Outbound 56

The Outbound 56 is a center-cockpit bluewater cruiser designed by Germán Frers and introduced in 2019. The design shares its lineage with the Hylas 56, for which Frers originally drew the lines in 2011; Outbound Yachts (later also marketed as the Bluewater 56) subsequently acquired the tooling and adapted the platform for their own production run. Approximately three to five hulls are built annually at the Hansheng Yacht Building facility in Xiamen, China.

At just over 56 feet on deck with a 50-foot waterline, the boat falls into the premium semi-custom category, retailing around $1.5 million USD. Its design intent is unambiguously offshore: the hull form prioritizes seakindliness and directional stability over light-air racing performance, making it a serious contender for extended bluewater passages and circumnavigations.

The hull laminate is built without a core — a monolithic schedule combining Twaron aramid fiber (comparable to Kevlar) with fiberglass cloth, wet out in vinylester resin. This approach trades some weight efficiency for impact resistance and eliminates the risk of core delamination in a bluewater context. The fin keel carries a lead ballast of roughly 20,200 lb, and the rudder is carried on a substantial skeg, providing protection in a grounding and strong directional control on passage.

Deck hardware runs to heavy-duty chrome-plated Antal fittings and winches. The coachroof incorporates raised 'cat-eye' windows and Dorade ventilators, while full-length guard rails reflect the boat's emphasis on crew safety at sea. Custom interior joinery is offered in teak, oak, or cherry.

With 1,821 square feet of upwind canvas on a masthead cutter rig — including a 135% overlapping genoa — the Outbound 56 carries substantial sail area relative to its 22-ton displacement. The cutter configuration gives crews flexibility offshore: an inner forestay allows a smaller staysail to be set independently for heavy weather or downwind work without collapsing the headsail entirely.

Reviewers and owners note that the Frers hull lines deliver a surprisingly slippery ride for a heavy-displacement hull, tracking steadily in a seaway thanks to the long waterline and skeg-hung rudder. The 150-hp Yanmar provides ample motoring range when backed by 275 gallons of fuel.

Below deck, the three-cabin, two-head layout is organized around a raised saloon that benefits from wraparound windows and nearly seven feet of headroom — unusually generous for a center-cockpit design and avoiding the dim, basement-like feel common in older examples of the type. The owner's suite occupies the aft section, while a VIP double cabin sits forward and a third cabin with a Pullman berth serves crew or children.

The galley runs to roughly ten feet in length with a three-meter Corian worktop and four Vitrifrigo refrigeration drawers configurable as fridge or freezer. An L-shaped navigation station features a primary and secondary chartplotter display. Fresh water stowage exceeds 280 gallons, supplemented by a watermaker as standard fit.