BoatsBluewater 56 (Frers)

Bluewater 56 (Frers)

Masthead Sloop · Fin With Rudder On Skeg · First built 2011

A former Hylas 56 design featuring a fin keel and skeg-hung rudder, built for stable, high-displacement offshore travel

Designed by German Frers, built by Xiamen Hansheng Yacht Building (Chn) For Bluewater Yachts.

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

See her sail

The Bluewater 56 (Frers), on the water

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

Footage from Be The Captain

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

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

Capsize screening 1.72
LightHeavy

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

Displacement / length 230
EasygoingPowered-up

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

Sail area / displacement 21.5
TenderStiff

40% of her weight is ballast — moderately stiff, a middle-of-the-road stability.

Ballast 40%

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

  • Heavier than ~91% of boats her size on file
  • Beamier than ~86% of boats her size on file

Compared with 1231 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

What the fleet has seen

The Bluewater 56 (Frers), as the fleet has seen it

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

The Bluewater 56 (FRERS) is a 16.5-meter masthead sloop designed by German Frers and built by Xiamen Hansheng Yacht Building (CHN) for Bluewater Yachts, with production beginning in 2011. Originally sold as the Hylas 56, Bluewater Yachts acquired the molds and renamed the model.0:49 It features a solid laminate hull reinforced with Teijin Twaron para-aramid fiber, hand-laid with vinyl ester resin without foam or balsa coring.1:53 The hull construction uses 16 to 24 alternating layers of fiberglass and aramid fiber, which Bluewater Yachts claims matches 8–10 mm aluminum in strength.1:16:51 Safety features include watertight bulkheads, an externally bolted lead keel, and a 60% skeg-supported rudder.3:26 Aboard *Be The Captain*, James Evenson commissioned hull number nine, a cutter-rigged version, and addressed factory defects including a missing windlass solenoid and incorrect electric furler wiring.12:13 The boat typically uses Selden spars and hardware, with controls led to the cockpit. Commissioning involves lifting the vessel from a shipping cradle, verifying systems, and configuring a 2,000 amp-hour, 24-volt lithium battery system. The Bluewater 56 includes a cedar-lined interior, four refrigeration units, and a walk-around master cabin bed.46:56

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

Seen 5 times across 2 channels of the fleet.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

On the water

The Bluewater 56 (Frers) on video

The record

Full specifications

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

Dimensions
Weights
Ballast / displacement
39.9%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Masthead Sloop
Ratios
SA / displacement
21.5
Displacement / length
230.2
Comfort ratio
40.5
Capsize screening
1.72
Hull speed
9.1 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
2602
Hull
Hull type
Fin with rudder on skeg
Construction
Fiberglass
Ballast type
Lead
Production
Years built
First built 2011
Designer
German Frers
Builder
Xiamen Hansheng Yacht Building (CHN) for Bluewater 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.

Hylas 5616.48 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 2011 masthead sloop with a 21.51 sail area to displacement ratio, engineered for spirited offshore performance
Crossing the Atlantic on a Hylas 56, here's what the skipper thinks about the yacht.from Halcyon Yachts - International Yacht Delivery
Oyster 53 (Humphreys)16.41 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Rob Humphreys-designed masthead sloop built for blue-water cruising with a high comfort ratio and stable hull form
Forced to TURN AROUND - Sailboat Delivery: Annapolis to BVI's [EP 188]10:18from Sailing Millennial Falcon
Tayana 5516.76 mSame hull family0.3 m longerA 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
Oyster Marine 54 (Humphreys)16.43 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 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
Oyster Yachts 49516.10 mSame hull family0.4 m shorterA modern Humphreys-designed fractional sloop featuring a high-stability hull with dual rudders for offshore control
SAILING to the Island of the Bulls0:03from Distant Shores TV
Pearson Yachts 53016.15 mSame hull family0.3 m shorterThe largest yacht ever built by Pearson, this William Shaw-designed staysail ketch balances heavy-displacement comfort
Mistakes, money saving and lessons we learned buying an old sailing boat Episode 4630:31from Sailing Catalpa

The family

Boats like this

Nearby designs by size, type, and era — worth a look alongside her.

Hylas 56A 2011 masthead sloop with a 21.51 sail area to displacement ratio, engineered for spirited offshore performanceHylas 54A German Frers-designed cutter with a high comfort ratio and bulb keel, built for stable, long-distance blue water cruisingHylas 70A German Frers-designed masthead sloop with a keel-centerboard configuration built for high-performance blue water cruisingHylas 60A German Frers-designed performance cruiser featuring a modern dual-rudder configuration for precise offshore handling

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