Design and Construction
The hull draws tight lines with the master beam carried aft, and stability with righting moment is optimised through a T-keel carrying a 40% lead bulb and steel structure combined with a chine hull. The outer chine runs to a strong 27° angle, a figure the architect confirmed, and testers reading that geometry expected excellent control of heel anchor. Construction is to a very high level using top-of-the-range materials and sophisticated techniques that build in a large safety margin. Structural bulkheads, chainplates, and deck-fitting reinforcements are laminated straight to the hull, while cabinetwork finishes are at once robust, light, and refined. The engine room insulation is cited as a demonstrative example of what is done on the most beautiful motoryachts.
Rig and Handling
Aboard the 55, the rig is very slender and served by a manoeuvring plan concentrated around the helm stations, putting sail handling within reach of a reduced crew. The boat was tested in the bay of Saint-Tropez, where she delivered great sailing sensations even in very light breezes anchor. With a displacement of 38,801 lb and 14,330 lb of lead-and-iron ballast in a 9-foot-10-inch bulb keel, the 36.93 ballast-displacement ratio and 124.84 displacement-length ratio describe an easily driven hull on a 51-foot-9-inch waterline, while the 1.88 capsize screen and 28.58 comfort ratio place her firmly in the performance-cruiser band.
Accommodations
Below, the Solaris 55 is a spacious interior with three cabins plus a seaman's cabin that can be arranged within the sail locker, and she provides XXL storage capacities for navigational gear. The specification calls for very high level custom finishes throughout, and the yard describes the yacht as very aesthetic and functional from every point of view.
The Verdict
The Solaris 55 is a high performance machine with very high level custom finishes that translates a rigorous structural philosophy into a light-air thoroughbred. She is a boat built to satisfy owners who are hardest to please across speed, looks, build quality, and practical use, equally at home with a racing crew or a couple cruising. The chined hull and T-keel give her poise and righting moment, the slender rig and helm-centred controls make her manageable short-handed, and the laminated structure with motoryacht-grade engine isolation underpins a refined, quiet interior.
Pros
- Optimised stability and heel control from chine hull and 40% lead-bulb T-keel
- Slender rig with manoeuvring concentrated at the helm stations for reduced crews
- Structural bulkheads, chainplates, and reinforcements laminated to hull for rigidity
- Engine-room insulation comparable to the finest motoryachts
- Spacious three-cabin layout with sail-locker seaman's cabin and exceptional storage
Cons
- Not documented
