New Californian 55 is homegrown

Cruising yacht

designed and built

in the United States

By Roger McAfee

The new Californian 55 Long Range Cruiser is designed–and built–in the United States and that alone sets her apart in the market segment. The new Californians have “returned home” to the yard where the first one splashed down 38 years ago.

The first Californians, built by California’s family-owned Marshall Boat Co., hit the water in 1972. In 1982 the Marshalls sold to Wellcraft. They repurchased the company in 1987 and, in the same year, sold it to Carver which moved production to North Carolina. In 1991 Genmar Industries purchased Carver and stopped making Californians.

In the late 1990s Marshall, who along with his two sons had continued building yachts under the Navigator banner, reacquired the rights to the Californian name. Both Navigator and Californian are built at their plant in Perris, Calif.

The new 55 footer features a straight sheer which adds to the nice, crisp overall look of the vessel. Large cabin and hull windows, as well glass forward hatches, add to the modern look and also flood the interior with natural light. Entry to the vessel is off the swim step, through a transom door into a large, uncluttered cockpit. Useful cockpit space is gained because there is no cockpit ladder to the cabin roof. Interior stairs in the aft of the pilot house allows access up top.

Ample side decks and stainless steel handrails allow quick and easy movement between the cockpit and the foredeck. The Portuguese bridge provides for out of sight stowage of fenders and lines and good protection for the wheelhouse should the vessel take green water over the bow. The molded non-skid pattern in the deck is sharp and provides good, secure footing even when wet.

The hull is solid glass, bottom and sides, with bi-axial glass in stress areas. For improved blister resistance, an epoxy barrier coat is applied before bottom painting to help reduce the likelihood of water wicking into the laminate.

Framing for the main deck interior floors, including the forward cabin area, is marine grade aluminum box beam. This material makes a light, strong, stiff, and rigid structure. Marine grade aluminum is also generally impervious to salt water corrosion.

Salon access is from the cockpit through a sliding glass door. Port and starboard sliding doors allow access to the pilot house off the side decks. The after salon features an L-shaped sofa to port and two large, comfortable barrel chairs to starboard. A hi-low table does double duty as a coffee or dining table.

The U-shaped galley, located to port and forward in the salon, is well equipped with Corian counters, a home sized double stainless steel sink, full size fridge, microwave and electric oven and cook top. There is plenty of storage under the counter top and a large pantry under the galley floor. Those on board can move between the salon and wheelhouse without interrupting galley operations.

Visibility from the wheelhouse is excellent all around, and a large, flat dash area allows for the installation of the usual electronics without making the area looking like the cockpit of a 747. There’s room for even a folded paper chart. The wheel house has a small L-shaped settee and table so others on board can comfortably keep the skipper company.

Access to the command bridge is via a stairwell up from the pilot house. The vessel has what is known as a chariot bridge, where the aft top of the wheel house is the command bridge “dash” and the upper helm “floor” is the top of the salon. This places the command bridge well aft and relatively low. This could prove a problem for shorter skippers since the sight lines forward may be blocked by the forward edge of the pilot house roof.

The staterooms are located forward and down from the wheelhouse, with a full head including a separate shower stall, immediately at the bottom of the companion way. This doubles as the day head.

The master stateroom, featuring a walk around queen bed and plenty of stowage, is located full width across the beam of the vessel, under the pilot house. Complete with its own private head and separate shower and tub this space is very comfortable and surprising quiet, even when underway. There is plenty of hanging locker space and a washer/dryer.

The VIP stateroom is located in the fo’c’s’le and features a walk around queen bed, good storage and hanging lockers. A third smaller cabin, with over and under bunks, is located between the two larger staterooms. This space could easily be fitted as an office.

We fired up the D9 575 HP Volvo inboard diesel and idled away from the dock, making good use of the bow thruster in the very tight quarters. The in-line six cylinder idled smoothly, quietly and smoke free at 550 RPM. We were making 3.9 miles per hour and burning 0.25 gallons per hour.

At 1200 RPM we moved along at 9 MPH and burned 2.6 gph. With a 10 percent reserve, this gives a range of 2,336 miles and the engine putting out about 260hp. At 1500 RPM our speed was 11 MPH and we burned 5.8 gallons per hour; range would be 1,280 miles. Clearly, the big Volvo’s sweet spot is around 1,200 RPM.

In summary this U.S. made vessel is well thought out, makes good use of interior spaces, and the builders have created a very efficient coastal cruising hull shape. The engine is well matched to the hull and the fuel economy, at all speeds, is near the top of its class for this type of vessel. There’s plenty of storage space for long range cruising and the interior is bright and cheerful.

Californian 55 Specifications

LOA: 56′ 9″

Beam: 15′

Draft: 4′ 7″

Weight: 52,000 LBS

Fuel: 750 gallons

Water: 240 gallons

Engines: Volvo Penta D9 – 575 HP

List Price: $ 896,000