You may be puzzled by the headline of this article. „Qasr al’iibhar“ is Arabic, at least according to Google Translate. It means „Sailing Palace“. That´s what the all-new Wauquiez 55 is like for me. She is the Dubai Chocolate of boats, something so strange, so different, so lush and luxurious that this yacht may easily be the manifestation of some Emirati Prince. A dream of a royal Highness, turned reality by a dedicated shipbuilder.
As this yacht is so special and so different from all the other boats I´ve roamed during Boot Duesseldorf 2025, I spared the walkthough of the Wauquiez for my very last of this year´s in depth-boat descriptions. Now, my luxurious friends – get on your clean shoes, comb your hair and get a shave, you are about to see a sailing palace taken out straight from the „Tales of a Thousand and One Nights“.
Let´s cut directly to the chase
Of course, I am a bit exaggerating here. But Wauquiez did really launch something very special here indeed, even by their standards. I´ve always admired yachts by the French shipyard that is located near Roubaix, a „pocket“ that grows into Belgium, some 120 kilometers away from Calais or Dunkerque, the next ports at the English Channel. Wauquiez yachts, that´s not only one of the trickiest names to pronounce right of the whole business (at least for non-French people), as special as their company´s name are their boats. The new Wauquiez 55 is no exception.
When I approached their display an hour or so before the opening of the boat show to the public, I got greeted by the shipyard´s boss, Cyril Ballu, who welcomed me and granted access. So, I climed the few stairs at her stern to get aboard. My usual walkthroughs follow a traditional pattern from „on deck“ to „below deck“. Well, I instantly understood that I´d had to change that for this article. Because, frankly, what follows now is the essence and ingeniuity of this yacht. In the picture below you might noticed it right away:
An extra large bathing platform brings you onto a large, I´d say the largest so far I´ve seen, sunlounging area. This is where usually the steering posts and work-stations for the helmsman would be positioned. On the Wauquiez 55 there is … just free space. Get your towel, some cushion and a cockptail. And enjoy the sun here! But there´s more. One level up higher, just behind the mainsheet traveler – another area for leisure. Two wide sunloungers with adjustable backrests … what a view must it be from here. Well, that´s crazy and luxurious, I know. But that´s not even the big bang I´m talking about. Have you noticed it already?
Just unreal …
Of course: It´s a separate entrance right into the aft cabin. At first I didn´t really grasped the full meaning of this, but now, a few weeks after the show ended and I could think it all over, I guess I got it. This is is little revolution of interior layout for a sailing yacht. Direct access for the owners to the aft lounge deck is … I don´t know, it feels so extraordinary, so absolutely overstretched and luxurious! I don´t think that there is any other yacht – except for the true one-off superyachts – that comes with a feature like this. So let´s cut directly to the chase, abondon the normal route my walkthrough would have taken and just go down. Right here from the aft lounge deck into the owner´s cabin!
Have I said „cabin“? Well, I´m sorry – you´re in your sailing palace here, your „Qasr al’iibhar“. Of course this isn´t just another aft cabin, this is a true loft-style flat. I mean, the feeling of volume and space in here is absolutely awesome! I´ve seen a lot of luxury boats, many of which had been much bigger, but the feeling of openess and space back here is truly something I (and I guess you as well) have never seen before.
The Wauquiez 55 is „only“ a 55-footer. Compared to your big Oyster or Contest, this is by far not the boat size one would rightfully talk of a luxury-big-sized boat. Within the new Wauquiez you could. She has a maximum width of 5.25 meters, which is roughly 10 centimeters wider than the Oyster 565, but Lord, this aft cabin appears to be huge! And I guess I know why.
It´s the lush amount of natural light that can enter the cabin. The designers made it possible to integrate big hull windows to either side of the cabin which will make for an absolute breathtaking view when sailing or at anchor for sure! Also, big skylight hatches and windows to the rear onto the aft deck. There is sunlight, naturally entering from outside, and through the large transparent areas a kind of connection to the outside I haven´t seen on any other sailboat before.
