HCB 56 Sueños GIX

In early July, one of northern Michigan’s most popular events took place in beautiful Boyne City — the annual Boyne Thunder poker run.

The charity event draws high-performance powerboats from all over the Great Lakes for the long summer weekend.

For a few days, Boyne City and Lake Charlevoix are invaded by a fleet of high-performance V-hulls and catamarans, all screaming from port to port in pursuit of a winning hand of playing cards.

Most of the boats rocking across the water in the poker run were the kind of toys adrenaline junkies usually dream about. But the coolest boat that weekend was the 2025 56 Sueños GIX — the latest build from HCB.

A super center console

Translated from Spanish, sueños means dreams. With its sharp lines, go-fast stance and five Mercury 600-hp outboards hanging on the transom of the test boat for a total of 3,000 hp, the dream-worthy 56 Sueños fit in nicely with the fleet of poker run competitors.

An evolutionary leap from the 53 Sueños, the 56-footer features the same sharp lines and beautiful profile as its smaller sibling. HCB stretched the new Sueños by 3 more feet and even widened the boat to give it a 15-foot beam. The result is 40% more Sueños with no impact on the boat’s stunning profile.

As one of the boating industry’s new family of luxury “super” center consoles, the 56 Sueños is just as capable running out deep for big fish as it is shuttling a group of tuxedo-wearing guests to the latest waterfront gala.

The 2025 HCB 56 Sueños GIX waiting for me at the dock in Boyne City was nicely rigged for either occasion.

With lots of dedicated options and features like carbon fiber outriggers and rocket launchers on the hardtop and a wealth of extra rod holders, the 56 Sueños is a more-than-capable sportfishing boat. Extras like the 22-inch Garmin LED screen overhanging the aft cockpit make it even easier to imagine a group of anglers hauling some monster fish onboard to stow in the boat’s huge fishboxes.

The 56 Sueños is available in several configurations, with deck layouts and other options that can be focused more on entertaining, fishing or even additional protection from adverse conditions.

No matter which layout you choose, the 56 Sueños includes abundant seating, all covered in modern Cool Feel vinyl so even dark colors stay comfortable to the touch in the hot sun. Bow seating can be converted into a huge sunpad, while ample seating on the forward edge of the cabin top, behind the helm and aft all make it possible to ensure no one stays behind on the dock.

On both the port and starboard sides, twin entry or dive doors make boarding the Sueños easy no matter the dock height, while user-friendly telescoping ladders lie hidden below the deck just inside each door. When open, the doors themselves also tuck under the gunnels so they do not reduce deck space or impede the flow of foot traffic.

The test boat also featured a truly functional summer kitchen just behind the helm. Plenty of counter space, several cold storage drawers, a sink and an optional grill mean dinner might include the day’s fresh catch no matter how far it is to shore.

Walking around the boat, there is no shortage of cold storage, rod storage, seating, speakers or USB connections. For anyone who still associates the name “center console” with a utilitarian fishing vessel, the overabundance of luxury offered by the 56 Sueños will quickly change that image.

Bolt control

Already well-known for its build quality and luxury appointments, HCB can now add “high-tech” to its impressive resume. Along with a wealth of other innovations, the 56 Sueños also includes HCB’s new proprietary Bolt digital control system, which gave the builder a 2024 win at the prestigious Miami Innovation Awards.

Inspired by the automotive industry, the HCB Bolt control system eliminates many physical controls like dash switches, offering a cleaner appearance and fewer points of failure. Accessed through its dedicated touchscreen, the Bolt system also provides one-touch access to groups of functions with tailored preset modes for Cruising, Fishing, Anchoring or Home — all of which can activate, deactivate or change settings for groups of accessories like lights, temperatures, pumps and much more.

The Bolt system provides control that others do not — the ability to out-think the system. For example, where other systems will disable a pump due to an error or warning, HCB’s Bolt system allows the owner to override the system. At the risk of oversimplification, if you know the water tank is full but an indicator disagrees, the Bolt system will let you choose to run the pump. Also at the helm, two Garmin touchscreens provide plenty of navigation and operational information. Controls for engine trim and trim tabs, bow and optional stern thrusters, and other necessities are easy to access but HCB’s Bolt system makes for a nice, clean dash.

Below, the 56 Sueños GIX continues the luxury treatment with a well-appointed and incredibly roomy cabin. Head below in many walk-arounds and you might feel slightly claustrophobic, but HCB does not offer lots of deck space at the expense of cabin comfort.

Forward, the main berth can comfortably accommodate two sleepers, while a sizeable head on the starboard side is mirrored by a spacious shower to port. The boat’s nicely designed galley is more than adequate for weeks of cruising.

Headspace below is also impressive with well over 6 ½ feet of overhead clearance. There is plenty of room for taller passengers or crew, even in the cabin’s aft seating area.

Rocketship performance

One key and HCB’s innovative controls bring the boat to life. Although the test boat was equipped with five Mercury 600s, other power options include four Mercury 600s or your choice of four or five Yamaha 450s.

Once off the dock, the big boat easily managed maneuvers in the marina’s tight quarters with joystick controls, a standard bow thruster and the test boat’s optional stern thruster.

Out on Lake Charlevoix, throttling up the boat launched the 56 Sueños forward with almost no perceptible bow rise. The hull design on the big center console is just as impressive as the rest of the boat, but the smooth ride and rocketship performance are still just a little unexpected.

The 56 Sueños easily showed off by cruising at 45 mph and hitting a top speed of 65 mph. Even running wide-open, whip the wheel and the big boat corners like it was built for competition. Conditions were perfect for the weekend’s poker run, with the lake’s surface nearly mirror-smooth. To get a feel for the ride, we stirred up the water with a few passes to create enough wake so that crossing it would give some feedback. We cruised effortlessly across with no hull or structural noises, rattles or unwanted sounds from any source.

“The new HCB 56 is a game changer featuring abundant space and yacht-like amenities with the comfort of a sport cruiser,” states Matt Huyge, sales professional at Jefferson Beach Yacht Sales. “This model is capable of offshore fishing, dayboating with a crowd, and even lengthy cruising trips while perfectly packaged with the technology, agility and performance of an offshore center console.”

In other words, you could say the 2025 HCB 56 Sueños GIX rides and handles like an absolute dream.