HH55

The HH55 catamaran is a performance multihull that has been designed to get you places fast, safely and in style. She’s off the design boards of Morrelli & Melvin who were heavily involved in some of the earlier Gunboat designs such as the Gunboat 48.

With her axe bows, looks like she’s flying along even at anchor. She has more in common with an America’s Cup foiling cat than a charter cruising yacht.

The 55 is built by HH Yachts in China, who specialise in high performance boats (although they have also branched out into a keener priced range called the Ocean Class). Construction methods are at the forefront of the industry, with female molds to reduce weight and a 100 %  carbon composite sandwich construction with epoxy infusion for rigidity and strength.

She comes with curved C-foil dagger-boards providing lift at the bow.

Pros

• A fast, light no holes barred performance cruising cat that achieves high average speeds and lots of comfort.
• The HH55 comes in two options: a forward single helm or twin raised aft helms on the aft bulkhead
• The fully battened main drops tidily into a V-boom.
• This is a semi-custom boat. You can really tailor a new one to your needs
• She sails as fast as the wind
• She can point as high as 45 degrees to true. 48 degrees is the sweet spot though.
• You’ll be sailing 250 miles a day and over in consistent conditions
• Her hull shape and weight distribution has been set up to reduce pitching. She really does give you a smooth ride.

Cons

• This is not a boat for beginners. The running rigging is pretty complex and she has daggerboards that need to be adjusted on each tack. It’s likely to be your second or third boat if you can afford one.
• The HH55 is not a cheap boat. If you are watching your budget, you probably want to look at their Ocean Class (OC55) which is not as expensive – there’s less carbon in it and it has mini keels instead of daggerboards.
• Maintenance is likely to be on the high side given that this is a semi-custom yacht.
• I am not too sure about those hard-top covers over the aft helms. They do provide excellent shelter from the elements. Without them, she looks very sleek. HH5505 was built with a raised one-piece bimini like the earlier HH66s which looks fantastic in my opinion – it’s a semi-custom boat I guess.

Sailing

The sail plan includes a powerful square-top 1,343ft mainsail that tucks into a V-boom when it’s dropped. Her 88ft mast is made by Southern Spars. There are two configurations on this boat- a forward cockpit with two doors connecting it to the saloon, or twin raised helms “mid-aft”.

There’s a self-tacking 446ft jib on a furler, and a 2,032ft reacher, for heading off the wind. The longeron and the cross beam are carbon fiber also from Southern Spars. This is the kind of carbon use you´ll only see on boats like the McConaghy MC50 and Gunboats.

You can expect to be matching the wind speed and even exceeding it on these boats in the right conditions, including going upwind with those efficient daggerboards. She fair slices through the water. She can sail as close as 45 degrees, but bear away a couple of degrees to get her in the zone and you’ll be flying along in a breeze.  Unlike a keel cat, the HH55 is quite at home working to windward. Bear away and she’ll quickly accelerate and really show her stuff.

Down Below

When you are spending this much on a boat, it should come as no surprise to hear that there are plenty of options available, so prepare to spend some time poring over spreadsheets to customise your boat.

The standard set up is either a three-cabin (with master-suite to port) or four-cabin layout. HH will try and build the boat of your dreams though, so whether you want a  guest stateroom, a workshop or an office is really up to you. This is a performance cruiser, so the hulls are slim but there is still plenty of room on a boat this length for all of the luxuries and toys.

In the saloon you can get really creative with different layouts. The twin aft helm version opens up the saloon for more space obviously, as all of the sailing is done aft.

Engines On

Twin Yanmar 57hp diesels push the HH55 along comfortably at 12 knots in good conditions on both engines or over 6 knots on just one if you are saving diesel. There’s an option for an electric bow thruster if you feel more comfortable with that up your sleeve when you come back into the marina, but like most cats, twin engines make her very manoeuvrable.

HH55 Polar Diagram

Which HH55 Catamarans Have been Launched?

HH5501 – Minnehaha

HH5502 – Hai Feng

HH5503 – Ticket to Ride

HH5504 – Utopia

HH5505 – 

Brochure

Download the HH55 Brochure.

Summary

Well, this isn’t a boat that is going to suit someone who is new to sailing. The running rigging takes some time to get your head around, the sail plan is powerful and you’ve got those dagger-boards to raise and lower on each tack. But if you are after a luxuriously fitted speed merchant that will clock off 250 mile days with ease safely and comfortably, the HH55 has to be on your shopping list if you have the budget for it. You’ll also be looking at options like the Seawind 1600 and the Balance 526 I would guess, although the former is probably more marketed at the HH50.

FAQs

What is the Price of a HH55 Catamaran?
How much does this yacht cost? Well, that is highly dependent on the options you go for, but a new one will likely cost you between $2.8 and 3.0 million. As we said above, they are not cheap.

Where is the HH55 Catamaran Made?
The HH55 is built by Hudson Yacht Marine in Quanzhou, China. She was designed by Morrelli & Melvin from the US.

HH55 Specs & Video: Ticket to Ride

Technical Specification