Oyster Yachts has unveiled the Oyster 515, a new addition to the British builder’s 50 foot line-up and successor to the 495. Announced on 8 July, the new model builds on the award winning Oyster 495, adding a bump in sail area, more volume below, evolved styling and a reworked aft end.
Starting from the stern
The aft deck takes inspiration from much larger superyachts, aimed at owners who spend as much time at anchor as they do underway. A dropped-in lounge and new aft-facing seats built into the pushpit give the stern somewhere to sit, not just somewhere to trim sheets.
That thinking carries through to the transom, where a bigger fold-down platform drops level with the water for swimming, water toys or getting a tender on and off the back of the boat. Storage hasn’t suffered for it: the lazarette now holds more gear, and owners can choose between a built-in tender garage under the deck or standard davits, whichever suits how they use the boat.
Behind the design
The hull and deck come from Oyster’s own design studio, working once again with Humphreys Yacht Design, the same team behind the 495. The 515 builds directly on that boat: the safe, rewarding sailing, easy short-handed handling and genuine liveaboard comfort that made the 495 stand out carry through largely intact, wrapped in a more contemporary exterior.
A sheltered cockpit seats up to eight for meals and entertaining, and sturdier construction, bigger tanks and more stowage give owners the durability and self-sufficiency longer passages demand.
Under sail
The rig carries more sail area than before, and Oyster has revised the sail plan to suit. A pair of rudders working with two helm stations sharpens control, and powered sail-handling systems keep the boat manageable for a couple or a family, whether or not extra hands are aboard. New wing seats next to each helm give whoever’s there a clear view of the action once she’s underway. For owners wanting to get further off the beaten track, an optional shoal keel cuts draft from 2.37 metres to 1.91 metres, opening up shallower, more out-of-the-way anchorages that a deeper-draft yacht can’t reach. Oyster says the sail-handling systems, like the rest of the boat, are built with a couple’s confidence at sea front of mind.
More light, more room
Below decks, the 515 leans on Oyster’s trademark Seascape windows, enlarged here alongside hull ports for a noticeably brighter saloon. The layout follows a three-cabin arrangement built around a private, full-beam stateroom aft, giving owners the kind of privacy and room usually found on a much larger yacht.
A Deck Saloon, U-shaped galley and dedicated navigation station complete an interior finished in a choice of oak or walnut.
The numbers
At 16.48 metres (54’1″) overall, with a hull length of 15.68 metres, a beam of 4.77 metres and lightship displacement of 23,560kg, the numbers put the 515 firmly in Oyster’s established 50 foot bracket. Power comes from a Yanmar 4JH110, backed by 800 litres of fuel and 600 litres of water. Sail area runs to 123 square metres with in-mast furling, or 132 square metres with a fully battened mainsail.
Positioning
Oyster is positioning the 515 as equally suited to a season in the Mediterranean or a full ocean crossing, with more room, easier handling and more flexibility on board than the 495 offered. The company says that despite the changes, she remains unmistakably an Oyster.
