ARIEL

HALLBERG RASSY 53

Length
17 m/56 ft

Monohull

Sail

Description

HALLBERG-RASSY 53 Fine combination of speed, comfort and detailing for cruising 25th August 2000. The Hallberg-Rassy 53 was built for fifteen years between 1992 and 2006 in 88 units. This yacht with graceful elegance offers lots of elbow space and room for comfort equipment. At the time she was introduced, in 1992, she was the largest boat ever built by the yard. The 53 has a 145-horsepower Volvo diesel and carries 223 gallons of fuel. The fuel and water tanks are located in the deep bilge to help keep the VCG down. The prop shaft is in a nacelle to eliminate a strut. Ballast is external. The Hallberg-Rassy 53 is not only a comfortable and well built long distance cruiser. She also performs well. Peter Harrison's 53 "Russe Noir" won her class in the ARC. Peter Harrison is the man who brought back England to America's Cup. The American Hallberg-Rassy 53 "Solstice" owned by Bernie Jakits and Kate Christensen won the Bermuda Cup. Comment by the designer, Germán Frers: "The Hallberg-Rassy 53 is designed with the cruising connoisseur very much in mind. She follows closely the tradition and philosophy behind my earlier Hallberg-Rassy designs. The hull shape was developed following the significant lessons learned from the intense research program carried out by our design office for the America's Cup. Racing they say improves the breed. This is certainly the case with the 53 which, though not designed with competition in mind, benefits, particularly when sailing upwind from testing we carried out on keel and rudder shapes. Her moderate displacement is in line with the yacht's strong construction and high level of equipment carried on board. Sail area too is generous, and coupled with the excellent stability gained from the 53´s special bulb keel, performs well, even in light winds. The overhangs are rather generous for her type and contribute to give the yacht an aspect of graceful elegance which will be maintained regardless of the passage of time."

Additional details

ON TEST: YACHTING WORLD 1994