Design and Construction
The hull is a Rob Humphreys design described at launch as slippery, with impeccable handling characteristics anchor, and it was built in hand-laid GRP with an outer laminate in isophthalic resin and powder-bound mat. Below the waterline she carries an HPB (High Performance Bulb) external lead keel with a state-of-the-art filleted bulb form, while a fully protected skeg-hung rudder gives her a full skeg for safety anchor. Above, the cored deck and coachroof are laid with teak, the hull carries eight Gebo opening ports in the topsides, and the deck saloon roof wears the Oyster "Eyebrow" feature. Custom joinery and teak interior surfaces run throughout, with an uncluttered deck plan centred on a generously sized centre cockpit and a self-draining teak-laid cockpit.
Rig and Handling
She is rigged as a powerful sloop with a Selden Spars keel-stepped mast in silver-anodised finish, slab reefing, a fully battened mainsail on the Selden RCB system with lazyjacks, and a Harken headsail furling system whose line is led aft to the cockpit. Sailmakers Gowen Ocean supplied the mainsail and furling #1 genoa, and the optional in-mast furling with push-button sailing was offered for those who wanted maximum convenience. The standard sloop rig with a 150% foretriangle develops 1,460 square feet of sail area, and the combination of the longer waterline and more powerful rig over the 485 is what makes her simple to sail and popular with owners who prefer lighter handling duties.
Accommodations
Inside, the 49 offers excellent interior space with six berths across three comfortable cabins and excellent headroom throughout, making her a pleasure to liveaboard. The three-cabin layout places an aft owner's stateroom with heads and shower opposite a passageway galley, while forward a large double-berthed guest cabin and an upper/lower berthed guest cabin share a generously proportioned guest heads and shower. The light and bright saloon uses Alcantara upholstery with a buttoned finish, the New Millennium chequer-board teak sole runs through the accommodation, and lee screens on the sea berths, quality upholstery, and a sprung batten system under the owner's berth round out the liveaboard detail. Alternative interior layout choices were available from the builder.
Refits and Ownership
The standard equipment list was thorough for its era: a Yanmar 4JH3-HTBE turbo diesel of 100 hp turning a Maxprop three-bladed feathering propeller through an Aquadrive coupling, a 24-volt domestic system with deep-cycle cells and a 175-amp heavy-duty alternator, and a Raytheon ST 7000+ twin linear autopilot interfaced with a Garmin 128 GPS. The builder commissioned each yacht at Fox's Marina in Ipswich and backed the hull with a one-year warranty extended to three years for GRP below the waterline. Owners taking on a used example should note that teak decks and coachroof are original to the design and will reward careful maintenance rather than replacement.
The Verdict
The Oyster 49 is a considered evolution of the 485 formula: Humphreys' hull and the filleted bulb keel give her sure-footed, simple handling, while the Deck Saloon interior delivers genuine liveaboard comfort in a 50-foot package that avoids the overhead of a larger yacht. Only fifteen were built, which keeps her a relatively scarce but well-documented cruiser.
Pros
- Longer waterline and greater volume than the 485 with a more powerful rig
- Impeccable handling hull with protected skeg-hung rudder and HPB bulb keel
- Excellent three-cabin liveaboard layout with strong headroom and light saloon
- Thorough standard equipment and a third-generation Deck Saloon design
Cons
- Small production run limits choice on the used market
- Teak deck and coachroof surfaces demand ongoing maintenance
