Hylas 45.5 Buyer's Guide
Shopping the used market for a Hylas 45.5 means looking at a Frers-designed center-cockpit cruiser that shares its hull form with the later Hylas 46 but carries a more pinched transom and a smaller sugar-scoop swim step. Built from 1993 onward as the precursor to that more common sibling, the 45.5 turns up less frequently than other Hylas models, so a buyer should expect to wait for the right example rather than rush a compromise.
Layouts on the Used Market
The boat is offered in a two-cabin arrangement: a sizeable guest stateroom forward with ensuite head, and a full-beam owner's stateroom aft with a centerline queen and private head and shower. The main saloon holds a starboard settee with convertible pilot berth opposite a wraparound dinette to port, and a full-length passageway galley to starboard gives ample storage and counter space. Numerous opening hatches and portlights are standard, so ventilation and natural light are strong points in every example regardless of upgrade history.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
Most 45.5s on the brokerage market will already carry the short-handed sailing setup the design is known for, along with radar, AIS, autopilot, chartplotter, EPIRB, and life raft as often-seen navigation and safety equipment. A dinghy davits, cockpit shower, bimini, and dodger are also frequent, supporting comfortable tropical cruising. Buyers should expect commonly fitted asymmetric spinnakers and freezers, while solar and inverter fall into the often-seen tier for power independence. For energy and climate, solar with an inverter and a freezer built in as standard mean a well-found boat can sit at anchor without shore power; the canvas and davits clusters make short-handed deck life safer.
What to Inspect
The defining structural facts are worth a close look: the hull is solid hand-laid fiberglass, while the deck is endgrain balsa with solid fiberglass at the mast base and deck fittings, and the two are both glassed and mechanically fastened with stainless bolts on four-inch centers through the toe rail hull and deck joined with stainless bolts on 4-inch centers. On a used example, confirm that the balsa-cored deck areas away from the reinforced zones show no softening, and that the bolt line through the toe rail remains tight and corrosion-free. The more pinched transom and smaller sugar-scoop step relative to the 46 should be checked for gelcoat and structural integrity at the swim-platform attachment.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
The typical market for these yachts is the United States. Because the model is less common than other Hylas designs, viewings may be scattered and infrequent.
- Confirm the two-cabin layout and full-beam aft stateroom match your plans
- Verify deck coring and the bolted hull-to-deck joint at the toe rail
- Check that often-seen gear (autopilot, AIS, davits, canvas) is present and serviced
- Expect a more pinched transom and smaller scoop than the Hylas 46 when comparing sisters
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Hylas 45.5. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 2 rows
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 26 | 2 | $149,900 | — |
| Jun 26 | 3 | $149,900 | 0.0% |
Where they're listed
Hylas 45.5 listings appear across 1 country. United States has the most listings with 5.
Country view
5 listings · 1 country| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | $149,900 | 5 | 0 | 100.0% |
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
10 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Performance Sun Odyssey 45 | 45.01' | $ 168,967 | 118 | 40 |
| Hanse 455 | 44.46' | $ 284,285 | 101 | 36 |
| Catalina 445 | 44.42' | $ 299,500 | 61 | 16 |
| Grand Soleil 45 German Frers | 44.25' | $ 192,593 | 53 | 15 |
| Hylas 46 | 46.25' | $ 350,000 | 47 | 8 |
| Hallberg-Rassy 45 | 46.33' | $ 214,920 | 29 | 4 |
| Dufour Classic 45 | 45.92' | $ 105,118 | 9 | 1 |
| Contest 45 CS | 44.95' | $ 454,143 | 8 | 0 |
| Hylas 45.5You are here | — | $ 149,900 | 5 | 0 |
| Frers 45 | 45' | $ 57,858 | 2 | 1 |