 5516.76 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Peter Beeldsnijder-designed cutter with a skeg-hung rudder, built for heavy-displacement offshore cruising
The $89k 55 Foot Bluewater Yacht That Got Cheap Enough to Be Dangerous3:17from Practical Sailor
Tayana 58DS16.76 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Peter Beeldsnijder-designed deck saloon cutter built on the proven Tayana 55 hull for serious offshore cruising
Sailing to dinner and touring a Tayana 58DS15:24from Flight Level Zero
Southerly 54017.02 mSame hull family0.3 m longerAn Ed Dubois-designed blue water cruiser featuring a versatile Solent rig and a hull shared with the Discovery 54
Sailing Annapolis Boat Show1:33from Distant Shores TV

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.

Discovery Yachts 58A Ron Holland-designed blue water cruiser featuring a high-comfort ratio and a stable, fractional sloop rigDiscovery Yachts 50 CatamaranA Bill Dixon-designed fractional sloop catamaran, later rebranded as the Bluewater 50, built for blue-water cruisingDiscovery Yachts 48A versatile blue-water cruiser offered in fixed and swing-keel configurations, featuring a dual-rudder fin hull.

Keep asking

The fleet has more to say

Search what's been said about the Discovery Yachts 55, or ask a specific question — the answer comes back written out, with links to the moments it draws on.

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