Design and Construction
Brewer’s hand is evident in a hull carrying 43,500 pounds of displacement atop 18,000 pounds of ballast, with a 55-foot length and 15-foot 5-inch beam giving the volume a big-boat footprint implies. The keel is offered in fin form at 6 feet 10 inches or shoal configuration drawing 5 feet 7 inches. Writing in Canadian Boating, the designer observed that the finishing details coming from the Whitby shop in this period were superb, and the interior surfaces are executed in hand-polished teak anchor. The boat was developed with several markets in mind, so it was offered with a center-cockpit or pilothouse deck and with various interiors rather than a single fixed layout.
Rig and Handling
The sail plan was split across two masts deliberately to ease handling for the charter-oriented market the design targeted anchor. Brewer himself had hoped for a single cutter rig but accepted the ketch compromise to satisfy the broader audience. The mizzen is kept short to preserve upwind ability—a sloop of equal area would still outdo it to weather—yet the smaller mizzen still contributes offwind sail area and lets the headsails shrink to manageable size. A self-tacking staysail serves breezy or idle days when tacking the genoa is unwelcome, and a low-rig version was made available for boats needing to clear inland-waterway bridges. Standard rig carries 1,360 square feet of sail.
Accommodations
Space is used from the transom to the forepeak. The aft cabin holds a full double berth and a head with an ample shower, placing the sleeper only a couple of feet from the name on the transom. Forward, two separate guest cabins share a second head compartment. The arrangement reads as a boat set up for relaxed sailing with an anchor down at night rather than sustained ocean passages: there are not many sea berths for that kind of voyage, though the builder would rework the interior to add them on request anchor. The gleaming teak and guest-cabin separation suit coastal cruising and charter use more than bluewater watch-keeping.
Refits and Ownership
Because the 55 was offered with multiple decks and interiors from the start, an owner’s reconfiguration ambitions are not novel—Whitby itself would alter the interior for sea berths if asked. The low-rig variant and the pilothouse or center-cockpit choice mean used examples may differ sharply in profile and bridge clearance, worth confirming against intended cruising grounds.
The Verdict
The Whitby 55 is a Brewer-designed large cruiser that trades ultimate upwind purity for two-mast manageability and a teak-lined, guest-friendly interior. It is a coastal and charter-minded platform more than a sea-berth-dense passage maker, yet flexible enough that the builder would tailor it.
Pros
- Two-mast split rig eases sail handling and shrinks headsail size
- Hand-polished teak interior with aft double berth and two forward guest cabins
- Offered in center-cockpit or pilothouse form with optional low rig for bridge clearance
- Superb finishing details per the designer’s own observation in Canadian Boating
Cons
- Few sea berths as standard, limiting bluewater passage use without rework
- Short mizzen leaves it behind a sloop upwind despite offwind sail gain
- Designer preferred a cutter rig, indicating the ketch was a market compromise
