Comments on Hylas 42 (and Hylas in general)

[killarney_sailor]

I have looked at a Hylas 42 and it seemed to be a beautiful boat. Everything was in great condition accept the teak decking in the cockpit which I would either remove or replace (assuming that the deck and core underneath are sound). Wondering what people thought of this boat.

Also, interested in comments about the cruisability of this and similar boats with an aft cockpit and a midship companionway which is reached by going from the lower aft cockpit to a higher, smaller midship cockpit. Bit unusual arrangement but I can see that it was done to keep the aft cabin private and dry. Not sure about having to crawl forward in heavy conditions; also if you had a dodger on the aft cockpit you would have to go onto the side deck to get to the companionway (the boat has a pram hood protecting the companiionway.

Thanks

[camaraderie]

I really like Hylas...but I just don't understand this design. You might wanna look at the 44 which is a more conventional, well-built CC boat.

[gdavids]

The Hylas 42 is a boat that has really caught our eye as well. There are a few on the market right now. Which one did you look at? We saw the one in San Francisco and could not imagine purchasing that particular one, but the others on the market are more tempting.

There are a few reasons why I might prefer this to the 44. 1) lower price. 2)higher performance PHRF of the 42 is 84 (deep keel version) in San Francisco and the 44 is rated at 108 3) the salon area of the has traditional straight settees compared to the curved design in the 44 (which don't feel right to me on a proper seagoing boat).

The cockpit of the 42 is definitely unorthodox and I wonder how happy I would be with it long term. I've never sailed on this boat, but all signs point to a fantastic sailing ship.

They built both a deep 7' draft version and a 6'2" shoal. I wonder how much difference in performance is noticed in real world sailing conditions? Any thoughts?

Greg

[killarney_sailor]

We saw one in Connecticut. It seemed to be in excellent shape except that the teak decking in the cockpit(s) was totally shot (bare screws showing). Someone had really given it hard treatment over the years. It would have to be replaced and no way of knowing if there was a problem underneath. Also there seemed to be some delamination on the foredeck behind the windlass - probably not too hard to fix that.

I also liked the storage on the 42 compared to that of the 44. The cockpit lockers would be more useful than the lazarettes on the 44 I think.

I do have problems with the companionway arrangement. I sail on the Great Lakes and the water ranges from cool to cold. A dodger is pretty much needed for sailing in cooler weather and rougher conditions. Not sure how it would work with a big dodger for the aft cockpit and a small one for the companionway.

I am sure the deep draft boat would be better - especially to windward, but 7'+ is an non-starter on the Great Lakes. Many harbours are too shallow. Anything over 6' is a problem.

Bruce