Frers 57

The brief from the owner for the first Frers 57 was to create a fast and comfortable yacht that he and his wife could readily cruise together, while also being suitable for racing at their local clubs, the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron and Middle Harbour Yacht Club.

McConaghy were chosen as the builder due to our reputation for combining high-tech composite construction with fine craftsmanship.

Turning out a 57ft yacht packed with creature comforts at a displacement of only 13 tonnes required an almost obsessive focus on weight. Building a pre-preg carbon hull (with Nomex core in key areas) was just the start.

Fuel and water tanks were fabricated in plastic, the joinery is made from carbon/foam panels covered with sliver-thin veneers or paint, there is honeycomb foam in the furniture cushions, the Corian worktops in the galley are thinned down to 3mm, and ceiling panels are made of carbon covered with lightweight fabric.

The cockpit and deck layout has an elegant Mediterranean-style simplicity. To achieve that effortless Italian appearance, required some extraordinary behind-the-scenes complexity.

Ingenuity of engineering allows the Frers 57 to transition in minutes from party to business mode without losing one iota of class. Nowhere is that better manifested than in the cockpit, where tables and bench seats materialise from the cockpit sole and coaming at the push of a button.

Below decks, all of the accommodation lies forward of the companionway to create room for voluminous cockpit lockers and all the systems, hydraulics and batteries, as well as a small garage for the tender in the transom.

The main saloon is light, open and airy, with natural teak flooring, walnut veneer joinery and matte-finished carbon features.
Energy efficiency and self-sufficiency were also central drivers to the design and build of the Frers 57, with permanent solar power panels inset into the coachroof, an onboard watermaker and a high output, low consumption alternator attached to the 55hp Volvo Penta engine.

Electric propulsion also appealed, and the yacht is driven by two Oceanvolt SD 15 fixed sail drives with variable pitch propellers.

Under sail, the Frers 57 is a real performer and quite a head turner.