Design and Construction
Every structural element of the HH55 is carbon fiber in a sandwich laminate using infused epoxy and Core-Cell foam, a build that the builder cites for safety, strength, and weight saving. SAIL's survey adds that female molds, a thermo-formed core, and extra carbon in chainplates, stringers, and ring frames keep mass low while raising stiffness, and the hulls are painted in a custom shed and hand-faired to a mirror finish. For collision resilience, sacrificial false bows wrap the plumb reverse stems, and watertight bulkheads seal the bow and stern compartments; the floors are structural composites. Cruising World notes the same carbon sandwich also lends sound and heat insulation, a real liveaboard virtue in a boat this light.
Rig and Handling
The HH55 carries an 88-foot Southern Spars mast with a square-top main of 1,343 square feet on a V-boom slotted to capture the sail when dropped, and a furling double-headsail rig with swept-back spreaders and aramid shrouds that need no backstay. Load-pin sensors on the Kevlar shrouds tell the crew exact rig loads, and a built-in mast jack replaces turnbuckles for tuning. Under power, twin Yanmar 57 hp diesels with SD60 saildrives and Gori folding props push her to 12 knots on both, or 6.5 knots on one. On the water, curved C-foil daggerboards reach deep to kill leeward drag and lift the bow 15 percent at 20 knots; T-winglet rudders set at zero degrees can exert up to a ton of force to stop bow drop or fly, and flat sections on the bow bottoms further reduce pitching. Writing in Cruising World, testers on Chesapeake Bay in 11 knots of true wind described her as slipping through the water like a hot knife through butter, and the Boat of the Year panel found only the larger HH66 out-sailed her.
Accommodations
The main saloon runs 23.55 square meters and flows through sliding glass doors to a 19.94-square-meter aft cockpit with a second dining table, sun bed, wet bar, and barbecue. Buyers choose a three-cabin plan with a full-length port master suite or a four-cabin layout; on the tested boat the port hull held a master with aft double and forward head, while the starboard hull carried double cabins in each end with separate heads, and one head was converted to a workshop. The central cabin is airy with an ample U-shaped galley, dedicated nav station, and dining area, and a forward steering station inside the saloon opens to a forward cockpit where all sheets, halyards, and reefing lines gather around three Lewmar 65 two-speed winches.
Equipment and Systems
Standard equipment leans hard into the electric future: a massive cabin-top solar array, digital switching, and an electric galley are baseline, with lithium-ion batteries and a CZone system linked to B&G Hercules processing the load. Owners wary of complexity can specify traditional standalone diesel engines with shaft drives, but the redesigned parallel diesel/electric hybrid with hydro-regeneration while sailing is the headline alternative. Carbon fiber davits carry a high load for the tender, and an optional Quick retractable bow thruster eases close-quarters handling.
Refits and Ownership
As a semi-custom 2018-era build with only five launched at the time of the manufacturer's note, the HH55 invites owner direction from the start: clear-coated carbon accents anywhere desired, and either aft twin-wheel or single forward-helm deck plans. The carbon structure and digital systems reward technically confident owners; the short-handed optimization and owner-operation scale mean a couple can run her without outside crew, but the aramid rigging, hybrid options, and CZone network argue for buyers comfortable with modern multihull systems rather than legacy diesel simplicity.
The Verdict
The HH55 is a rigorously engineered carbon cruiser that trades a little interior volume against a level of performance and owner-handling ease rare in a 55-foot cat. She is a boat for the competent couple who want to cross oceans without hiring crew, and who value a stiff, quiet, thermally stable hull over brute cabin count.
Pros
- Full carbon sandwich construction with watertight bulkheads and collision bows
- Curved daggerboards and zero-set T-rudders deliver controlled, pitched-free speed
- Standard solar, digital switching, and lithium power with a genuine hybrid option
- Forward cockpit and load sensors make short-handed sail handling precise
Cons
- Advanced aramid rig and CZone networking demand owner technical fluency
- Semi-custom, low-production build limits brokerage choice and reference fleet
