Design and Construction
Cossutti gave the C57 a broad, 17ft 3in beam, a plumb bow, and a barely visible soft chine. The hull has twin rudders, while the low cabin top takes advantage of the deep canoe body. Wraparound dark glass reduces the visual impression of height, and the keel was flattened to reduce wetted surface.
For the first time in the builder’s practice, the C57 uses vacuum-infused construction, a method Bavaria calls VacuTec. Combined with the larger hull, this brought displacement nearly 10 percent below that of the earlier Cruiser 56 while keeping the hull light but stiff.
Five leading-edge keelbolts sit on a massive load-spreading base-plate washer. The standard 6ft 5in fin keel carries 11,705 lb of iron ballast against a displacement of 37,765 lb, for a ballast-to-displacement ratio of 31 percent.
Rig, Sailhandling, and Performance
The sailing plan is designed around ease of handling with a small crew. All sheets and halyards lead to winches within reach of the helmsman, and the self-tacking jib makes sailing to windward straightforward. Sitting outboard also gives the helmsman excellent sightlines.
The test boat carried the self-tacking jib and an in-mast furling mainsail. A 106 percent overlapping genoa and a traditional-hoist mainsail are also available. The rig is a tall, 79ft 6in keel-stepped Seldén mast with double aft-swept spreaders and a Dyneema split backstay.
The generous fractional sail plan totals more than 1,646 sq ft, a 15 percent increase over the Cruiser 56. It drives a hull with a 10 percent higher sail-area-to-displacement ratio. Test sailors found the C57 agile, with tight, easy turns. In 18 knots apparent, she glided at 8.3 knots at 65 degrees, held 8 knots at 45 degrees, and slowed to 5.7 knots at 120 degrees.
Accommodations
The C57 is offered with three to five cabins, plus an optional crew berth forward. In the owner’s version, the master stateroom is forward, with a centerline berth and split head. Charter layouts can instead place a pair of staterooms in the bow or add an over-and-under berth to starboard, though that option removes the day head and navigation area.
Aft, the boat can have two cabins, along with a full head and separate shower to port and a day head to starboard. The saloon is among the largest in its class, with a U-shaped settee to port facing a double lounge. A hydraulically lowering table creates another double berth.
One step down, the galley spans the full beam at the mast. It has a three-burner stove to port, twin fridge drawers and an optional microwave to starboard, as well as a wine fridge and rack.
The modular furniture is built outside the hull and lowered into place, so it is non-structural. Solid-wood edges add durability, while the reading lights incorporate USB ports. Buyers can choose dark walnut, mahogany, or light-oak finishes.
Deck and Cockpit
The social cockpit has facing U-shaped settees arranged around two hi/lo tables. The transom seat conceals an outdoor galley with a refrigerator, grill, and sink; a pop-up gas barbecue and sink also sit beneath the transom seating.
Lowering the transom creates a huge swim platform and teak beach. It also reveals a dinghy garage sized for a fully inflated Williams MiniJet tender.
At the bow, an open pulpit and added stainless-steel bow roller lead aft to a vertical Lewmar windlass. Six oversized pop-up cleats simplify mooring, while molded-in bulwarks along the side decks provide better footing when the boat is heeled. Four flush deck hatches amidships serve three sun-pad areas.
Engine and Systems
The standard engine is an 80hp Volvo Penta diesel with saildrive, upgradeable to a 110hp Yanmar. With a fixed wheel, the standard setup reached 8.3 knots at 3,300 rpm. Some vibration at that speed may have been caused by propeller pitch rather than the hull. Normal cruising speed is around 7.5 knots at 2,600 rpm.
An optional Fischer Panda generator feeds multiple AGM banks. Bow and stern thrusters—optionally supplied by Sidepower—make precise docking a matter of only a few moves. B&G displays sit on both sides of the cockpit, with optional Carbonautica wheels on superyacht-style binnacles.
The Verdict
The C57 is a thoroughly modern cruising flagship. It trades the old Cruiser philosophy for a lighter, stiffer, volume-rich hull, with sailhandling genuinely suited to a small crew. It isn’t an out-and-out racer, but its performance figures and cockpit ergonomics point to a yacht designed for effortless passage-making and expansive living aboard.
Pros
- Vacuum-infused hull reduces weight by around 10 percent compared with its predecessor while remaining stiff
- Self-tacking jib and controls led to the helm simplify short-handed sailing
- Choice of three to five cabins, with class-leading saloon volume
- Dinghy garage sized for a Williams tender and a full-beam transom beach
Cons
- Standard 31 percent ballast ratio is modest for such a beamy hull
- Vibration at full rpm may reflect the propeller match rather than the hull
- Deep 8ft 2in draft limits access to some anchorages compared with the 6ft 5in shoal option
