Design and Construction
Siltala Yachts built the 515 at Riihikoski, Finland, and the hull is meticulously hand-laid fiberglass. Long overhangs distinguish the profile, a feature that is something of a rarity among new cruising designs and one that lends the boat a traditional, elongated silhouette rather than the plumb-bowed norm. At just over 50 feet overall with a 15-foot beam and a fin keel drawing about 7.2 feet, the 515 carries roughly 18,000 pounds of lead ballast and a displacement near 53,000 pounds, a mass that Sail magazine noted would make it a stately offshore passagemaker. Nauticats have always been solid, stable, and comfortable, and the 515 continues that lineage without experimental departures.
Accommodations
Below, the teak interior's fit and finish is worthy of a true gentleman's yacht. The layout is available with as many as nine berths in four separate cabins, yet the two-cabin version is decadently spacious. Nearly all accommodation space forward of the mast is dedicated to the master cabin and ensuite head, while the aft cabin is almost as large. If elbowroom equals luxury, the 515 has it to burn, and the volume allocated to private sleeping quarters rather than passageways gives the boat a residential feel unusual in a cruising sloop of this length.
The Verdict
The Nauticat 515 is a conservative, heavily built passagemaker whose interior volume and finish target long-term liveaboard comfort rather than speed or novelty. Its long overhangs and hand-laid hull place it firmly in the builder's tradition of solid, stable yachts, while the cabin plan scales from a nine-berth charter layout to a two-cabin private retreat without sacrificing the sense of space.
Pros
- Meticulously hand-laid fiberglass hull with long overhangs rare among new cruisers
- Near-53,000-pound displacement promises stable offshore passage-making
- Teak interior finish worthy of a gentleman's yacht with elbowroom to burn
- Master and aft cabins both generously proportioned; up to nine berths in four cabins
Cons
- Nothing radical in the design may disappoint buyers seeking modern performance
- Long overhangs and heavy displacement imply a stately rather than brisk pace
