oyster 575 sailboat

Yachting World

• Digital Edition

Oyster 575 review: from the archive

• Toby Hodges
• June 2, 2021

A delivery passage from Palma, Mallorca, to southern Spain gave Toby Hodges the chance to assess the new Oyster 575 in her own element as a luxury bluewater cruiser and charter yacht

This is the definitive crossover size boat, deemed still manageable for a couple, yet large enough to warrant a paid crew. Credit: Richard Langdon/Ocean Images

Product Overview

• All useful spaces have lift rings.
• All sole boards have rubber insulation strips.
• Stowage maximised where possible.
• Lockers vent via the headlining.
• Excellent finish and ventilation.
• Fiddled surfaces with grooves for handholds.
• Towel rails/pegs.
• No dedicated wet hanging in this format.
• Pilot berth rather small.
• Steep companionway.

Manufacturer:

A 220nm passage on the new Oyster 575 certainly provided quality time aboard to assess whether this might be a worthy heir to Oyster ’s most successful model ever, the 56, of which 75 have been sold.

The test boat, On Liberty , was on her way to the start of the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers in Las Palmas and I hitched a ride for the passage from Mallorca to Cartagena in southern Spain.

Though winds were generally light and we spent a fair amount of time motorsailing, I had the chance to test the master cabin out on passage, stand a night watch and tuck into alfresco meals in the cockpit.

This is the definitive crossover size boat, deemed still manageable for a couple, yet large enough to warrant a paid crew.

With a professional skipper and chef aboard On Liberty producing exquisite meals, I wasn’t going to be frying my own bacon, so I took it on the chin and enjoyed a bit of charter luxury.

The Oyster 575 is better suited to charter than the 56 largely thanks to an uncluttered guest cockpit, with walkthrough access to the twin wheels aft.

Otherwise she has a similar layout, but boasts a larger aft cabin and galley where the beam is carried further aft, plus a modernised C-shaped main saloon.

Composite build materials and a metre extra waterline ensure she’s a faster boat.

Advances in design equal more volume too (though thankfully still retaining a deep V sea-going bilge) and existing 56 owners are apparently considering the Oyster 575 as an upgrade.

Like the Oyster 655 and Oyster 54 , the Oyster 575 benefits from a composite lay-up using carbon and Kevlar.

Though our test boat had the deep keel, she is offered with a shallower fixed version (2.06m) or with centreboard and dual rudders (reducing draught from 3.82m to 1.65m).

As of this year, all Oysters other than superyachts, will be built in the UK.

The Oyster 575 on passage

So quiet is the VW engine in the Oyster 575’s penthouse of an engine room that I had to check the instruments to see what was propelling us across a windless Palma Bay.

We were heading south-west towards Ibiza and tucking into the first of many fine dishes in the guest cockpit.

The lazarette is so vast it easily swallows downwind sails, plus all fenders.

The benches are long enough to lie on or seat eight, but I soon found the backrests too low and felt they cried out for extra cushioning.

The table with double coolbox is a winner and there’s useful bottle stowage in a sole box which can double for control line tails.

Carrying out watches from here, protected by the sprayhood, certainly proved comfortable.

So quiet is the VW engine in the 575’s penthouse of an engine room that I had to check the instruments to see what was propelling us across a windless Palma Bay.

The majority of the trip was spent motorsailing with just a light headwind to tickle the main.

But a string of episodes helped make it more ‘luxury charter’ than mundane delivery.

Dolphins at sunset, beautiful clear sky at night and sunrise, but above all the first class comfort.

My night watch as we rounded the lighthouses of Formentera was a practical demonstration of how things are done on a yacht of this type.

A comfortable yacht for a night watch.

I watched a blood orange moon rise through image-stabilised binoculars, played with a ‘Stargazer’ app on skipper Tim Beebe’s iPad to identify the constellations.

And as night chilled further, settled under the sheltering canopy to interrogate one of three multifunction plotters to pick out distant AIS targets. Night watches aren’t what they were!

When the forecast breeze finally showed up, we had reached the stunning backdrop of Cartagena’s imposing cliffs.

In a Force 3 the Oyster 575 displayed the slippery pace shown by the 54 – adding another feather to the cap of Rob Humphreys, her designer.

We could muster seven knots close-hauled at around 50° with the 135 per cent genoa, small gusts instantly affecting her speed.

Unfurling the staysail engaged an extra gear, and each additional knot of wind speed added another few decimals to the log.

I didn’t find her helm communicative, with her long steering linkage and dual autopilot rams, but the rewards are relaxing, easy sailing that makes helming a point-and-go task.

Although the autopilot is likely to have that pleasure on long passages, it would have been rewarding to have had more feedback through the helm.

