Southerly 540

BoatsSoutherly 540

See her sail

The Southerly 540, on the water

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

Is it for you?

Character

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

Shoal draughtDraws 1.04 m, board up where she has one — creeks, sandbars and thin anchorages most keels have to stay out of.

LivelySea-kindly

Her moderate displacement on a narrow beam gives 42 — a heavy, notably soft motion offshore.

Comfort ratio 42

CoastalBluewater

At 1.66 she sits well under the 2.0 line — a solidly ocean-capable hull for her size.

Capsize screening 1.66

LightHeavy

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

Displacement / length 208

EasygoingPowered-up

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

Sail area / displacement 16.1

TenderStiff

34% of her weight is ballast — on the tender side; she'll heel readily and want a reef sooner.

Ballast 34%

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

Heavier than ~92% of boats her size on file
Draws more than ~99% of boats her size on file
Beamier than ~82% of boats her size on file

Compared with 1071 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

What the fleet has seen

The Southerly 540, as the fleet has seen it

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

The Southerly 540 is a 17.0-meter Solent-rigged monohull designed by Ed Dubois and built by Discovery Yachts since 2017. It features a fin keel with dual rudders, a 4.8-meter beam, a 3.4-meter draft, and displaces 24,859 kg. A fixed-keel version is known as the Discovery 54. Distant Shores TV toured a Southerly 540 at the Annapolis Sailboat Show, noting its 54-foot raised-saloon design, a forward bunk cabin, an island-berth stateroom, and a raised navigation station intended for watch-keeping.1:51

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

The record

Full specifications

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

Dimensions

Weights

Ballast / displacement

34.5%

Rig & sail area

Rig

Solent

Ratios

SA / displacement

16.1

Displacement / length

208.2

Comfort ratio

42.2

Capsize screening

1.66

Hull speed

9.4 kn

Pounds / inch immersion

2756

Hull

Hull type

Fin w/dual rudders

Construction

Fiberglass

Production

Years built

First built 2017

Designer

Ed Dubois

Builder

Discover Yachts, 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.

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

What’s REALLY Happening With Our Boat Search | Important update!1:33 from Sailing Sunday

Tayana 5516.76 mSame hull family0.3 m shorterA 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 Dangerous3:17 from Practical Sailor

Tayana 58DS16.76 mSame hull family0.3 m shorterA Peter Beeldsnijder-designed deck saloon cutter built on the proven Tayana 55 hull for serious offshore cruising

Sailing to dinner and touring a Tayana 58DS15:24 from Flight Level Zero

Hanse Yachts 58817.20 mSame hull family0.2 m longerA 17.2-metre cruiser with a 2.65-metre bulb keel, engineered for stability and speed in a high-volume modern hull

Dodging and Chasing Storms in Icy Europe |SMLS S7E012:45 from Sailing Miss Lone Star

Beneteau Sense 5517.20 mSame hull family0.2 m longerA 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 Tobago2:01 from Huub Vlogs

Amel 5517.30 mSame hull family0.3 m longerA 17-metre staysail ketch built since 2010, balancing a powerful sail plan with a stable, skeg-hung hull for long-range voyaging

Trends in Modern Yacht Design- Interview with a Naval Architect- Sailing Vessel Delos1:40 from Sailing SV Delos

The family

Boats like this

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

Southerly Yachts 480A Stephen Jones-designed 14.98-metre cruiser featuring a Solent rig and a centerline skeg to protect the propeller Southerly 590A 17.74-metre flagship offering a 3.27-metre maximum draught and a high comfort ratio for extended blue water cruising Southerly Yachts 580An Ed Dubois-designed swing-keel cruiser featuring a versatile Solent rig and dual rudders for shoal-water exploration Southerly Yachts 48/480A swing-keel evolution of the Discovery 48, this fractional sloop offers deep-water performance with shoal-draft versatility

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