Taswell 56 Buyer's Guide
Shopping the brokerage market for a Taswell 56 means considering a Bill Dixon cutter built by Ta Shing of Taiwan from 1990 onward, a 55-foot-10-inch cruiser with a 46-foot-9-inch waterline and hand-laid solid fiberglass construction below the waterline. She carries 19,600 pounds of internal ballast in a fin and a Yanmar 4LH-TE diesel, and her three factory interior layouts give buyers real choice in how the boat was commissioned.
Layouts on the Used Market
Charter four-cabin arrangements appear more often on the market, though both standard and charter layouts are available, and ex-charter hulls are common. The factory offered layouts A, B, and C, all with a large aft owner's stateroom; B provides three double-berth staterooms and two heads with separate showers, while C holds the biggest galley. A used buyer should confirm which factory plan the hull carries and whether charter wear has touched the joinery.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
Teak decks, lithium batteries, freezers, hot water, bimini, dodger, autopilot, chartplotter, a short-handed setup, and a bow thruster are commonly fitted. Often-seen systems include a watermaker, air conditioning, heating, inverter, and a code zero or asymmetric spinnaker with furling main and electric winches. For a buyer, the power and energy cluster — lithium banks, inverter, and a watermaker — determines off-grid range, while canvas and sail-handling gear such as the furling main and electric winches reduce crew workload on a 48,500-pound yacht.
What to Inspect
Ta Shing laid the outer three hull laminate layers with vinylester resin to resist osmotic blistering vinylester outer layers, and used balsa-cored decks with plywood inserts at hardware mounts. Inspect the deck core around winches and stanchions for softening, and confirm the 3M 5200-bonded hull-to-deck joint remains sealed. The fin keel carries internal ballast, so check the keel-hull union for impact or weepage.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
These yachts typically appear in the United States and New Zealand. A buyer's short checklist: verify the factory layout letter and charter history; test the Yanmar 4LH-TE and shaft alignment; sound the balsa deck for core issues; confirm the autopilot, chartplotter, and short-handed rigging function; and assess teak deck seams and the bow thruster installation before committing.
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Taswell 56. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 3 rows
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 25 | 2 | $208,500 | — |
| Jan 26 | 2 | $278,000 | +33.3% |
| Jul 26 | 4 | $250,000 | -10.1% |
Where they're listed
Taswell 56 listings appear across 2 countries. United States has the most listings with 5 (62.5%), followed by New Zealand.
Country view
8 listings · 2 countries| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | $250,000 | 5 | 4 | 62.5% |
| New Zealand | $278,000 | 3 | 0 | 37.5% |
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
9 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dufour 56 | 56' | $ 464,970 | 61 | 6 |
| BAVARIA Cruiser 56 | 53.97' | $ 245,339 | 55 | 10 |
| Oyster Yachts 56 | 57.33' | $ 577,866 | 40 | 10 |
| Hylas 56 | 54.08' | $ 910,000 | 20 | 6 |
| Ta Chiao CT-56 | 55.5' | $ 295,000 | 19 | 10 |
| Taswell 50 | 50.08' | $ 279,000 | 14 | 6 |
| Swan 56 | 57.51' | $ 470,724 | 11 | 3 |
| Taswell 56You are here | — | $ 250,000 | 8 | 4 |
| Frers Bluewater 56 | 54.08' | $ 1,690,000 | 8 | 2 |