What immediately distinguishes the Wasa 55 from other boats in the builder’s portfolio—and indeed from almost any contemporary fleet builder of the era—is its radical length-to-beam ratio. Boasting a beam of just 8.37 feet, it stands as a needle-like, ultra-slender departure from the high-volume, wide-transom cruiser-racers that began to dominate the market in the late 1970s and 1980s. While production yards in France and North America were widening beams to maximize aft cabins, Wasa prioritized windward efficiency, low hydrodynamic drag, and classic aesthetic elegance. The interior joinery reflects traditional Scandinavian craftsmanship, utilizing heavy, oil-rich teak. However, because the hull is so narrow, the accommodation layout is inherently specialized and intimate. There is standing headroom in the main saloon, but the overhead tapers forward, and the layout must be viewed as a highly functional, sea-kindly environment rather than a floating condominium.
Variations & Kit-Built Realities
With approximately 67 units produced during its production run from 1977 to 1984, the Wasa 55 did not emerge from a highly standardized production line. Instead, Wasa Yachts offered the vessel in various stages of completion, including owner-completion kits. Under this program, the yard laminated the GRP hull and deck and installed the lead keel, leaving the wood cabinetry, plumbing, and electrical systems to be completed by the buyer. Consequently, the quality of the interior finish and system layout varies dramatically on the brokerage market today.
The typical layout features the galley and a compact navigation station at the companionway, flanked by two quarter berths, with a separate aft cabin positioned behind the cockpit. Within the main saloon, configurations generally split between traditional pullman-style pilot berths or an L-shaped sofa arrangement. On deck, the boat was equipped with a keel-stepped 7/8 fractional rig by Seldén, supported by running backstays. While some owners have since modernized the rig to swept-spreader configurations to eliminate the running backstays, the original fractional setup remains the most common, offering smaller, easily managed headsails that are ideal for short-handed sailing.
Sailing Performance & Handling
Under sail, the Wasa 55 is a purist's machine. Its design ratios paint a clear picture of its behavior. With a displacement of 12,125 pounds and a long waterline, its displacement-to-length ratio of 125.17 translates into a highly efficient, easily driven hull that slips through light air with minimal drag. Because the beam is so narrow, the hull has very little initial form stability. Consequently, the boat is notoriously tender at first, heeling rapidly to 15 or 20 degrees in a light breeze. However, once this initial heel is established, the massive lead fin keel—which holds 6,393 pounds of ballast—comes into play.
Boasting an extraordinary ballast-to-displacement ratio of 52.73 percent, the boat possesses an incredibly high ultimate righting moment and a capsize screening ratio of 1.46, indicating superb stability and ocean-going safety. At the helm, the Wasa 55 behaves more like a massive, ultra-responsive dinghy than a traditional 44-foot cruiser, offering immediate, delicate feedback through its tiller steering. With a sail area-to-displacement ratio of 18.0, it is amply powered but highly manageable. Crucially, the narrow beam prevents the boat from developing the punishing weather helm common to wide-stern designs when over-canvassed; instead, the Wasa 55 simply shoulders into the water and tracks straight. Its comfort ratio of 29.2 ensures that despite its narrowness and tendency to heel, its motion in a seaway is soft and predictable, avoiding the violent, jerky accelerations of wider, flatter hulls.
Known Issues & Triage
For those looking to acquire a Wasa 55, several age-related and model-specific structural areas require careful triage. First and foremost is the deck core. Wasa utilized a sandwich construction for the deck with a balsa wood core. Over more than four decades, deck hardware, stanchion bases, and the optional teak decking can allow water to seep into the core. A thorough moisture meter inspection and percussion testing are mandatory to check for localized rot or delamination, particularly around the chainplates.
Because the Wasa 55 has such a narrow beam, the shroud angles are exceptionally acute. This geometry places high vertical loads on the chainplates and the local GRP structure. Inspectors must look for stress cracks in the deck around the shroud chainplates and verify that the internal bulkheads or tie rods anchoring them remain structurally sound.
In the machinery space, most Wasa 55s were originally powered by Volvo Penta diesel engines mated to an S-drive transmission. The critical maintenance item here is the rubber S-drive hull diaphragm. Volvo Penta recommends replacing this seal every seven years; if the boat's service history is unclear, replacing this diaphragm must be a top priority before launching. Finally, because of the high proportion of kit-built boats, a buyer must conduct a rigorous survey of the electrical DC panel, bilge pump wiring, and freshwater plumbing, as these systems did not benefit from a standardized factory quality control protocol.
Modernization & Upgrades
Many Wasa 55s have benefited from thoughtful modernizations by dedicated owners aiming to simplify shorthanded cruising and update the boat's systems. On deck, one of the most popular upgrades is the addition of a self-tacking jib track. The narrow foretriangle is ideally suited for a high-aspect, self-tacking headsail, which—when paired with the boat’s slippery hull—allows for effortless short-tacking up narrow channels without touching a winch. Some owners have also retrofitted bowsprits or Hoyt jib booms to fly modern asymmetric spinnakers or furling gennakers, compensating for the fractional rig's downwind limitations in light air.
Veteran owners who find the running backstays cumbersome during casual cruising often upgrade to swept-spreader configurations, though this requires careful structural engineering to ensure the mast remains properly supported without the original runners. Below deck, the trend toward lithium iron phosphate battery conversions is highly practical for the Wasa 55. The narrow hull limits traditional lead-acid battery storage space; transitioning to high-energy-density lithium batteries allows owners to triple their usable house capacity while reducing weight in the ends of the boat. Given the modest power demands of the original auxiliary engines, some owners have successfully converted these boats to electric propulsion. The easily driven, low-drag hull of the Wasa 55 is an excellent candidate for electric drives, provided the owner’s cruising profile is focused on sailing rather than long-distance motoring.
The Verdict
The Wasa 55 is an uncompromising, niche performance cruiser designed for the sailing purist who values helm sensation, pointing ability, and classic lines over interior volume. It is not a boat for large families looking to lounge at anchor, but rather a specialized instrument that excels at slicing through upwind beats with the precision of a Skerry Cruiser. For the right owner, it offers a rare combination of pedigree, offshore capability, and aesthetic distinction that stands out in any modern marina.
Pros
- Exceptional upwind performance and pointing ability
- Highly responsive, sensitive tiller steering that offers excellent helm feedback
- Extremely high ballast ratio of over 52 percent, providing superb ultimate stability
- Timeless, elegant hull lines that command attention
- Narrow, easily managed headsails that simplify shorthanded tacking
Cons
- Very limited interior volume and narrow cabin layout compared to other 44-footers
- Significant initial tenderness under sail before the ballast takes over
- High variability in build and system quality due to a large percentage of kit-built units
- High vertical loads on chainplates due to acute shroud angles
- Vulnerability of balsa-cored decks to moisture intrusion and rot
