BoatsOyster Marine 55

Oyster Marine 55

Cutter · Fin With Rudder On Skeg · First built 1986

Originally launched as the Oyster 53, this cutter features a 17-metre hull designed for stable, long-distance cruising

Designed by Holman, Pyle & Kim Holman.

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

See her sail

The Oyster Marine 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 41 — a heavy, notably soft motion offshore.

Comfort ratio 41
CoastalBluewater

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

Capsize screening 1.70
LightHeavy

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

Displacement / length 243
EasygoingPowered-up

18.6 — plenty of sail for her weight; lively and quick to respond.

Sail area / displacement 18.6
TenderStiff

26% of her weight is ballast — on the tender side; she'll heel readily and want a reef sooner.

Ballast 26%

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

  • Heavier than ~89% of boats her size on file
  • Beamier than ~81% of boats her size on file

Compared with 1018 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

What the fleet has seen

The Oyster Marine 55, as the fleet has seen it

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

The Oyster Marine 55 is a cutter-rigged sailboat designed by Holman, Pyle, and Kim Holman, built by Oyster Marine Ltd. from 1986 to the present. This model, with a fin keel and rudder on skeg, measures 17.1 meters LOA, has a 4.8-meter beam, a 2.3-meter draft, and displaces 23,133 kg. Earlier versions of the model were known as the Oyster 53. A 1998 Oyster 55, named *Valent*, was equipped for short-handed bluewater cruising, featuring all control lines led to the cockpit. *Valent* had a 1999 transom extension, 2020 Coppercoat antifouling, and 2020 Flexi-Teak decking.0:42 Its rig included 2021 standing rigging, a 2022 One Sails mainsail, a 2022 Code Zero, and a 2023 Parasailor.2:45 Deck hardware included 2020 electric Lewmar winches and a 2019 anchor windlass.1:30 Electronics on *Valent* featured a 2020 Raymarine Axiom suite, a 2023 lithium-ion battery bank, and Starlink.4:18 Power came from a Nanni 115 engine and a 2025 Fisher Panda generator.10:33 The interior included a deck saloon and a galley with a 2023 keel-cooled refrigeration system.6:29

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

Seen once across one channel of the fleet.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

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 Oyster Marine 55 may be fitted out entirely differently.

The record

Full specifications

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

Dimensions
Weights
Ballast / displacement
26.2%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Cutter
Ratios
SA / displacement
18.6
Displacement / length
242.8
Comfort ratio
41.2
Capsize screening
1.70
Hull speed
9.0 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
2557
Hull
Hull type
Fin with rudder on skeg
Construction
Fiberglass
Production
Years built
First built 1986
Units built
55
Designer
Holman, Pyle, Kim Holman
Builder
Oyster Marine Ltd

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 5617.47 mSame hull family0.3 m longerA Rob Humphreys-designed bluewater cutter built for comfort and stability on long-distance passages
Oyster 56 “ENJOY LIFE OF SALCOMBE” Yacht for Sale | Needs No Introduction | Tour with Alan McIlroy0:48from Berthon International
Swan 57 RS17.49 mSame hull family0.3 m longerA German Frers-designed masthead sloop built for long-range cruising with a high comfort ratio and stable hull form
On The Wind #410 - Mark Sinclair // Retro Racing around the World9:29from 59° North Sailing
Taswell 5617.02 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Bill Dixon-designed cutter with a skeg-hung rudder and high comfort ratio, built for stable, long-range passage making
Taswell: The Secret Bluewater Yacht Built Like an Oyster0:52from Lady K Sailing
Beneteau Sense 5517.20 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 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
Southerly 54017.02 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthAn 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
Hanse Yachts 58817.20 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 17.2-meter cruiser with a 2.65-meter bulb keel, engineered for stability and speed in a high-volume modern hull
Dodging and Chasing Storms in Icy Europe |SMLS S7E012:45from Sailing Miss Lone Star

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.

Oyster Marine 53 (Holman & Pye)A Holman & Pye designed masthead sloop built for blue water, featuring a stiff fin keel and skeg-mounted rudderOyster 56A Rob Humphreys-designed bluewater cutter built for comfort and stability on long-distance passagesOyster Marine 61A Holman and Pye designed cutter built for blue water, featuring a skeg-mounted rudder and a stiff, comfortable motionOyster Marine 45A Holman & Pye designed masthead sloop built for blue water comfort with a heavy displacement and high stabilityOyster 68A Holman & Pye designed cutter built for serious blue-water passage making with a stable, skeg-mounted rudderOyster Marine 435A Holman & Pye designed cutter with a skeg-hung rudder, built for blue-water stability and comfortable long-distance cruising

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The fleet has more to say

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