Design
Pent up demand
For their first new mid-size model to be launched in close to 15 years Oyster Yachts went back to a previously highly successful formula but now applied in a very different and contemporary modern package
The Oyster 495 cruising yacht is a major milestone in more ways than one. It’s the first entirely new model launched by Oyster since it was taken over three years ago by Richard Hadida, who has refocused Oyster Yachts on its core values. It’s the first new ‘sub-50ft’ sailing yacht from Oyster since 2007 and a lot of big-boat innovation has trickled down and been built in. And it's the first Oyster in a long time that’s been developed with the involvement of the marque’s founder, Richard Matthews, who rejoined Oyster’s board of directors last year. There’s clearly some pent-up demand, as six 495s were sold off plan before the first layer of laminate went into the mould a few weeks ago to begin the build of hull number one. ‘It’s a completely new Oyster,’ says Paul Adamson, Oyster’s chief commercial officer. ‘She is designed to appeal to younger owners and she’s full of innovative features. It’s a balance between preserving Oyster’s core values – safety and the ability to go anywhere in the world in luxury and comfort – while introducing benefits of modern, contemporary design. The hulls are lighter, yet incredibly robust with more emphasis on performance for excellent daily passage-making.’ Humphreys Yacht Design has drawn all Oyster hulls for the last
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25 years, gradually building up data and knowledge that informs their designs. ‘The big step change came with the 885 and introduction of twin rudders,’ Tom Humphreys explains. ‘That allowed us to draw more powerful sections and carry more form stability, enabling us to subtly increase sail-carrying power with respect to displacement, resulting in quite a significant leap forward in performance without losing any of the key characteristics of high stability and comfortable motion which are so important in a blue water cruising design.’ ‘The twin rudders are
phenomenal,’ says Adamson, who skippered the first Oyster 885 around the world in the inaugural Oyster World Rally. ‘They operate in a freestream and that reduces drag and gives superb directional stability which also unloads the helm, which in turns unloads the autopilot.’ The design brief for the 495 was ‘very much a no-compromise, luxury blue water cruiser and an extension of the existing Oyster range,’ Humphreys says. ‘At this size the design extends into a very competitive area of the market and a huge amount of research and development was conducted by us and in the in-house Oyster team to find the sweet spot in terms of size for this new model.’
Above: the 495 is the first completely new design from Oyster since Richard Hadida took control of the marque and refocused it on its original core values. As well as being the first new sub-50ft Oyster in 15 years, it’s also the first model in a long time
that has been developed with input from Oyster founder Richard Matthews – which all adds up to an impeccable pedigree
So what’s different? The 495 has a totally flush, uncluttered deck forward of the mast, a feature that was previously reserved for the larger models in the range. The sailplan is non-overlapping, with a 105 per cent Solent headsail that’s easy for a shorthanded crew to tack and gybe. The jib sheets have been moved away from the guest cockpit. But the 495’s strongest suit is arguably the sail-handling systems, which Oyster boldly claims are the most comprehensively automated on the market.
‘We’ve been working with Seldén on an electric-powered automatic outhaul that can be tensioned or slackened at the touch of a button, rather than on a winch,’ Adamson says. ‘Larger Oysters have hydraulic rams to do that but we wanted to keep hydraulics off this boat.’ With electric in-mast mainsail furling, electric sheet winches and electric- powered headsail and code zero furlers, almost any sailing manoeuvre can be done single- handed from helm at the touch of a button.
To optimise the cockpit for ocean cruising, it is split into three separate zones. The forward part is for guests, designed for relaxing but also for efficient watch keeping. The helm stations are separate and completely self-sufficient, with
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