february 2016cruisingworld.com82
T
here are few compa-
nies in the boatbuild-
ing universe quite like
Oyster Yachts. For over four
decades now, the iconic Brit-
ish brand has been crafting
long-legged luxury cruisers
manufactured to high stan-
dards to roam the watery
world. For 2016, Oyster has
introduced its new 475. At just
under 49 feet, it’s the small-
est in a current range of nine
models topped off by a mas-
sive 118-footer.
We tested the boat on
Chesapeake Bay as a nomi-
nee in this year’s Boat of the
Year contest, and judge Tim
Murphy, who doubles as our
resident marine-industry
seer, provided this historical
perspective:
“Founded by Richard Mat-
thews, who sold the fi rm in
2008, Oyster is a new compa-
ny with an old name. Thereare few companies that were
created so closely to one
man’s image. For Matthews,
the business wasn’t just about
boatbuilding. And that’s some-thing that hasn’t changed un-
der new management. Sailors
who purchase Oysters buy in-
to a whole lifestyle. Oyster
owners get together for rallies
and regattas; they’ve joined a
club. So the company does a
lot of customer service, both
on the technical and social
sides. That social component
is part of the value in owning
an Oyster.”
All that is true, but there’s
something else about the Oys-
ter experience: Savvy sailors
can identify one when they see
it. There’s a certain familiar-
ity in almost the entire line’s
DNA, and so it goes with the
475: the deep center cockpit;
the wraparound window sur-
rounding the coachroof; the
embedded rectangular port-
lights in the hull; the recessed
scoop transom with drop-
down steps leading to a pro-
nounced boarding and swimplatform. Man, you don’t need
a program to know this player.
As befi ts a yacht with a
seven- fi gure price tag, the
craftsmanship is impeccable.
The solid glass hull laminate is
coated in an outer layer of pro-
tective vinylester resin. Balsa
is employed in the sandwiched
deck structure (except in high-
load areas, where the coring
material is plywood). Individ-
ual quarter-sawn teak planks
top deck surfaces as well as
the cockpit seats and sole. The
substantial bulwark is also fi n-
ished with a thick teak caprail.
The operative word as you
step aboard the 475 is “solid,”
like a rock.
On deck, there’s a whole lot
happening. Aft, a split back-
stay facilitates easy access to
the transom steps; the laza-
rette locker on the afterdeck
is humongous. The center-
cockpit coaming is raised,
but not so high that it im-
pedes movement to and from
the side decks, an all-too-
common issue in central cock-
pit designs.
The standard 475 is a sloop
with a traditional, fully bat-
tened mainsail, but our test
boat was rigged as a cutterNew OYSTER CULT
For a devoted sect of bluewater sailors, nothing beats a yacht from Oyster, and that includes the
latest offering from the British builder, the rangy OYSTER 475.BY HERB McCORMICKBOATS & GEARBILLY BLACKAn Inviting Center Cockpit
The heart of the deck layout
is the very eff ective, well-
executed center cockpit.
The dodger provides great
protection from the elements.
Instruments are well placed
and highly visible. The
coamings aren’t too high for
easy access to side decks.