Design and Construction
The Sou'wester 59's volume and intent are legible in its principal dimensions: a 59.25-foot LOA carried on a 44.17-foot waterline, a 15.50-foot beam, and a displacement of 69,000 pounds. Sources differ on ballast — one records 23,250 pounds of lead, another 23,500 pounds — but the lead ballast underpins the fixed fin keel with a retractable centerboard, the defining element of the underwater profile, giving a draft of 12.50 feet with the board down and 6.50 feet retracted — a span that permits shallow draft access to hidden anchorages without sacrificing the lateral grip needed offshore. Early hulls were built predominantly of fiberglass with wood trim, but the final builds transitioned from traditional fiberglass to Kevlar and carbon composites, a change that marked an evolution in durability and weight-saving. The Kevlar and carbon fiber composite hull was built with a patented vacuum bagging process, and each of the 16 hulls stands as a semi-custom masterpiece rather than a production repeat. Above the waterline, the raked stem, raised counter, angled transom, and skeg-mounted rudder controlled by a wheel establish a conservative offshore silhouette.
Rig and Handling
The boat carries a Bermuda-rigged masthead sloop as standard, with an optional ketch rig noted in reference material, and a sailplan totaling 1,463.75 square feet — 693.25 in the mainsail and 770.50 in the jib/genoa, drawn on a 67-foot foretriangle height and 59-foot mainsail luff. A tri-radial Norlam gennaker pulls in light breeze and reveals performance roots beneath the traditional charm. The keel-centerboard configuration delivers solid offshore performance with the board down, and the 8.9-knot hull speed is a function of the long waterline rather than any lightness of build. For crew management, electric winches and an electric headsail furler make the boat manageable for a small crew, supported by a British Perkins Engines diesel of 135 horsepower for docking and maneuvering and, on later examples, a powerful Yanmar diesel engine. The teak foredeck leads aft past flush hatches and a raised salon coachroof designed for safe movement and ocean-going confidence.
Accommodations
Below, the Sou'wester 59 is laid out as a center-cockpit cruiser with sleeping accommodation for six in reference specifications, while the final hulls document three private cabins with accommodations for eight and a private aft owner's suite with companionway access. The bow holds two single cabins; the aft section carries two aft cabins both with double berths, and the owner's suite on later boats features satin-varnished cherry joinery, dual berths, and a dedicated companionway to the cockpit. The main salon offers warm cherry woodwork, a C-shaped settee, and generous natural light for long passages. The galley sits on the port side at the forward companionway ladder as a U-shaped space with a stove, ice box, and double sink, opposite a starboard navigation station. Two heads serve the layout — one in the forepeak and one on the port side in the aft cabin. Throughout, satin-finished cherry woodwork, teak-and-holly soles, and meticulous joinery are the hallmarks of the builder's craft, and systems such as Espar heating, reverse-cycle A/C, and a high-capacity watermaker ensure comfort across climates.
Known Issues
The source material documents no structural defects, systemic failures, or recurring safety problems across the 16-boat series. The principal considerations for an owner are generational rather than fault-based: the shift from fiberglass to Kevlar and carbon composites in the final builds like Zanetia altered material behavior and repair pathways, and the semi-custom nature of each hull means that fit-out and systems vary from one boat to the next. The retractable centerboard demands the same vigilance as any such mechanism, but no flooding paths or drainage deficiencies are recorded in the source material.
Refits and Ownership
Ownership of a Sou'wester 59 is ownership of a low-count design where each hull was built to individual order. The documented equipment baseline — electric winches, electric headsail furler, Perkins or Yanmar diesel, Espar heating, reverse-cycle A/C, high-capacity watermaker, and a tri-radial Norlam gennaker — represents a high factory standard that later owners are more likely to maintain than to reinvent. The 250-gallon fuel and 380-gallon water capacities support long independent voyaging, and the centerboard's shallow-retracted draft extends the range of accessible anchorages without requiring structural modification.
The Verdict
The Sou'wester 59 is a deliberate anachronism in the best sense: a 69,000-pound cruiser built in tiny numbers over nearly two decades, combining a McCurdy & Rhodes hull with a keel-centerboard versatility that few boats of its size can match. The composite transition in the final hulls is an evolution in durability and weight-saving rather than a break from the marque's craft, and the accommodations — whether the six-berth reference layout or the eight-berth owner's suite — are executed in cherry and teak-holly with a seriousness rare in modern production.
Pros
- Keel-centerboard draft span of 6.50 to 12.50 feet enables both shallow gunkholing and offshore capability
- Only 16 semi-custom hulls built, with later examples in Kevlar and carbon fiber composite
- Accommodations in satin cherry, teak-and-holly, and meticulous joinery with climate systems
- Electric winches and headsail furler make a 59-foot boat manageable short-handed
Cons
- Retractable centerboard adds maintenance complexity absent from a fixed-keel design
- Low production count limits shared owner knowledge and standardized spares
- Composite final builds diverge from earlier fiberglass hulls in repair methodology
