Design and Construction
Dixon's exterior language for the Hylas 57 reads as a volume-maximized hull with a modern cruising fin and bulb keel as standard, drawing eight feet, while a shoal variant with a hydro-dynamic wing design trims that to just over six feet. Twin rudders are fitted, and the 17-foot beam gives the platform enormous internal width. Hylas had, with this Dixon design, moved toward vacuum-infused closed-cell core hull construction rather than the solid glass and aramid layup of earlier models, a change of method for the yard that arrived with this 2020 boat. The hull-to-deck joint across the marque is an inward flange chemically bonded with 3M 5200, through-bolted in stainless, and glassed over. The raised saloon with its low profile and wrap-around glazing defines the silhouette more than any rig detail.
Rig and Handling
Up top, the Hylas 57 carries a double-spreader in-mast furling main mast and a Solent-style headsail plan that splits duties between a fairly low-cut 110-percent genoa on the inner forestay and a higher-cut 140-percent reaching sail on the headstay. An asymmetrical spinnaker can be tacked to the tip of the bowsprit for offwind work. The cockpit is pushed well aft and divided into two distinct areas, sheltered forward by a small windscreen and capped by a Targa-style arch over the cockpit. With 17 feet of beam and high topsides, the hull form is built around interior space and a divided, aft-weighted cockpit rather than a minimalist deck.
Accommodations
Reviewers define the 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 sits in the starboard passageway aft toward the owner's cabin; in the four-cabin layout, the extra cabin occupies that passageway and the galley relocates into the saloon on the port side of the companionway. The finish is light-colored veneers, white lacquered cabinets, indirect cove lighting, and pale fabrics, a restrained modern interior that leans on the wrap-around windows for daylight.
The Verdict
The Hylas 57 is a 2020-era Dixon design that pairs a high-volume, high-freeboard hull with a Solent rig and twin rudders for predictable offshore manners. The three- and four-cabin layouts give buyers real choice between guest capacity and galley placement, and the raised saloon with wrap-around glass makes the interior feel open without resorting to heavy timber. She is a big, beamy boat — best understood as a liveaboard-capable world cruiser rather than a minimalist racer-cruiser.
Pros
- Bill Dixon design with 17-foot beam and genuinely spacious three- and four-cabin layouts
- Solent headsail plan with 110-percent genoa and 140-percent reacher for flexible sail handling
- Standard bulb fin or shoal wing keel; twin rudders and vacuum-infused core construction from 2020
Cons
- High topsides and large glazing prioritize volume over low-profile aesthetics
- Divided aft cockpit and Targa arch suit a certain layout taste rather than all crews