Thanks to the twin wheels, the helmsman has unhindered views forward from both sides and I love what happens when you go through waves – nothing – she’s as well mannered as a royal butler.

Slight weatherhelm crept in reassuringly with winds in the teens, but cracking off to her trademark point of sail, a reach, proved how easily she sits at nine knots.

Oyster have a winning recipe for internal layouts, thanks to the centre cockpit which creates sumptuous aft cabins, large passageway or U-shaped galleys and spacious saloons set low down to maintain privacy, but enjoying plenty of daylight from the coachroof windows.

The Oyster 575 was no surprise in this respect, utilising the well-tried format to appeal to couples, families or charter guests.

Deciding whether to have the crew cabin abaft the navstation, or make this area a workroom and put the crew in the Pullman forward, is a nice option to have.

“Those who go for the workshop tend to have a lift-up bunk in here too,” explained project manager Debbie Johnson, who joined us for the passage.

There is also the option of having a Pullman with a walkthrough heads (as per the 56), but this set-up with bunk or workshop cabin is the best use of the space.

Timber and upholstery choices can be customised.

White oak is standard, but On Liberty had American cherry joiner work, which produces a warm and inviting effect, and having seen examples of the other options (including teak, maple and walnut), this would get my nod.

Stowage space (lacking on the 54) has been addressed and maximised wherever possible, and especially in smaller cabins like the Pullman, heads and galley.

Oh, and did I mention how comfortable the aft cabin is?

The abundant stowage is well organised.

Enlarging the port here could help, but otherwise the galley is hard to fault – a superb place to store, prepare and cook food.

The passageway is wide enough for two people to pass for access to the aft cabin, yet narrow enough to provide bracing.

The Avonite (Corian-like) worksurface, is fashioned by the yard with high-fiddled edges to prevent lying water. The abundant stowage is well organised.

A Force 10 stove, easy to clean Frigoboat freezer and fridge are standard, while the domestic-sized wash/dryer and chest dishwasher are essential for charter.

It’s questionable how often the double sofa to starboard will be used.

An outboard view is just about possible when standing, but a low sole means there are only two shallow steps down going forward or aft.

The saloon table top slides to access hinged leaves that open to seat seven with the addition of director’s chairs, and there’s useful stowage beneath the portside seating.

It’s questionable how often the double sofa to starboard will be used; the lifting flatscreen TV is contained behind here and thus not viewable from this side of the saloon

Master cabin

You’d be hard pushed to beat this cabin for headroom, space, light and comfort.

Standard layout has a desk to starboard, but this area can be additional stowage, or as we had on On Liberty , seating, which proved useful for reading, changing or working.

Again, larger hull ports might give it the edge.

Master cabin.

It was tough in here at sea though. . .

You might mock, but we had enough heel to have to figure out the best angle to sleep at, or whether to use the leecloth.

The main problem with aft cabins, however, is noise from the dock, engine and deck, which will wake you no matter how you sleep in that palatial berth

The navstation has plentiful instrument/screen space, plus a large shelf for pilot books

A chart table that’s comfortable and spacious, with plentiful instrument/screen space, plus a large shelf for pilot books, good stowage and a no-nonsense distribution panel on the bulkhead behind.

All electric panels hinge to allow easy access to wiring

Machinery: the mark of quality

The machinery space and attention to installation detail on the Oyster 575 is a trump card.

Oyster’s walk-in engine room, providing unhindered access to the VW 150 TDI, is double-insulated, using a laminated layer of foam with high-density rubber, while the generator is sited under the companionway steps.

The main fuel tank has three easily viewable inspection hatches and a second fuel tank under the forward sole increases capacity to 1,400lt.

All water pumps are in the saloon sole (to keep noise away from the accommodation), as is the 480ah gel domestic battery bank and starter batteries.

Raw water manifold systems for engine and genset can be linked, so if one blocks, you can carry on changing the other without stopping the engine.

All watermaker servicing elements are contained neatly next to the navstation for ease of servicing, while in the pilot berth cabin further aft is a cupboard for membranes and fuel filters, which is so tidy it could be mistaken for artwork.

Oyster have just launched a 655 and a 54, and the first 625 is building at SYS, so you have to admire their confidence that there’s demand for another model in between.

When you consider that each extra foot over 54 corresponds to an additional £100,000, you’ve got to really want that extra bunk and stowage space.

Proof that Oyster customers do is that 14 Oyster 575s have been sold within a year of launch.

Oyster yachts are finished to a premium standard.

Internal stowage particularly has been well thought out.

Were it possible, I’d like to see a lower cockpit sole, with higher backrests and larger hull windows like those on the 625.

