Design and Construction
Where the 55 diverges from her 54 predecessor is chiefly above the waterline. The deck is entirely new: cleaner and less cluttered with flush hatches and no garage for the entrance sliding hatch, while the cockpit itself grows about a foot longer for easier movement at the helm. The sheerline drops lower aft and the transom follows, reading as more elegant than the earlier boat, and the superstructure forward is lowered and refined. Hallberg-Rassy’s signature wrap-around windshield remains, its side panels slightly curved in the manner of the newer 412, and the cabin top shifts forward with fewer but larger windows in the top plus four added hull portlights for ambient light. Below, the saloon gains larger tempered glass portlights and seven flush skylights, three of them alone in the saloon, while white-painted wooden alcove panels lift the sense of space. The rudder, skeg, and aft stiffener were reworked to accept a stern thruster.
Rig and Handling
The 55 keeps a high three-spreader masthead rig, the spreaders swept only about three degrees with fore-and-aft lowers and chainplates set mid-side-deck. The headstay is dropped slightly to clear an asymmetric chute, and a 125-percent working genoa or a 140-percent option can be carried, with a standard wardrobe spanning jib, genoa, and code zero. An optional jumpstay adds stability behind a permanent hydraulic cutterstay that the builder cites as giving freedom and comfort for ocean crossings. Under power, the Volvo Penta D4-180 with a Gori overdrive folding prop turns 8 knots at 1,400 rpm, and the spade rudder paired with available bow and stern thrusters—plus an optional joystick docking system—makes close-quarters work undemanding for a small crew.
Accommodations
Three interior layouts were offered, each with three staterooms but differing berth arrangements, all carried through on a single-level floor for ease of movement. The standard aft owner’s cabin is vast with an en-suite head identical to that of the 64, while an option splits the space into two aft cabins; forward, alternatives run from a pullman double with port heads to a twin or skipper’s cabin. A center-cockpit fridge, a starboard saloon table, and a port-side pair of armchairs for watching television speak to the boat’s couple-plus-guests brief. The whole is laid out for a small crew’s comfort, bright and inviting, with a chart table bulkhead doubling as almanac storage.
Engineering and Systems
Under the center cockpit sits a walk-in engine room behind a large door, carefully sound-insulated and lined with perforated aluminium. The low-RPM D4-180 and a low-RPM generator with soundshield sit alongside an AquaDrive flexible shaft coupling, double heaters, a freshwater pressure equalizer, and a watermaker high-pressure pump. A Mastervolt inverter seamlessly shifts between shore power and battery, and 24-volt engine-room lighting can be supplemented by an optional 230-volt fixture. A big gas-strutted teak washboard eases the companionway, and the helm’s ship-bridge console centralizes furlers, thrusters, nav lights, and push-button tacking winches.
Recognition
The model earned Sweden’s Sailboat of the Year 2014 in the luxury category and a European Yacht of the Year nomination for 2013/2014 in the luxury cruiser class, underscoring her reception among contemporary reviewers.
The Verdict
The Hallberg-Rassy 55 refines a proven center-cockpit formula with a lighter, brighter deck and a genuinely ocean-capable rig and systems suite, yet her nine-unit run makes her a rare find.
Pros
- Based on the 54 with HR 64-inspired detailing and an all-new cleaner deck
- Triple-spreader rig with optional cutterstay for ocean comfort
- Walk-in, well-insulated engine room with redundant comfort systems
- Single-level, light-filled three-stateroom interior
Cons
- Only nine built, limiting brokerage availability
- Optional automated tacking and joystick docking add complexity to inspect