Seen from outside I realize that the whole area at the rear is reserved for housing the huge owner´s suite. Amazing! I don´t have the exact measurements and it may be interesting to do a factual survey on cabin sizes and volumes compared to similar boats. But from the sheer feeling of it, the Wauquiez 55 owner´s suite is the most luxurious and special thing I´ve ever seen on a sailing yacht. This proprietary entrance sets a new level in terms of luxury …
The Dubai Chocolate of sailing?
Of course, anyone buying a Wauquiez – just as with any other brand – does it as well because it´s a statement too. You choose to go for a, let´s say, Lancia for a very specific reason. Same here: Wauquiez boats have always been something special. But this yacht is a whole new level. Release of the renderings of this Marc Lombard-design a year ago already stirred the business and triggered many. The 55 is certainly a huge thing for the shipyard. What they´ve tried here is to come up with the Dubai Chocolate of sailing, I guess. Offering a boat in 55 feet is already a neat thing to do, especially in commercially „tight“ times like now: The market still works in the upper price segments. But, of course, there´s a lot of nice boats in that size.
So, I guess, Wauquiez did put everything on the table and urged the developers to not only think outside the box, but think without any restrictions of any boxes at all! And just with the Dubai Chocolate, which is not just only a nicely made bar of chocolate, the Wauquiez 55 has some more suprises up her sleeve. For example the cockpit: It kind of reminds me of the Amel-style boats. A large – and I mean really large! – lounge-area with sofas around a small folding table. The sofas form an almost perfect „O“-shape with just a small passage to the aft sunlounges. It almost feels protected and cozy, much so as almost half of the cockpit is indeed protected by the large fixed, rugged deckhouse.
She is a proper sailboat!
All the luxury from the beginning aside, the Wauquiez 55 is a thorough sailing yacht! Marc Lombard Design Group came up with the latest hull-shape in terms of hydrodynamic performance. This yacht is supposed to make grand voyages to all the dream locations where the full force of the luxury may be indulged to the fullest.
The „Amel-style“ steering post, and there is just this one, is positioned right behind the large windshield of the deckhouse/dodger. Two big chart plotters, the full set of electric and electronic aides and the electronic engine throttles make up a pretty cool workplace for the helmsman. This boat is rigged for complete push-button-sailing, meaning that for most part you don´t have to work the winches manually.
I must admit that I am not a big fan of this steering set-up. I understand that it is the most secure and weatherproof location. I also get it that near the pivotal point of the boat – like a center cockpit yacht – there is most comfort and least movements even in heavy weather. But I don´t like it nonetheless. This steering would always be a dealbreaker for me personally, but – same as with Amel yachts – I perfectly see why others really love this setup.
Placed to portside the helsman can also reach the primary winches vis-a-vis to starboard side. Here the bulk of trimming and controlling the sails is done. So that´s a short way, best for quick reaction times. The Wauquiez 55 comes with maximum 169 square meters of upwind sails area. This canvas must propel the 20-25 tons of weight through the water. In this, the Wauquiez 55 is not an especially light yacht. Beneteau´s Oceanis Yacht 54 for example carries „only“ 136 square meters but also weighs in at only 21 tons. The „funny“ Jeanneau Yacht 55 comes with some 20 tons and 131 square meters.
I have sailed quite some other Marc Lombard-designed cruising yachts and I can say that the hulls by this company at least feel quicker, more agile, more balanced than comparable boats by the other big naval architects. Latest example was the absolute kicker I experienced with the Oceanis 34.1 by Marc Lombard Design. So I guess, maybe also thanks to the two keel versions (one with a fixed keel and one swing keel that this boat may indeed be also something special when sailing?
