New Listing – 2005 Ocean Star 56.1

Grabau International is delighted to announce the new listing of the 2005 Ocean Star 56.1 ‘ATHENA OF SOUTHAMPTON.

Bullet-proof aft cockpit blue water cruising yacht from Ocean Yachts. One of only two 56.1’s built exclusively for private usage and benefitting from a fantastic owner’s layout. Displayed at Southampton Boat Show ‘06/’07. Professionally maintained throughout her life, with over £30k spent in recent seasons, this stunning high-spec yacht needs to be viewed to appreciate the true quality of build.

MANUFACTURER’S BACKGROUND:

Ocean Yachts were launched seven years ago by brothers Emmanuel and Costas Anargyrou. After running a successful yard in Brazil building powerboats, the brothers returned to Greece and set up Ocean Yachts in premises just outside Athens. The company now build 14 yachts a year, many for the domestic charter market… Recently they have been looking at the owner market.

The building process is in stark contrast to the mechanized efficiency of the German or French mass production yards. There is a maximum of five boats in production at any one time – it takes 5,800 man hours to build a 51.2 Exclusive (smaller sistership to the 56.1). All boats are built to order, which means semi-custom requests can easily be accommodated.

The boats are laid up in a split mould allowing a large internal flange to be formed for the hull to deck join. The hulls are a solid laminate below the waterline with Coremat used above while the decks use balsa core. But laminated into the hulls while still in the mould is the most elaborate stiffening grid I’ve ever seen. It stretches from the forward watertight bulkhead to a metre or two short of the transom and is almost 2ft deep in places. Overkill? Maybe, but the hull is certainly stronger for it.

Words courtesy of Yachting World Review of Ocean Star 51.2 – May 2005

YACHTING PRESS REVIEWS:

From first descending the wide, flat and solid companionway steps to seeing if I could make the interior doors rattle in their frames, I was impressed. Seriously impressed. Detail throughout is good, the general construction substantial and sturdy, the layout appealing and the finish attractive.

The saloon makes maximum use of the beam and the layout. Our test yacht had a large, fixed dining table to starboard, with wraparound seating, including a curved bench settee amidships, and comfortable upholstery. To port was a further seating area, with a bench settee and a smaller coffee table. The tables and midships settee are solidly fixed, providing useful and sturdy handholds when passing through the yacht while underway.

Drawers are all wood and in general the finish is excellent. Throughout the interior the detailing is fine…. The white deckhead panels and extraneous trim are screwed in rather than relying on velcro and the cherry ceiling strips add to the sense of class. Doorways are wide and the solid doors feature two top hinges for extra strength.

Perhaps most telling was the attitude of the Anargyrou brothers and technical manager Kostas Rendas to my visit. They asked repeatedly if I thought anything should be changed, particularly to the interior. Builders who are keen to seek the views of a third party, and willing to take on board criticisms and make changes, are a rare breed these days. And it’s a testament to the interior’s quality that I couldn’t think of any significant alterations.

The deck layout is fairly standard, with a large cockpit dominated by the table (good for bracing) and a separate twin-wheel steering area. The coachroof moulding around the companion way features a moulded recess to take the cockpit canopy flush when stowed.
The helm positions feature slightly contoured seats and foot stops for bracing, and primaries and windlass controls are within easy reach.

On the wind, she seemed comfortable at about 40° to the true wind, making a steady 7.6 knots to windward. Cracking off the sheets and pointing her down to a close reach, the speed quickly jumped to the low 8s and on a beam reach she charged along happily at over 9 knots. Moving around down below was easy on all points of sail and despite putting her through a series of manoeuvres – and some reasonable chop – there was not a crack, crash, squeak or groan. She really is solidly built below – she is solid, acceptably quick, smooth, seaworthy and should be comfortable on long offshore passages.

All Ocean Star yachts are hand-built and the laminates are generally 30 per cent thicker than the design drawings specify… Overall, the build, from surface finish to deep under the skin, looks top-quality, strong and reassuringly solid.

Yachting World – June 2003

Ocean Star 56.1 – ATHENA OF SOUTHAMPTON – £179,950 VAT paid – full details here

Do you have a yacht like this to sell? Grabau International are always looking for new high quality yacht listings both in the UK and internationally. For further information about our tailored brokerage services, please look here or feel free to contact us.