For a complete guide to Cruis-
ing World’s extensive online boat
reviews and to request reprints
from our older print archives of
reviews, go to cruisingworld.com/
sailboats/sailboat-reviews.with Furlex furlers for the dual
headsails and a Romar Leisure
Furl main. I’m no fan of furling
mains, but if you must have
one, the in-boom Leisure Furl
is defi nitely the way to go. The
backstay and vang are con-
trolled hydraulically. The hard-
ware ( winches, headsail tracks,
traveler, windlass and so on) is
all high- quality, dependable kit
from Lewmar. One of the few
odd, questionably executed
items is the optional mast pul-
pits, which are mounted way
too close to the Selden alumi-
num spar — and its attendant
halyard and reefi ng winches —
to be of much utility.
Down below, the layout is
highly compartmentalized.
Descending fi ve rather steep
companionway stairs, you’ll
fi nd the heart of the boat is
the raised saloon, bathed in
natural light and featuring
comfy opposing settees, as
well as a very clever folding
dining table that opens up for
beam-to-beam dinner parties.
From there, heading aft, it’s
another two steps down to ei-
ther the straight-line galley (to
port, with a stand-up fridge,
abundant counter space and
a big four-burner stove/oven)
or the expansive navigation
station (to starboard, and dou-
bling as an onboard offi ce). The
owner’s suite is all the way aft
and features a large berth with
access from both sides, along
with loads of adjacent closets,
lockers and drawers. The ad-
joining private head is spacious,
with an enclosable shower stall.
The forward end of the yacht,
down another step from the sa-
loon, has a second big head and
a pair of guest cabins, one with
bunk-bed berths and another
with a V-berth. The joiner work
throughout is fabulous.
During sea trials, under pow-
er, the Yanmar 75-horsepower
diesel, a saildrive auxiliary spin-
ning a three-bladed Varifold
prop, scooted us along at just
over 7 knots with the throttle
down. To our judging panel, the
speed seemed modest. Back-
ing down was somewhat prob-
lematic; our test model came
with the optional bow thruster,
which is recommended forclose-quarters maneuvering.
Where the boat truly came
alive was under sail, even
though the light-air conditions
were far from ideal. Designer
Rob Humphreys is renowned
for fully found cruisers that
still perform well, and the
475 will do nothing to sully
his hard-earned reputation.
Though the breeze hardly rose
above 6 knots, closehauled
with everything sheeted
home, the boat was as fast as
the wind. Visibility forward
was quite good, even with the
very well-done dodger in thesightlines. (This is a cockpit
you could spend a lot of time
in.) One notable thing: There
is some serious cordage on the- It’s a veritable spaghetti
factory. You don’t notice it
when everything is tidied up
at the dock, but underway, it’s
something you want to keep
on top of.
Going forward, the second
Oyster World Rally will com-
mence from Antigua in Janu-
ary 2017, and over three dozen
crews have already signed up
for the 27,000-mile circum-
navigation. The only catch?
You need an Oyster. The 475,
certainly, would be one hot
ticket to ride.
Herb McCormick is CW’s execu-
tive editor.83february 2016cruisingworld.comSEA TRIAL
WIND SPEED
6 to 8 knots
SEA STATE
Calm
SAILING
Closehauled 6.1 knots
Reaching 5.5 knots
MOTORING
Cruise (1,800 rpm) 5 knots
Fast (2,300 rpm) 7.2 knotsSPECIFICATIONS
OYSTER 475
LENGTH OVERALL
48’7” (14.81 m)
WATERLINE LENGTH
40’7” (12.36 m)
BEAM
14’6” (4.41 m)
DRAFT
7’1” (2.16 m)
SAIL AREA (100%)
1,293 sq. ft. (120 sq m)
BALLAST
11,905 lb. (5,400 kg)
DISPLACEMENT
36,900 lb. (16,738 kg)
BALLAST/DISPLACEMENT
0.32
DISPLACEMENT/LENGTH
246
SAIL AREA/DISPLACEMENT
18.1
WATER
172 gal. (650 l)
FUEL
198 gal. (750 l)
HOLDING
37 gal. (140 l)
MAST HEIGHT
62’5” (19.03 m)
ENGINE
75 hp Yanmar
DESIGNER
Humphreys Yacht Design/
Oyster Design Team
PRICE
$1,020,000 (base boat)Oyster Yachts
401-846-7400
oysteryachts.comDown below, life revolves
around the open, central
deck saloon (top). The own-
er’s suite features a large,
accessible berth (above).BILLY BLACK