THE BOAT WIKI by Lady K

Hylas 44

Hylas

Model specifications and source information

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Production years
1984–1993
Designer
German Frers

Dimensions & rating

LOA
44' 2"
Beam
13' 6"
Displacement
22,320 lb
Draft
Standard / deep keel reference 6' 11"

The quick verdict

The Hylas 44 is a German Frers center-cockpit cruiser known for good sailing performance and a solid build, suited to couples or families who want a roomy bluewater boat. Before buying, check the chainplates, the engine (most had Perkins or Yanmar rather than the poorly regarded Westerbeke 70), and the hours on any ex-charter boat. Listed used examples mostly ask roughly $99,000 to $170,000.

Frers-designed sailing performance; Solidly built, with a proven offshore record; Spacious interior with two cabins and two heads; Sea-kindly manners for couples; Strong value for the money

Small, shallow cockpit with coamings that hit the back; Waddles when dead downwind; Boom placement makes sail handling harder; Boxy cabin trunk; Internal chainplates and crevice corrosion concerns; Westerbeke 70 engine has a poor reputation for parts and mechanics; Very wet ride, low freeboard and sharp entry; High engine hours on ex-charter boats

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Find out whether this design suits your sailing plans with The Boat Picker.

Standardized sailing characteristics

Comfort at Sea

28.61

Raw Brewer Motion Comfort Ratio, a comparison of design motion at sea. It does not rate cabin space or guarantee comfort.

Measurements

Rig diagram & sailing measurements

Rig dimension reference
Rig measurement diagram showing I, ISP, J, P, E, PY and EY
General rig reference. PY and EY apply to boats with a mizzen mast.
D/L · DISPLACEMENT TO LENGTH235
CSF1.92
Below 2.0: generally meets the traditional offshore screening guideline (not a seaworthiness rating).
Waterline length34' 10"
Ballast11,020 lb

Production history

Original

1984–1993

Full specifications

Every figure links to the page it came from. Anything not shown is not yet confirmed by a published source.

Identity

Builder
Queen Long Marine Ltd. sailingmagazine.net ↗
The page names Hylas as the brand and Queen Long Marine Ltd. as the builder of the hulls.
Designer
Lineage note
Same hull later sold as the Hylas 45.5 after a swim-step transom was added; the Hylas 46 is a fresh design that replaced it. sailingmagazine.net ↗
First year built
1985 sailingmagazine.net ↗
The page gives first U.S. availability, not a confirmed first build year.
Last year built
Country built

Hull measurements

Length overall
Waterline length
Beam (widest)
Draft (standard keel)
Air draft (clearance height)
60 ft sailingmagazine.net ↗
Figure as stated on the page; unusually high for this size, so verify.
Displacement (light / design)
22,000 lb sailingmagazine.net ↗
Page says most sources list just over 22,000 lb; the page does not specify light or design displacement.
Ballast weight
11,000 lb sailingmagazine.net ↗
Page says more than 11,000 lb; figure shown is the stated minimum.
Ballast material
Lead sailingmagazine.net ↗
Mounted as a shoe on the keel stub.

Construction

Hull material
Deck core material
Airex or balsa sailingmagazine.net ↗
The page says the builder varied the core material.
Hull-to-deck joint
Inward flange sailingmagazine.net ↗
Through-bolted and chemically bonded.
Structural grid / pan liner
Full-length foam longitudinal stringers that also encapsulate the bulkheads sailingmagazine.net ↗
Rudder type
Steering type
Wheel sailingmagazine.net ↗
Cable steering; the page does not state whether the control is a wheel.
Fuel tank material
Stainless steel sailingmagazine.net ↗

Rig and sails

Mast stepping
Sail area (base / working)
866 sq ft sailingmagazine.net ↗
Working sail area as stated on the page.
Rig dimension I (foretriangle height)
Rig dimension J (foretriangle base)
Rig dimension P (mainsail luff)
Rig dimension E (mainsail foot)

Engine, propulsion, systems

Original engine make
Perkins sailingmagazine.net ↗
Early boats. Most boats later came with a Yanmar 4JH-TE, 55 hp.
Original engine model
4108 sailingmagazine.net ↗
Perkins 4108, 50 hp, per the page.
Fuel capacity
Fresh water capacity

Accommodation

Heads (count, enclosed or not)
2 sailingmagazine.net ↗
Aft head and forward head.
Navigation station

Practical ownership

Known issues (sourced to magazines / associations)
Corrosion-prone push-pull steering cables; leaking overhead hatches and portlights; small cockpit; hard-to-reach engine sailingmagazine.net ↗
Sourced to a magazine article, not a private survey.
Strengths (sourced)
Solidly built; sails and handles well offshore; roomy interior sailingmagazine.net ↗

Calculated from the figures above

Sail area / displacement ratio
17.65
Calculated: sail area divided by (displacement in lb / 64) to the power 2/3, using the published sail area and displacement above.
Pounds per inch of immersion (estimate)
1680.2
Estimated, not measured: waterline length x beam x 0.67 (typical waterplane coefficient) x 64 / 12, using the published figures above.

Surveys and Market Value

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