On deck of the Wauquiez 55
I talked about some things I didn´t fully understand. One of these is the large fixed dodger/deckhouse-combination. In relation to the apparent focus on sun-filled vacation-style luxury sailing it´s kind of odd why the shipyard opted for such a rugged and enclosed large deckhouse. I could imagine that in hot weather and pure sunshine it will get pretty steamy underneath this …
But maybe this is a sign of the versatility of this boat? What if the Wauquiez 55 is also meant to boldly sail into areas where the weather isn´t that nice all the time? Maybe this is their approach to a kind of „go anywhere“-boat that can also handle more wet and maybe also colder areas? I also think of clients who maybe ask for the removal of the aft windows of the deckhouse so that only the large nice windshield remains. I don´t know, of course.
In this, the Wauquiez 55 offers a very wide and thus safe walkway on the side decks to the foredeck. Look at the guardrail: It´s not the ordinary „cheap“ type of railing you can find on any cruising boat. The guard on the Wauquiez 55 are higher than the usual rais and come with three (!) wires, whis is an indication that indeed the shipyard expects their owners to do the big offshore loops with this boat. You normally only find these rails on all-out exploration yachts.
The huge fordeck of the Wauquiez 55 doesn´t house a self-tacking Jib, which you´d might be expecting. It´s rather a full-blown Genoa that will be unfolded here. What´s a bit off for my taste was the strange pattern of the decking material. That´s not Teak nor any real-wood substitution here but rather a one of the faux-Teak deckings. I like the white caulkings but the uninterrupted longitudinal lines without any „stops“ in it to simulate the individual battens made the boat´s deck look like a Tartan track. But that´s just my taste.
Made for serious sailing?
I walk back to the deckhouse and admire the nice rod-kicker – push button of course – and the mighty boom. It would be very, very interesting to see her sailing for real! This boat breaks so many paradigms, shifts so many gears and comes in such a coloful mixture of different characteristics that her performance under sails is really something interesting.
I´ve heard this during the show from many other people I spoke to: „This appears to me like a power boat with a mast.“ Or: „I can´t imagine that this yacht is sailing!“ Well, I don´t think at all that an experienced shipyard like Wauquiez, renown for their long-haul live-aboard boats is not able to come up with a proper sailboat. Even more so as they have been utilized the capabilities of Marc Lombard Design Group! Anyway – take bold steps and you trigger people.
Humble luxury
Let´s go on with our little walkthrough. Passing by the steering station I go down into the saloon. The Wauquiez 55 is a luxury boat made to suit the usual number of people sailing nowadays: That´s basically two adults (the owners) with two occasional/permanent guests or family members. Maybe also one or two crew. Well, the luxury and lush, almost „wasteful“ application of volume we´ve seen in the huge owner´s suite in the rear – it´s almost gone in the saloon.
Don´t take me wrong here: The saloon of the Wauquiez 55 is still a very, very nice place to be! It also measures jaw-droppingly and comes with all amenities you can wish for. I especially like the decision of the interior designers to fit exclusively two Captain´s chairs to the starboard side in front of the chart-table. Those „lonely“ sofas often to be seen in this location are … well, not as good as having these great lounging chairs, right?
The large wood-veneered bulkhead make for a nice, cozy, almost „Alpine“ atmosphere here. This design could easily be your next Ski-resort hotel in the French alps. Compared to the aft cabin, the level of luxury is a bit toned down, almost „humble“, which I really like. Your guests will find it very, very nice and „at home“ here without getting hammered by your show-off luxury as it is the case in many other big boats.
Again, the level of natural light in the saloon is amazing! This is again because of the huge (!) and above all also long hull windows and the large skylight in the saloon front. It would be interesting to take a look at the details here in the shipyard: How is the structural integrity secured and manufactured when taking away so much material from the hull? Also, which kind of adhesives and glues are used to make this anmount of glass safe?
I´ve already stated how much I like the „Captain´s chairs“, something I have discovered years ago with the Hallberg-Rassy boats and grown to adore these. Next to this nice seating area, Wauquiez offers a decent workplace for the Skipper: The chart table appears to be massive, large enough even for bigger printed paper charts. The boat comes with an integrated digital ship management system, similar to Seanapps or other digital applications currently on the rise in the industry.
