Design and Construction
The Hylas 63 measures 63 feet overall, with a 57-foot-9-inch waterline, a 17-foot-8-inch beam, and a light-ship displacement of 73,900 pounds. Her nearly plumb bow helps place the LWL just five feet short of the LOA. A solid lead bulb keel draws 7 feet 4 inches.
The hull is a solid fiberglass laminate with alternating layers of e-glass and Twaron, an aramid fiber rated at 2.5 times the strength of steel. Blister-resistant vinylester resin binds the laminate, which is vacuum-bagged to maintain a high fiber-to-resin ratio. Below the waterline, two coats of epoxy provide further protection against osmotic blistering.
The deck molding is also vacuum-bagged, then glued to the hull with 3M 5200 and through-bolted. A 3/4-inch balsa core adds stiffness in high-traffic areas, while the rest of the laminate remains solid. The bulkheads are glassed to both the hull and deck.
Two full watertight bulkheads divide the hull into compartments. The forward bulkhead sits behind the sail and anchor locker; the aft one runs across the lazarettes and dinghy garage.
Rig and Sail Handling
The keel-stepped Seldén rig has three sets of spreaders. An in-mast mainsail uses hydraulic furling, while the 135 percent genoa and staysail have electric furlers as standard. The sail inventory also includes a Doyle package, rod rigging, and Spectra-cored halyards. PBO running backstays support the staysail, while a hydraulic backstay and vang provide rig adjustment.
Sail handling is centralized. Two Antal winches at the mast manage halyards and most other lines. There are ten winches altogether, six of them powered by 24-volt motors for the genoa, staysail, and two-part mainsheet. The genoa’s high clew helps keep the working cockpit clear.
In 7-8 knots of true wind, testers recorded 4.5 to 5 knots to weather and found the boat quick to gather way in light air.
Cockpits and Deck Layout
The exterior is divided between a working aft cockpit with twin helms and a forward lounging cockpit with full-length settees and a centerline table.
The aft cockpit is long and wide, with high coamings and curved, padded helm seats that provide lumbar support. Twin Lewmar Mamba pedestals serve the helm stations, and a walkthrough leads aft to the three-step transom.
Wide, uncluttered side decks and cabintop handholds provide a clear route forward. Hefty toerails border the foredeck, where a stainless-steel double bow roller carries two 90-pound anchors. The primary has 300 feet of 7/16-inch chain; the secondary has 100 feet of chain and 300 feet of 3/4-inch nylon. A 24-volt Maxwell windlass handles the ground tackle.
Accommodations
Frers’ standard layout provides four cabins and four heads. Hull number one had two forward cabins and a large aft owner’s stateroom. The production arrangement includes an aft master cabin with a centerline berth and port-side head, a VIP stateroom in the bow, a port Pullman cabin, and an over-under cabin with a small aft head.
Headroom never falls below 6 feet 4 inches and approaches 7 feet in the saloon. Wraparound windows bring light to the teak-trimmed interior, while an L-shaped port settee seats six to eight people around a large table. A forward-facing navigation table sits below a large, neatly labeled switch panel.
The galley includes two-drawer refrigeration, a side-loading freezer, a three-burner LPG stove, twin sinks, and Corian counters. It also has a roomy Frigoboat freezer with dual compressors and two additional refrigerator units. The test boat carried a dishwasher, wine conditioner, icemaker, microwave, and washer/dryer.
Machinery and Systems
A 220 hp Yanmar 6BY3 diesel turns a fixed four-blade propeller and provides an unhurried cruising speed of 8 knots. For docking, the boat has a pair of 24-volt Sidepower thrusters, one at the bow and one at the stern. During testing, however, she spun within her own length without using them.
The mechanical installation includes a 12 kW Northern Lights genset, dual Racor filters, and two-inch Soundown foam in the engine room.
All electrics run at 24 volts; the VHF and instruments are the exceptions. A 1,000 AH AGM house bank supplies both interior and deck equipment, with separate batteries for starting the engine and generator. The engine’s 24V alternator charges eight LT16 AGMs beneath the sole amidships. Two 8Ds forward and two aft serve the bow and stern thrusters, while a third 12V battery handles domestic needs. The total battery count is 16. LED lighting is used throughout.
Verdict
The Hylas 63 is a detail-oriented, semi-custom cruiser. Its watertight bulkheads, vacuum-bagged Twaron laminate, and centralized powered rig suit serious offshore work, while the interior is arranged for long-term liveaboard comfort. It will appeal most to buyers who value compartmentation and redundant systems over stripped-down simplicity.
Pros
- Two full watertight bulkheads separate the bow locker and aft garage from the living spaces
- Vacuum-bagged solid FRP/Twaron hull with an epoxy barrier against blistering
- Six powered 24V winches and all-electric furling support short-handed sail handling
- Four-cabin, four-head layout, with nearly 7 feet of saloon headroom and a generous galley
Cons
- The 73,900 lb displacement and 7-foot-4-inch draft limit shallow-water anchoring options
- Heavy reliance on 24V powered systems and 16 batteries calls for disciplined maintenance
- The semi-custom fit-out varies from boat to boat, which can complicate comparisons
