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Wally Yachts’ tagline “The Other Side of the Wind” was emblazoned across the signage near the wallypower58’s berth at the 2022 Cannes Yachting Festival, and it felt especially appropriate after stepping aboard the brand’s latest model. With light-blond teak on the sole and gently angled-out gunwales, there is something undeniably sailboat-y about this motoryacht’s design. Related Stories On This New Bond-Inspired Superyacht Charter, Real Special Ops Agents Help You Channel Your Inner 007 Brabus Turned the Mercedes G-Wagen Into a Bonkers 900 HP Supertruck This Epic 410-Foot Hybrid Catamaran Concept Uses Wing-Like Sails to Harness the Wind
The sailing-yacht effect is heightened by liberal use of carbon fiber which was visible across the exterior, from the hardtop to helm console to the cockpit table. Worth noting: a carbon-fiber table is very unusual for a boat; it’s almost always wood or plastic. The carbon-fiber pattern was visible in other places too, including the poles that hold the yacht’s rear sunshade.
That helm had a minimalistic look and feel, thanks to an unusually small steering wheel. It was complemented by twin 24-inch Garmin screens that offset the Spartan aesthetic, at least a bit. The windshield was a single pane in a rectangular frame, which helped with the sightlines and gave the boat a space-age look.
The 58’s vinylester-infused hull is a deep-V with a fine entry, and Guillermo Houwer, who works with Wally’s product development team, said that was key to the boat’s purpose. “We aren’t trying to stuff three cabins on a 58-footer,” he said. “We are trying to create a hull that performs well in big waves. We don’t necessarily need this boat to be the fastest, but we want it to do what it was designed to do, and that means 30 knots, no matter the weather.”
Conditions during my sea trial were mostly flat so I couldn’t give Houwer’s words a true test. However, the hull did feel grippy through S-turns, and she was able to do a perfect circle at 30 knots in two boat lengths.
Top end was 38 knots—shy of the magical 40-knot number, but just fine considering we were cruising the French Riviera.
One of the coolest features was the foldout transom. The wings, also finished in teak, collapse to the sides to give the boat plenty of beam at the stern. The two rear sunbeds then become either the ideal viewing spots for the ocean, or launch pads for water sports. Being a Wally, the transparent sunshade that folds up over the seats is an innovative feature you won’t see on competitors’ boats.
Of course, with Wally, it’s never just about performance. “Beauty is our first target,” company president Luca Bassani told Robb Report as we sat in the cockpit. “I want lines that are clean, aggressive, and powerful.”
Bassani hit his mark with this boat. The aesthetics are spot on—which is to say, striking in a futuristic way—and certainly in keeping with the wedge-shaped Wally look, which first appeared in the early 2000s and is now widely copied.
This 58 may bear a faint resemblance to racing sailboats, which Wally also builds, but it’s one that can get you to the finish line with just a little more juice than the wind can offer.
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