Oyster has made a name for itself as the premier builder of large semicustom cruising yachts. The designs produced in conjunction with Rob Humphreys are always superb and fit and finish is always top notch. The Oyster style has slowly evolved to keep the look of the boats very current. In short, these are ultimate boats in the world of semicustom.

There are no surprises in the hull. There are twin rudders aft but I think this may be more to allow the dinghy garage to extend forward rather than to enhance steering. No matter, it works both ways. If you go with the shoal-draft version, the twin rudders will be very helpful. My only gripe with this hull is why chop the stem off plumb and then stick a stubby bowsprit on the boat to handle the ground tackle and the chute tack? There is no measurement rule involved. Why not just keep the cutwater where it is then add some bow rake? You would gain deck space. Leave the jib tack where it is and use a standard stem fitting. 

But this would not be fashionable. Plumb stems are fashionable. I admit to liking the look of the plumb stem myself. The draft is 5 feet 4 inches for the shoal-draft model and 8 feet 2 inches for the deep-draft model. The D/L is 176, which is fairly light for a big boat like this. The L/B is 3.56, right in the middle of medium.

I’m certain that Oyster will build you any interior that will fit in the 565 so long as you stick with the boat’s cabin sole height and deck mold constraints. Oyster gives us three basic layouts all with the owner’s stateroom forward with a centerline double berth. You can have a sitting area off to port or you can squeeze in a very small “stateroom.” To starboard there is a large head with a shower stall. The arrangement of the raised saloon stays the same for all three versions with settees port and starboard and nav station aft to starboard. The galley is to port and runs down alongside the cockpit well. To starboard you have the option of an expanded nav area with quarter berth, or a larger head aft. Then you can choose if you want one centerline double for the aft cabin or divide the area on centerline and have two smaller staterooms. They are pretty tight. It’s a very comfortable layout but in that awkward size where you can have two very nice staterooms or you can jam in a third mini-stateroom. Of course you could possibly fix this if you did away with the big dinghy garage aft. It’s all priorities. I’d keep the garage.

The rig is typical of today’s rigs, with three spreaders and what looks like a Park Avenue or V-boom on the sailplan. The boom is quite high, leaving plenty of room for a vang. The mainsheet is at the end of the boom. The SA/D is 22.82. Those three vertical hull windows are strong design elements. I rather like them. I’m sure the effect below is stunning. It’s a very good-looking boat. The freeboard is high but deck structures are low.

The deck plan shows twin wheels set aft of the main part of the lounging cockpit. The mainsheet traveler is aft of the twin wheels. There is a low, molded in bulwark and all deck hatches are the flush-type giving a very clean look. The transom door to the dinghy garage folds down to provide a broad swim step. This is a beautifully sculptured deck and testimony to the toolmakers’ art.

Oyster has truly carved out a very strong name and image for itself.

LOA 59’3”; LWL 52’3”; Beam 16’9”; Draft 8’2” (standard), 5’4” to 12’5” (centerboard version); Displ. 56,370 lbs.; Ballast 14,815 lbs.; Sail area 2,097 sq. ft.; SA/D 22.82; D/L 176; L/B 3.56; Auxiliary Volvo 150-hp; Fuel 264 gal.; Water 225 gal.