The Schock 55, also called the Nelson Marek 55, is an American

sailboat A sailboat or sailing boat is a boat propelled partly or entirely by sails and is smaller than a sailing ship. Distinctions in what constitutes a sailing boat and ship vary by region and maritime culture. Types Although sailboat terminology ...

that was designed by

Bruce Marek Bruce Nelson is a Naval Architect who specializes in high-performance yacht design, and who has competed as a sportsman at the upper echelons in his chosen field. Biography Nelson is a University of Michigan graduate in Naval Architecture. He won ...

of the design firm Nelson Marek, as a racer and first built in 1990.

Production

The design was initially built by Geraghty Marine, who built two boats as the Nelson Marek 55, and then by W. D. Schock Corp, who acquired the molds and also built two boats as the Schock 55, with production running from 1990 to 1991.

Design

The Schock 55 is a racing keelboat, built predominantly of

fiberglass Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass (Commonwealth English) is a common type of fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened into a sheet called a chopped strand mat, or woven into glass cloth ...

, with wood trim. It has a masthead sloop rig, a

raked stem The stem is the most forward part of a boat or ship's bow and is an extension of the keel itself. It is often found on wooden boats or ships, but not exclusively. Description The stem is the curved edge stretching from the keel below, up to ...

, a sharply

reverse transom A transom is the vertical reinforcement which strengthens the stern of a boat. This flat termination of the stern is typically above the waterline. The term was used as far back as Middle English in the 1300s, having come from Latin ''transvers ...

, an internally mounted spade-type

rudder A rudder is a primary control surface used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, aircraft, or other vehicle that moves through a fluid medium (generally aircraft, air or watercraft, water). On an aircraft the rudder is used primarily to ...

controlled by a

wheel A wheel is a circular component that is intended to rotate on an axle Bearing (mechanical), bearing. The wheel is one of the key components of the wheel and axle which is one of the Simple machine, six simple machines. Wheels, in conjunction wi ...

and a fixed fin

keel The keel is the bottom-most longitudinal structural element on a vessel. On some sailboats, it may have a hydrodynamic and counterbalancing purpose, as well. As the laying down of the keel is the initial step in the construction of a ship, in Br ...

. It displaces and carries of ballast. The boat has a draft of with the standard keel. The design has a hull speed of .

Operational history

In a 1991 review in ''Cruising World'' by Quentin Warren wrote, "long and lean, carrying a deep keel and a tall rig, the new 55-foot ULDB offered this year by the W.D. Schock Corporation is a striking Bruce Marek design with serious racing potential and a one-design slant."

References

{{WD Schock Corp Keelboats 1990s sailboat type designs Sailing yachts Sailboat type designs by Bruce Marek Sailboat types built by Geraghty Marine Sailboat types built by W. D. Schock Corp

Production

Design

Operational history

See also

References