(Rest of the) Cabins and amenities aboard
As usual for single aft-cabin yachts, the galley is a big „around the corner“ as opposed to ordinary boats. Wauquiez 55 has a nice galley that offers a huge amount of stowage, cabinets, drawers and places to put your food and beverages. Again an indication for the long-haul type of usage envisioned for this vessel.
If your guests arrive, they will be thankful to getting offered the front cabin. Located at the farthest and opposite side of the ship from where the owners will reside, the maximum privacy is guaranteed. The cabin is large by every means. No bare GRP surfaces, instead a huge cabin with a pretty impressive ceiling height.
En-suite bathrooms dedicated for the guest and the owners are a matter of course. If you like, you can have your Wauquiez 55 coming in two layouts: The „grande voyageur“ offers the seen two large cabins and a workshop-style cabin for stowage, tools and such to starboard side. In this, you loose some of the space and one sofa of the aft cabin. I wouldn´t give up a single inch of this perfect cabin though …
Each cabin – meaning your aft owner´s suite, the VIP-guests in the bow and the kids or crew in their Pullman-style cabin – will have their own dedicated en-suite bathrooms. The Wauquiez 55´s heads come with a lot of nice woodworks, upper shelf electric WCs and all you´d expect when at sea. Having three bathrooms for each cabin, I guess, is a must for a boat this size and aspiration.
Speaking of the Pullman cabin: This is special as well. First of all, the one who has the joy of winning the upper bed will have a breathtaking view outside through the extra-large hull windows. Even cooler than in the front cabin! But theres something cool here too. As you can see in the picture above, a large, thickly insulated door opens up here. Guess where it leads? Of course, to the engine room.
Oddity or ingenuity?
Well, it would not be a Wauquiez if there wasn´t a surprise down here in the engine room as well, right? And there is! This should be called the „engines“ room, as there are two of them. That´s correnct: Two Volvo-Penta Diesel engines. The boat comes either with 2 x 50 or 2 x 75 horse power engines. Sadly, the view to the underside of the hull had been obstructed by the trade fair booth so I couldn´t spot their location. But judging from the relatively small distance between the engines, a „catamaran steering effect“ can be ruled out here. So why two engines?
That´s another question worth a detailed investigation. I can see the redundancy and with it the safety with having two engines. If one fails, a second one is still operational. But, honestly, how often do those ultra-reliable Diesel engines really completely fail? If the Wauquiez 55 would have been an all-electric yacht, I´d be applauding this decision for sure. Well, another specialty on this boat worth to be followed.
Apart from this, the engine room of the Wauquiez 55 is exemplary. Almost as exciting and overwhelming as Magnus Rassy´s engine rooms which are for many enthusiasts the highlights of a ship tour. Look at the massive NMEA 2000-wiring at the wall there: As much as I fancy Garmin electronics myself, this is absolute overkill. The increasing „appification“ and digitalization of sailing yachts is a fascinating and exciting issue. But also a mixed blessing, if you ask me …
Something for Sheikhs, cruisiers or hedonists?
Maybe you need to have a bit of all of them three. This new yacht is certainly a very interesting and outstanding accomplishment by the shipyard. I absolutely adore the aft-section and the owner´s suite with its proprietary entrance to the lounging area. The Wauquiez 55 appears much, much bigger than she actually is: This all is „just“ a 55-footer! Amazing.
But I also see the complexity of the boat and the various, let´s say, head scratchers I´ve had whilst taking a look at her. She is a more than worthy successor to the older Wauquier models, certainly attracting owners who seek the extraordinary. She is a polarizing yacht, for sure, but that´s also one of the core aspects of the Wauquiez brand. I leave the boat, look back and would really love to see her sailing! For all the others: Welcome aboard your Qasr al’iibhar.
You might also be interested in these related articles:
Walkthrough in the Wauquiez Pilot Saloon 42
Wauquiez 48 in detail
Marc Lombard on designing cruising yachts of around 40 feet