Schaefer Yachts 560

There’s a degree of gumption involved any time a builder decides to squeeze a new model into a market that’s already bulging. The truth is, the odds are heavily stacked against such a builder. Triple those odds for an outfit like Schaefer Yachts. 

The 25-year-old Brazilian boatbuilder is well known abroad, but is hardly a household name in North America. To win here you must bring something new, and that’s exactly what Schaefer appears to have done with its first U.S. offering, a flybridge motoryacht.  

“We’ve been building boats for nearly a quarter of a century, with more than 3,500 afloat ranging from 30 to 83 feet. As the biggest shipyard in South America, we’re confident in what we do and how we do it,” says Samuel Brito, CEO of Schaefer Yachts USA. “We’ve actually been exporting to Europe for quite some time. The U.S. may be a mature market with a lot of competition, but we’ve been outperforming these same competitors in Brazil, so we’re confident in the potential for the 560 here.” 

The boat offers nice surprises, the first of which is a surplus of wide-open spaces for social gatherings. I’ll stop short of saying she’s a party boat, as that would be an injustice to her sophistication and elegance. Her interior offers all the spoils of modern luxury, with fine woods and high-quality leathers. Hand-laid surface finishes are an artful blend of Old World craftsmanship and modern technology. The designers seem to have used every inch of her 16-foot 3-inch beam to create usable onboard space. A standout of the 560 is the alfresco main-deck entertainment area that fully integrates aft through the saloon, with a gourmet grilling station on the stern.

Accommodations include three staterooms with plenty of stowage. The full-beam en suite master amidships is well-appointed, with a king-size berth, a separate sitting area, and generous windows. A second head serves the starboard guest stateroom and the forward VIP cabin. Both of the heads have separate, enclosed showers.

The engine-room layout is straightforward with easy access. A pair of 625-horsepower Volvo Penta IPS800s should give the 560 a zippy, yet economical, 26-knot cruise burning around 50 gallons per hour at 2200 rpm. The builder reports a shade over 31 knots at the top end. There’s a lot to like about this luxurious Latina, not the least of which is that she’s well-equipped for the modern American cruising set.

Schaefer Yachts, +55 48 2016 0001, www.schaeferyachts.us

Specifications

  • Builder: Schaefer Yachts
  • Model: Schaefer Yachts 560
  • Year: 2017
  • Base Price: $1.9 million (approximate, when fully loaded with hardtop, teak, etc.)
  • Test Engines: 2/625-hp Volvo Penta IPS800s
  • LOA: 58’8″
  • Draft: 2’9″
  • Beam: 16’3″
  • Displacement: 56,658 lb.
  • Fuel Capacity: 634 gal.
  • Water Capacity: 198 gal.
  • Optional Power: 2/725-hp Volvo Penta IPS950s
  • Props: Duoprop IPS
  • Generator: Cummins Onan

This article originally appeared in the March 2017 issue of Power & Motoryacht magazine.