With the Oyster 575, Discovery 58, Southerly 57 from the UK alone, plus the likes of Amel 55, Contest 57CS and Halberg Rassy 55, the 55-60ft luxury cruiser market is not exactly crying out for competition. But when I boarded the impeccably finished new Gunfleet new 58 at the Dusseldorf Boatshow in January, I couldn’t help but to remark on it being one of the most impressive new launches I have come across. Even the underside of the boat with her centerboard and large twin rudders appeared pristine.

The pictures of her first trials afloat prove she looks equally good afloat. Her keel promotes a low centre of gravity, with the bulb providing the 31T boat with the righting moment desired – raising it will reduce draught from 3.75m to 1.75m. The specs suggest the 58 will be a stiff boat that will boast impressive upwind performance combined with twin rudder control.

I was impressed with the steering pedestal set up, with the helms feeling within the boat, and the finish of the walnut and light oak trim below is exemplary. Although it’s not a raised saloon format, those large hull windows provide ample ‘ocean vistas’, while there’s space for 2,500L of tanks plus batteries below the sole. The layout is semi-custom, including a bunk cabin aft of the chart table that can be a workroom or crew cabin instead. With her beam aft, the master cabin is vast and there are “no cheap seats” – guest cabins are plush.

The price of the 58 is also competitive with those similar sized luxury cruisers mentioned, but includes a sail ready specification that includes hydraulic centre board, inmast furling, backstay and vang, plus full teak decks, Varifold prop, cruising laminate sails, electric winches, full B&G sailing instruments, autopilot etc etc.

See the upcoming May issue for more or visit the gunfleet website here