The Wheeler Yacht Company of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, will launch a new adventure cruiser in partnership with Brooklin Boat Yard of Brooklin, Maine—the Wheeler 55.
Founded in 1910 by Howard E. Wheeler Sr., the yacht company constructed more than 800 vessels for both World Wars, and yet it is perhaps best known for its pleasure boats, including Pilar, the 38-footer built for writer and sportsman Ernest Hemingway. Because boaters continue to admire the look and craftsmanship of that 1930’s commuter-style yacht, the company designed this 55. The yacht has been on the drawing board and in the yard for a couple of years, but Wheeler says she will be ready to splash this summer.
At the Brooklin Boat Yard in Brooklin, Maine, Hull No. 1 of the Wheeler 55 receives her final coats of paint.
Marianne Wheeler
“There’s a small, niche market for this kind of design. It’s going to be a museum piece that actually runs like any of the high-performance boats you see out there today,” says Wes Wheeler, great-grandson of the company’s founder. Wes and his wife, Marianne, along with his siblings, are the owners of the company.
Measuring 55-feet, 5-inches in length overall, and with a beam of 16-feet, 9-inches, Hull No. 1 had just left the paint shop at Brooklin Boat Yard when Wheeler talked with Soundings. Built with African mahogany, Douglas fir and teak, the 55 is handcrafted with cold-molded construction techniques.
Designed as an adventure-cruiser, the 55 has three cabins, three heads with showers, a salon, a pilothouse, a promenade deck and a swim platform for diving, fishing or relaxing.
On the rooftop, the 1,000-pound-capacity crane can support an optional 12-foot tender. Galley appliances include a refrigerator, freezer, wine cooler, ice maker, cooktop, microwave and espresso station. A dishwasher and oven are optional upgrades. For extended cruising, there’s a washer and dryer unit, central air conditioning, and Starlink’s satellite Wi-Fi system, features Hemingway could have only dreamed about having aboard.
Standard power is a pair of 850-hp MAN engines with joystick controls; two 1,000-hp MANs are optional. The 55 is projected to cruise at 25 knots and hit 33 knots at top end. Other features include Garmin electronics, bowthruster, Seakeeper gyro stabilizer, and a Zipwake system to enhance the ride. The Wheeler 55 will be launched for its first sea trial in late July.
“I still have a lot of Howard Wheeler’s old drawings, even in his own pencil,” says Wes. “The family still believes in the Wheeler Yacht Company’s history and legacy. This is one way of maintaining that legacy for years to come.”
This article was originally published in the August 2024 issue of Soundings.