50-55 Motor Yacht

For those looking for something different from traditional Asian imports, the Hi-Tech 55 incorporates the European styling and impressive performance increasingly popular with U.S. buyers. Built in Taiwan by Johnson Yachts and originally marketed as a 50-footer with a conventional transom, the newer 55 introduced in 1990 has a reverse transom and integral swim platform. The hull is a modified-V design with a relatively wide beam and balsa coring in the hullsides. Inside, the Euro-style three-stateroom floorplan of the yacht is a blend of light-colored woodwork (oak, ash, or cherry), rounded corners, and upscale hardware and fabrics. The standard layout has a queen berth in the forward stateroom, stall showers in each head, and a very classy lower helm. (An alternate arrangement has twin staterooms forward.) A canted stainless-and-glass sliding door opens to the aft deck with its teak sole, extended bridge overhang, and molded bridge steps. Standard 735hp 8-92s cruise either model at a fast 24 knots and reach a top speed of around 28 knots.