Design and Layout
The extra footage in the PS 55 pays dividends immediately in the arrangement of the raised saloon. Flip of the aft cabin entrance from port to starboard solves the awkward step up-step down sequence that the smaller Pilot Saloons never quite escaped. Below, the elevated dining area seats the whole crew with sightlines out to the anchorage — a detail that separates genuine liveaboard designs from those that merely approximate the experience. Two double cabins sit forward, complementing a generous owner's suite tucked under the cockpit; the result is a three-cabin arrangement that gives a cruising couple privacy forward and a palatial master aft without the claustrophobic corridors that plague comparable production boats.
Cockpit and Deck Ergonomics
Wauquiez's defining contribution to the Pilot Saloon concept is the treatment of the companionway as a working station, not merely a hatch. The companionway as a sheltered watchkeeper's perch carries forward from the smaller models, with the nav desk and essential instruments within arm's reach of whoever is on watch — a thoughtful acknowledgment that shorthanded offshore passages require the solo watchkeeper to monitor instruments without leaving the companion way. Twin steering wheels are standard, and sail controls led to plinths forward of the wheels keep sheets and halyards accessible from the helm without demanding a trek across the cockpit. The targa-type arch over the cockpit lifts the mainsheet traveler clear of the working space below, reducing the clutter that makes large-boat cockpits hazardous in a tack and provides handy support moving between cockpit and deck.
Sailing Performance
At 58 feet on deck with a 50-foot waterline and a 1,488-square-foot sail plan pushing 42,990 pounds of displacement, the PS 55 is not a racing machine — nor does it pretend to be. The fin keel extracts reasonable upwind performance from the hull's generous beam of 16 feet 2 inches while preserving the interior volume that defines the Pilot Saloon's appeal. The Berret/Racoupeau design firm, whose work spans performance cruisers and offshore racers, understood that a boat of this mission profile benefits more from a well-mannered rig than from a chase for velocity numbers. The capsize screening ratio of 1.85 places the PS 55 comfortably within accepted offshore cruising parameters — meaningful reassurance for owners planning extended passages.
Accommodations
Below deck, the PS 55 benefits visibly from the extra beam and length that set it apart from its predecessors. The appearance set by its smaller predecessors carries through in the deck saloon's glassy profile and the sense that the boat was drawn from the inside out rather than the outside in. The elevated saloon creates a natural social hub for passages, with the helm station accessible from the same space — a feature that lends itself to the kind of relaxed offshore watch-keeping that characterizes extended cruising. Engine capacity at 110 horsepower and 110 gallons each of fuel and water underscore the boat's readiness for extended passages where self-sufficiency is not optional.
The Verdict
The Wauquiez Pilot Saloon 55 is a thorough, coherent offshore cruiser that improves on its family predecessors rather than merely scaling them. The extra length buys real ergonomic gains — particularly the resolved aft-cabin access and the elevated saloon's universal sightlines — while the Berret/Racoupeau hull delivers the stability and seakeeping expected of a serious blue-water passage maker. It is a boat built for owners who take the cruising life seriously and want a vessel that functions as well underway as it does on the hook.
Pros
- Resolved aft-cabin entrance eliminates the step awkwardness that limited smaller Pilot Saloons
- Elevated saloon gives every crew member an anchorage view and makes shorthanded night watches practical
- Sail controls and twin wheels allow full deck management without leaving the helm area
- Targa arch clears the traveler from the cockpit for a cleaner, safer working space
- Berret/Racoupeau pedigree in the hull design supports legitimate offshore credentials
Cons
- 16-foot beam and 42,990 pounds of displacement limit performance in light air
- 110-gallon fuel and water tanks are modest for a 58-foot bluewater platform, potentially requiring stops or supplemental tankage on very long passages
- The raised-saloon profile raises the center of gravity compared to conventional flush-deck cruisers — a geometry trade-off that owners should understand before offshore passages