The coachroof is sleek and the cockpit is excellent – bar a poor genoa sheet lead – but the helm positions are still quite exposed, which will always knock Oysters’ chances in a beauty pageant.

The Oyster 575 proved easy to handle, manageable for a couple, with powered systems all to hand.

She’s another slippery yacht from Humphreys, coupled with an easy motion that will be greatly appreciated at sea.

First published in the February 2011 issue of YW.

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• Sailboat Guide

Oyster 575 is a 58 ′ 7 ″ / 17.9 m monohull sailboat designed by Rob Humphreys and built by Landamores Yacht Builders and Oyster Marine starting in 2010.

Rig and Sails

Auxilary power, accomodations, calculations.

The theoretical maximum speed that a displacement hull can move efficiently through the water is determined by it's waterline length and displacement. It may be unable to reach this speed if the boat is underpowered or heavily loaded, though it may exceed this speed given enough power. Read more.

Classic hull speed formula:

Hull Speed = 1.34 x √LWL

Max Speed/Length ratio = 8.26 ÷ Displacement/Length ratio .311 Hull Speed = Max Speed/Length ratio x √LWL

Sail Area / Displacement Ratio

A measure of the power of the sails relative to the weight of the boat. The higher the number, the higher the performance, but the harder the boat will be to handle. This ratio is a "non-dimensional" value that facilitates comparisons between boats of different types and sizes. Read more.

SA/D = SA ÷ (D ÷ 64) 2/3

• SA : Sail area in square feet, derived by adding the mainsail area to 100% of the foretriangle area (the lateral area above the deck between the mast and the forestay).
• D : Displacement in pounds.

Ballast / Displacement Ratio

A measure of the stability of a boat's hull that suggests how well a monohull will stand up to its sails. The ballast displacement ratio indicates how much of the weight of a boat is placed for maximum stability against capsizing and is an indicator of stiffness and resistance to capsize.

Ballast / Displacement * 100

Displacement / Length Ratio

A measure of the weight of the boat relative to it's length at the waterline. The higher a boat’s D/L ratio, the more easily it will carry a load and the more comfortable its motion will be. The lower a boat's ratio is, the less power it takes to drive the boat to its nominal hull speed or beyond. Read more.

D/L = (D ÷ 2240) ÷ (0.01 x LWL)³

• D: Displacement of the boat in pounds.
• LWL: Waterline length in feet

Comfort Ratio

This ratio assess how quickly and abruptly a boat’s hull reacts to waves in a significant seaway, these being the elements of a boat’s motion most likely to cause seasickness. Read more.

Comfort ratio = D ÷ (.65 x (.7 LWL + .3 LOA) x Beam 1.33 )

• D: Displacement of the boat in pounds
• LOA: Length overall in feet
• Beam: Width of boat at the widest point in feet

Capsize Screening Formula

This formula attempts to indicate whether a given boat might be too wide and light to readily right itself after being overturned in extreme conditions. Read more.

CSV = Beam ÷ ³√(D / 64)

Draft (shoal) 2.06m/6.75’ Draft - Centreboard - Board Up (SuperShoal) 1.65m/5.42’ Draft - Centreboard - Board Down (SuperShoal) 3.82m/12.5’

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The Oyster 575 Sailboat Specs & Key Performance Indicators

The Oyster 575, a centre-cockpit cutter, was designed by Rob Humphreys and built in the UK by Oyster Marine Ltd.

Published Specification for the Oyster 575

Underwater Profile:  Fin keel and spade rudder

Hull Material:  GRP (Fibreglass)

Length Overall:  58'8" (17.9m)

Waterline Length:  51'6" (15.7m)

Beam:  16'5" (5.0m)

Draft:  8'10" (2.7m)

Rig Type:  Cutter

Displacement:  58,422lb (26,500kg)

Designer:  Rob Humphreys

Builder:  Oyster Marine (UK)

Year First Built:  2010

Published Design Ratios for the Oyster 575

1. Sail Area/Displacement Ratio:  22.4

2. Ballast/Displacement Ratio:  30.6

3. Displacement/Length Ratio:  191

4. Comfort Ratio:  40.5

5. Capsize Screening Formula:   1.7

Read more about these Key Performance Indicators...

Summary Analysis of the Design Ratios for the  Oyster 575

1. A Sail Area/Displacement Ratio of 22.4 suggests that, in the right hands, the Oyster 575 will have enough performance to leave most other sailboats of similar waterline length well astern. 

2. A Ballast/Displacement Ratio of  30.6 would usually mean that the Oyster 575 would have a tendency to heel uncomfortably in a gust, and need to be reefed early to keep her sailing upright in a moderate breeze.

