Roberts 55 (A Version)
Description
The Bruce Roberts Spray 55 A Version, part of the renowned Centennial Spray series designed by Bruce Roberts-Goodson in the 1980s, is a heavy-displacement bluewater cruising ketch or cutter optimized for long-distance ocean passages, chartering, or family liveaboard adventures, with its multi-chine hull providing exceptional stability and load-carrying capacity, and hundreds built worldwide—many completing circumnavigations with small crews. This Version A emphasizes versatility with interchangeable layouts like pilot house additions, poop sterns, or custom accommodations, rigged in options such as gaff cutter, Bermudan ketch, staysail schooner, or junk rig for balanced short-handed handling; constructed primarily in multi-chine steel or aluminum (round bilge steel, wood-epoxy, or fiberglass available), it features a spacious interior for 8–12 berths across multiple cabins, full galley, nav station, and generous tankage, powered by a 50–100 hp diesel auxiliary, with build costs estimated at $250,000–$500,000.
Construction Details
| Designer | Bruce Roberts-Goodson |
|---|---|
| Length | 55.000 ft |
| LOA | 55.000 ft |
| LWL | 46.500 ft |
| Beam | 18.000 ft |
| Displacement | 75000 lb |
| Ballast | 25000 lb |
| Max Draft | 6.000 ft |
The standard boat dimensions
| i | 66 ft |
|---|---|
| j | 25 ft |
| p | 58 ft |
| e | 19.50 ft |
| p2 | 13 ft |
| e2 | 5 ft |
| i2 | - |
| j2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 | I2 | J2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 66 ft | 25 ft | 58 ft | 19.50 ft | 13 ft | 5 ft | - | - |
Documents
Sails
Roberts 55 (A Version) - MAINSAIL
| Luff | * 58 ft - (17678 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 19.5 ft - (5944 mm) |
| Leech | * 60.27 ft - (18370 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 88 ° |
| Diagonal | * 60.54 ft - (18453 mm) |
| Head (inches) | * 6 in - (152 mm) |
| Area | * 577.86 ft² |
| Edit in Calculator | |
Roberts 55 (A Version) - JIBSAIL
| Luff | * 56.46 ft - (17209 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 34.18 ft - (10418 mm) |
| Leech | * 47.63 ft - (14518 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 115 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 28.75 ft - (8763 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 11.99 ° |
| Area | * 811.61 ft² |
| Edit in Calculator | |
Roberts 55 (A Version) - GENOA
| Luff | * 67.05 ft - (20437 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 41.29 ft - (12585 mm) |
| Leech | * 62.32 ft - (18995 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 150 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 37.5 ft - (11430 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 3.99 ° |
| Area | * 1257.25 ft² |
| Edit in Calculator | |
Roberts 55 (A Version) - GENOA
| Luff | 66.5 ft - (20269 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | 35 ft - (10668 mm) |
| Leech | 60 ft - (18288 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 125.72 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 31.43 ft - (9580 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 5.34 ° |
| Area | * 1045.16 ft² |
| Edit in Calculator | |
Roberts 55 (A Version) - ASYMMETRICAL
| Luff | 68 ft - (20726 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | 43 ft - (13106 mm) |
| Leech | 62 ft - (18898 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 165 % |
| Area | * 2193 ft² |
| Edit in Calculator | |
Disclaimer. Boats are not all the same -- even when produced in the same factory of the same model. Sailrite does its best to publish accurate dimensions, but we often find it worthwhile to have our customers measure their boats carefully before we produce kits for them. You should take the same precautions, especially when the data is not from Sailrite. The information on this site is not guaranteed to be accurate. Sailrite offers this content as a service to our community, but takes no responsibility for the reliability of the data provided.