Design and Construction
The 57’s hull and deck are hand-laid, with Divinycell foam coring for sound and heat insulation and solid glass where hardware is mounted anchor. The deck itself is clean and uncluttered, flush forward of the mast, with all hatches flush mounted and a low-profile cabin top that ensures excellent visibility of both sails and surroundings. An integral bowsprit is laminated as part of the hull and deck rather than bolted on afterward, and the hull carries an integral rubrail. A design trick using differing curvatures of the outer coach roof and inner ceiling removes any need for a garage for the sliding hatch. The all-lead keel carries a heavy bulb with low centre of gravity and weighs 9.9 tons; it is bolted onto a deep bilge for strength and comfort, and a standard 8-foot keel is offered alongside a 38-centimetre shallower version. The displacement of the empty standard yacht is 28 tonnes, with a 9.9-tonne keel and beam carried aft to allow more living space below.
Rig and Handling
The 57 is the first center-cockpit Hallberg-Rassy built with twin wheels, using the rudder arrangement of the successful 44 and 340 with twin blades, each carried on dual self-adjusting bearings that provide easy steering in all conditions. A modern sail rig needs no runners even with an inner heavy-weather jib; cap shrouds and lowers divide onto separated chainplates, and a powerful hydraulic backstay tensioner comes as standard. The head-sail furler is a push-button under-deck Furlex TD, the genoa has a small overlap for easy tacking, and a self-tacking arrangement is available. Hydraulic in-mast furling, optional hydraulic main outhaul, powered winches, and optional hydraulic push-button halyard adjustment let the crew roll the main and slightly overlapping genoa in and out by button. Sittbrunnen.se found excellent contact in the steering, with clear rudder pressure and wonderful course-keeping, and Yachting World recorded superb sailing qualities for a centre-cockpit design, including 8 to 8.5 knots upwind in a Force 4. The builder claims a loaded 57 will log 8.75 knots at a 90-degree true-wind angle in just 10 knots of breeze anchor.
Accommodations
Below, the interior is stunning and spacious, with a one-level sole area kept safe at sea and in marinas. The forward and starboard cabins are very big for the yacht size with generous beds and storage, and the V-cabin is comfortable enough to serve as a second owner’s cabin. The aft cabin is wide and airy with king-worthy comfort; the visited boat showed a king-size centerline berth with en-suite head and shower, twin berths being an option. A guest cabin with berth and bunk over sits forward of the saloon, and a third stateroom with island queen and hanging lockers lies farther forward, with options for a Pullman berth or bunks in the far forward cabin. The saloon dining table is to starboard with L-shaped couch and centerline seating; a long port settee may be swapped for captain’s chairs. The seagoing galley offers huge worktops, Miele induction stove, dishwasher, microwave, and second deep freezer, while joinery comes in mahogany, bright European oak, or teak, all clear-varnished horizontal grain. Cabin-top and hull ports flood the rooms with light, and a full-size forward-facing nav station sits at the companionway beside a wet-gear locker.
Deck and Systems Layout
On deck the cockpit is large and deep at 2.90 metres long, with twin wheels and a drop-leaf fixed table between teak seats, plus a stainless brace that extends when heeled and a signature windshield forward. The anchor winch hides below deck and the jib furler sits under deck; a sun deck is integrated into the aft cabin roof and the bathing platform folds out at a button. Storage is extraordinary: a 10,000-litre total includes a deck-locker cabin ahead of the V-cabin, anchor locker, cockpit locker, big aft locker, two side aft lockers, and a forward sail locker. Access to the machinery comes through a broad door into a walk-in engine compartment with careful sound insulation behind perforated aluminium, housing the low-RPM Volvo Penta D4-175, a 17.5 kW low-RPM generator, AquaDrive flexible coupling, 24-volt lighting, and optional 230-volt fluorescent. A 24-volt system powers most gear, fed by an enormous lithium bank and watermaker for more than 1,000 miles of range.
The Verdict
The Hallberg-Rassy 57 distills the marque’s ocean-voyaging philosophy into a Frers-shaped hull that sails far above its centre-cockpit class. It is a proper luxury voyager, easy to handle short-handed yet built for unlimited ocean passages, with redundant systems and an interior that rivals fine furniture.
Pros
- Twin-wheel, twin-rudder centre-cockpit layout with superb steering feedback
- Push-button hydraulic rig and powered winches enable effortless short-handed sailing
- Walk-in sound-insulated engine room with 175-hp Volvo and 17.5 kW generator
- Stunning, light-filled three-cabin interior with one-level sole and king aft berth
- 10,000 litres of deck storage and CE Category A unlimited ocean rating
Cons
- Standard 8-foot keel limits shallow cruising without the shoal option
- Heavy 28-tonne displacement demands wind for best performance
- Extensive hydraulic and lithium systems require disciplined ownership