However, as she has much of her ballast concentrated in a bulb at the foot of her keel, she's likely to be considerably stiffer than her published Ballast/Displacement Ratio might suggest.

3. A Displacement/Length Ratio of 191, tells us the Oyster 575 is a light-to-moderate displacement sailboat. If she's loaded with too much heavy cruising gear her performance will suffer to a degree.

4. Ted Brewer's Comfort Ratio of 40.5 suggests that crew comfort of an Oyster 575 in a seaway is similar to what you would associate with the motion of a heavy bluewater cruising boat. Pitching and rolling will be well damped - your cup of coffee on the salon table stands a reasonable chance of staying there in most conditions.

5. The Capsize Screening Formula (CSF) of 1.7 tells us that an Oyster 575  would be a safer choice of sailboat for an ocean passage than one with a CSF of more than 2.0. 

Cruisers' Questions about this Sailboat...

How many versions of the Oyster 575 sailboat were produced and how do they differ?

There are three versions of the Oyster 575 sailboat: the Standard version, the Keel and centerboard version, and the Shoal draft version. They differ mainly in their keel design and draft.

• The Standard version has a L-shaped keel (with bulb) and a draft of 8’ 11” (2.7m);
• The Keel and Centerboard version has a centerboard inside of a short fin-keel and a draft that can vary from 12’ 6” (3.82m) to 5’ 5” (1.65m). This version also has dual rudders;
• The Shoal Draft version has a shoal keel (with bulb) and a draft of 6’ 9” (2.06m).

All versions have the same hull length, beam, mast height, rigging type, and upwind sail area. They also share the same elegant interior design and spacious layout.

How much does a secondhand Oyster 575 cost?

The Oyster 575 is a luxury sailboat that was built by Oyster Yachts in the UK between 2011 and 2018. It is a popular bluewater cruising yacht that offers a high level of comfort, safety, and quality. The price of an Oyster 575 varies depending on the year, condition, and location of the boat, but according to some online sources, it can range from around £750,000 to £1,750,000.

What are the main features and specifications of the Oyster 575 sailboat?

The Oyster 575 has a composite hull and deck made of GRP, carbon and Kevlar, and a fin keel with a spade rudder. She has a masthead sloop rig with an upwind sail area of 2,097 ft² (194.8 m²). She can accommodate up to eight guests in four cabins, including a spacious aft owner's cabin with an ensuite head. She has a large centre cockpit with twin wheels, a walkthrough access to the aft deck, and a raised saloon with panoramic windows.

How does the Oyster 575 perform under sail?

The Oyster 575 is a fast and comfortable passage-maker that can handle various sea conditions. She has a long waterline length of 51’7” (15.72m), a light displacement of 60,076 lb (27,250 kg), and a ballast ratio of 30%. She has a powerful sail plan with a fully battened mainsail, a self-tacking jib, and an optional staysail and gennaker. She has electric winches, hydraulic furlers, and push-button controls for easy handling. She can reach speeds of over 10 knots in moderate winds and has a good pointing ability.

What are some of the advantages and disadvantages of the Oyster 575 compared to other similar boats?

The Oyster 575 is a luxurious, modern, and well-equipped bluewater cruiser that offers a high level of comfort, safety, and quality. She has a spacious and elegant interior with fine joinery, leather upholstery, and custom fittings. She has ample stowage space, ventilation, and natural light throughout. She has a reliable and quiet engine, a generator, an inverter, and a watermaker for self-sufficiency. She also has a high resale value and a strong reputation among Oyster owners.

Some of the disadvantages of the Oyster 575 are her high price tag, her limited cockpit space due to the twin wheels, her steep companionway stairs, and her lack of dedicated wet hanging locker.

The above answers were drafted by sailboat-cruising.com using GPT-4 (OpenAI’s large-scale language-generation model) as a research assistant to develop source material; to the best of our knowledge,  we believe them to be accurate.

Other sailboats in the Oyster range include:

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The Oyster 575 is a 58.67ft masthead sloop designed by Rob Humphreys and built in fiberglass by Oyster Marine since 2010.

The Oyster 575 is a light sailboat which is a very high performer. It is reasonably stable / stiff and has an excellent righting capability if capsized. It is best suited as a heavy bluewater cruising boat. The fuel capacity is excellent. There is an excellent water supply range.

Oyster 575 for sale elsewhere on the web:

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Oyster 575 Keel and centerboard

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• Last update: 25th March 2020

Oyster 575's main features

Oyster 575's main dimensions, oyster 575's rig and sails, oyster 575's performances, oyster 575's auxiliary engine, oyster 575's accommodations and layout.

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