Sabre Moves Up. Here’s Much More About Its Big New 58 Salon Express, a 31-Knot Downeast Cruiser with State-of-the-Art Systems
By Peter A. Janssen
Sabre just started production of its newest model, the 58 Salon Express, a three-cabin, 31-knot cruiser that keeps the Maine builder’s traditional Downeast lines while adding state-of-the-art power and ship-control systems. The 58, which fits between Sabre’s 48 and flagship Dirigo 66, is scheduled to be launched late next year.
The new Sabre has all the salty lines that have made the brand so popular in recent years: a clean, long sheerline, low profile and near-to-perfect proportions that are pleasing to the eye and will never go out of style. It also has large side and front windows and a sunroof to let in a lot of natural light. A door from the helm station opens to the starboard side deck, to make docking easy, and the side decks are wide enough and the stainless steel railings are high enough to ensure safety on board.
For power, the new 58 will have twin 725-hp Volvo Penta IPS950 pod drives for easy docking, long range and low noise levels. These engines are six-cylinder common rail diesels with twin entry turbos and a supercharger. The captain controls them with the IPS Plus joystick mounted on the armrest of the Stidd helm chair. (There’s also a second Stidd at the helm for a passenger.) The boat has a modified V hull, with a 15-degree deadrise at the transom and a 24-degree deadrise amidships.
The 58 has Volvo’s Glass Cockpit that collects and displays all the information you need to run the boat in one place via a single interface on Garmin multi-function touchscreen displays. It’s integrated with Volvo’s Electronic Vessel Control System to give you an overview of all the systems on the boat. The new 58 also has Volvo’s Interceptor automatic trim system (which I highly recommend), and the Dynamic Positioning System to keep the boat in place, which is useful if you’re waiting for a bridge to open or for a spot on a busy fuel dock. For further innovation, the boat has full digital switching from CZone.
That’s all the modern part. For the more traditional part, Sabre designs its boats to make cruising safe and comfortable for its customers. It knows what they want. In the 58, the galley is up on the port side with a U-shaped counter and a three-burner electric cooktop, microwave, a Sub-Zero fridge and Sub-Zero freezer plus a sink and lots of under-the-counter storage for a longer cruise. Aft of the galley there’s a U-shape lounge to port and a straight settee to starboard, with high-low tables.
Aft, the door from the salon to the cockpit opens fully, to merge the interior and exterior spaces. The overhang from the cabintop extends over the forward part of the cockpit to offer protection from the weather.
Below, the three cabins all have ensuite heads and showers. The full-beam master (pictured above) is midships with a walk-around king-sized bed and cedar-lined hanging lockers with shelves The VIP cabin is in the bow with a low queen-sized island berth plus cherry-wood cabin sides and ceilings. The starboard guest stateroom has a double berth that converts to separate twins.
Specs.: LOA: 63’9”; Beam: 16’2”; Draft: 4’9”; Disp.: 63,000 lbs.; Fuel: 800 gals.; Water: 250 gals.; Power: 2×725-hp Volvo Penta IPS950 pod drives. For more:
