Design and Construction
Wennersten’s brief for S2’s Grand Slam series favored light, high-performance racing hulls, and the 5.5 is the most compact expression of that philosophy. The boat is built predominantly of fiberglass with wood trim, carrying a raked stem and a plumb transom that give it a modern racer profile rather than a traditional daysailer silhouette. As the smallest boat S2 Yachts produced and its only dinghy model, the 5.5 occupies a distinct niche within the marque’s otherwise keelboat-dominated catalog. The retractable centerboard allows the hull to be beached, operate in shallow water, or transported on a trailer when the board is raised retracted the boat can operate in shallow water, be beached or ground transported on a trailer, a flexibility that defines its day-sailing and racing appeal.
Rig and Handling
The 5.5 carries a fractional sloop rig—also described as a Bermuda rig—with a sail area of 176 square feet driving the 600-pound hull. Steering is by a transom-hung rudder controlled by a tiller, a direct and responsive arrangement suited to a racing dinghy. The combination of a displacement-to-length ratio of 62.42 and a sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 39.58 places the design firmly in the light-air camp, while the centerboard retracts for shallow exploration and lowers for upwind bite. A hull speed of 5.4 knots is cited for the design, modest for its size but consistent with a trailerable day racer meant to be launched and retrieved by a small crew.
Accommodations
The S2 5.5 is a recreational sailboat conceived as a racer and day sailer, and the sources define no belowdecks accommodation beyond that role. Its wood trim and open dinghy character position it as a trainer or harbor racer rather than a weekender. The 7.67-foot beam gives a stable platform for crew weight, but the design’s purpose is speed and simplicity afloat, not cabin comfort.
The Verdict
The S2 5.5 is a purpose-built Wennersten dinghy that distills S2’s Grand Slam racing ethos into an 18-foot, 70-unit run. Its centerboard and trailerable nature make it an accessible entry to club racing or day sailing, though the scarce production and dinghy format limit it as a cruising proposition.
Pros
- Smallest and only dinghy model from S2 Yachts
- Retractable centerboard enables beaching and trailer transport
- Light, fractional-sloop racer with responsive tiller steering
Cons
- Only 70 built; limited availability on any market
- No cabin accommodations; day-sailer and racer only
- Out of production since 1983
