2021 Sabre 58 Salon Express

One thing about the Sabre 58 Salon Express—just a glance and you know you’re in the ­presence of New England design sensibility. Maybe it’s the long, portlight-arrayed trunk cabin or the ever-so-subtly upswept sheerline. Or maybe it’s the fine, lofty, deeply flared bow sections, the cutaway forefoot or the angular, swept-back pilothouse. Whatever feature you zero in on, it certainly doesn’t take long to see that the 58 is a proud Down Easter with a raised-pinky pedigree that, fortuitously enough, sits quite comfortably alongside the thousands of rough-and-tumble lobster boats that work the rocky coast of Maine.

As with her sistership, the Sabre 48 Salon Express, the 58’s ­interior proffers wood just about everywhere. Most of the lot (ceiling planks, paneling, cabinetry, doors, trim etc.) is brightly varnished ­cherry, although the decks are laid with teak and holly (also varnished) and the cabinet drawers are of precisely crafted, dovetailed maple. The layout itself features three staterooms (with three heads) on the lower deck (a full-beam master aft, a VIP forward and a twin guest to starboard in between) and a galley, salon and helm station topside.

The ambiance of the entirety is both traditional and quite yachty. Moreover, there’s a high level of fit and finish, in no small part due to the ­boatbuilding tradition that’s distinguished the Pine Tree State for virtually all of its long, storied history. The incorporation of raised-panel-type doors with translucent shoji screens enliven the staterooms belowdecks, and sightlines from the upper deck are nearly ­unlimited. Indeed, thanks to the stainless-steel-framed doors and curved corner windows at the rear, as well as the three expansive windshield panels forward and the two banks of expansive side windows (with a door opening onto the starboard side deck at the helm), the main deck’s bright, vibrant vibe is almost fully circumscribed by glass.

There are a couple of ways the new 58 differs from her 48-foot sistership. First, the trunk cabin has been shortened somewhat, at least by comparison with the previous configuration. And second, the superstructure has been moved further forward.

These changes are subtle, but they afford a layout rearrangement that’s significant. While the older 48 had a galley-down layout that put the cook well belowdecks in a somewhat darkened, semi-isolated spot, the aforementioned modifications to the 58’s profile have permitted Sabre’s designers to add space to the boat’s main deck. And this, in turn, has allowed them to incorporate a bright, socially connected U-shaped galley aft, with easy, open-air access to the cockpit for the cook, once the big stainless-steel-framed glass doors at the rear of the salon are swung back.

Another of the 58’s virtues that Sabre’s Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Bentley Collins touts resolves a performance issue that has been occasionally associated with the 48 Salon Express—a tendency to run slightly bow high with an exceptionally heavy dingy stowed on her swim platform.

“We’ve deepened the buttocks angles at the stern of the 58,” Collins explains, “so the driver doesn’t have to trim the boat down so much to get the appropriate sightlines forward. Otherwise, she should run about the same.” —Capt. Bill Pike

LOA 63’9”
Beam 16’2”
Draft 4’9”
Displ. (half load) 65,700 lbs
Fuel 800 gal.

Water 230 gal.
Power 2/725-hp Volvo Penta IPS950s
Cruise Speed 27 knots
Top Speed 31 knots