Its profile is unmistakable. A plumb bow and bowsprit lead into a fairly flat sheer line, while high topsides carry huge rectangular windows. A squared-off transom completes the hull, and wrap-around glazing distinguishes the low-profile raised deck over the saloon.
Design and Construction
Dixon gave the Hylas 57 a volume-maximized hull with a modern cruising fin and bulb keel. The standard keel draws eight feet, while a shoal variant with a hydro-dynamic wing design reduces draft to just over six feet. Twin rudders are fitted, and the 17-foot beam provides enormous interior width.
With this Dixon design, Hylas moved away from the solid glass and aramid layup of its earlier models and adopted vacuum-infused, closed-cell-core hull construction. That change in the yard’s building method arrived with this 2020 boat.
Across the marque, the hull-to-deck joint uses an inward flange chemically bonded with 3M 5200, through-bolted in stainless steel, and glassed over. Visually, however, the low-profile raised saloon and its wrap-around glazing define the boat’s silhouette more than any rig detail.
Rig, Deck, and Handling
The Hylas 57 carries a double-spreader mast with an in-mast furling mainsail. Its Solent-style headsail plan divides duties between a fairly low-cut 110-percent genoa on the inner forestay and a higher-cut 140-percent reaching sail on the headstay. For offwind sailing, an asymmetrical spinnaker can be tacked to the end of the bowsprit.
The cockpit sits well aft and is divided into two distinct areas. A small windscreen shelters the forward section, while a Targa-style arch spans the cockpit. With its high topsides and 17-foot beam, the boat is built around interior space and a divided, aft-weighted cockpit rather than a minimalist deck plan.
Accommodations
Reviewers define the Hylas 57’s interior with one word: spacious. Three layouts are offered—two with three cabins and two heads, and one with four cabins and two heads.
In the three-cabin versions, the galley occupies the starboard passageway leading aft toward the owner’s cabin. In the four-cabin layout, the additional cabin takes over that passageway, and the galley moves into the saloon, to port of the companionway. This gives buyers a clear choice between guest capacity and galley placement.
Light-colored veneers, white lacquered cabinets, indirect cove lighting, and pale fabrics create a restrained, modern interior. The design relies on the wrap-around windows to bring daylight into the saloon rather than using heavy timber to add character.
The Verdict
The Hylas 57 is a 2020-era Dixon design that combines a high-volume, high-freeboard hull with a Solent rig and twin rudders for predictable offshore manners. Its three- and four-cabin layouts provide meaningful choices in guest capacity and galley location, while the raised saloon and wrap-around glazing give the interior an open feel without resorting to heavy timber.
This is a big, beamy boat, best understood as a liveaboard-capable world cruiser rather than a minimalist racer-cruiser.
Pros
- Bill Dixon design with a 17-foot beam and genuinely spacious three- and four-cabin layouts
- Solent headsail plan with a 110-percent genoa and 140-percent reacher for flexible sail handling
- Choice of a standard bulb fin or shoal wing keel
- Twin rudders and vacuum-infused core construction from 2020
Cons
- High topsides and large windows prioritize interior volume over low-profile aesthetics
- The divided aft cockpit and Targa arch will suit some crews’ layout preferences better than others
