Hylas 63 Sailboat Review, Specs, and Listings

Design and Construction

The hull layup is solid FRP with alternating layers of Twaron, a fiber that is 2.5 times stronger than steel, and the blister-resistant vinylester resin binds together layers of e-glass alternating with the aramid fiber Twaron before the matrix is vacuum-bagged to ensure a strong laminate with a high fiber-to-resin ratio. Below the waterline, two coats of epoxy help prevent osmotic blistering. The deck molding is also vacuum-bagged, glued to the hull with 3M 5200 and through-bolted, with a 3/4 inch balsa core providing stiffness in high-traffic areas while the laminate remains solid elsewhere. Bulkheads are glassed to the hull and deck, and the boat is divided by two watertight bulkheads: a collision bulkhead separating the sail and anchor locker forward from the accommodations, and a full collision bulkhead aft separating the lazarettes and dinghy garage from the interior. Those boundaries are not cosmetic—they give the 63 a defined crash structure at both ends of the accommodations shell.

Rig and Handling

The triple-spreader Seldén rig is keel-stepped and carries an in-mast mainsail, with the standard sail configuration a 135 percent genoa and staysail, all on electric furlers backed by hydraulic backstay and vang. Rod rigging, spectra-cored halyards, PBO running backstays behind the staysail, and a Doyle sail package round out a rig that puts most control at the mast via a pair of Antal winches, while ten winches in total include six 24-volt powered units for the genoa, staysail, and mainsheet. Under sail, testers recorded her quick to gather way, making a good 4.5 to 5 knots to weather in 7-8 knots of true wind; under power, the 220hp Yanmar 6BY3 diesel with a fixed four-blade propeller drives the boat at an unfussed 8-knot cruising speed, and the 63 spun in its own length without their assistance, forward and astern, despite carrying a pair of 24-volt Sidepower thrusters at bow and stern as standard.

Accommodations

The stock layout as drawn by Frers has four cabins and four heads, with the master stateroom aft around a centerline berth and a port-side head with stall shower, a VIP stateroom in the bow with its own head and shower, a Pullman berth cabin to port, and an over/under cabin with a small head aft. Headroom is never less than 6 feet 4 inches and reaches nearly 7 feet in the saloon, where large wrap-round windows illuminate teak trim and an L-shaped settee to port seats six to eight around a big table. The forward-facing nav table carries a huge switch panel behind which row upon row of neatly secured, fully labeled wires were found. The galley pairs two-drawer refrigeration and a separate top- and side-loading freezer with a three-burner LPG stove and oven, twin sinks, and Corian counters in two colors; the test boat added a dishwasher, wine conditioner, icemaker, microwave, and washer/dryer. Outside, the center-cockpit concept splits into a working rear cockpit with twin helms, curved well-padded seats, and high coamings, plus a forward lounging cockpit with full-length settees and a centerline table.

Equipment and Electrical

All electrics are 24-volt bar the VHF and instruments, and the 63 is a 24V vessel with a 1,000 AH house bank of AGM batteries powering interior and exterior gear including winches and windlass, backed by separate engine and generator start batteries and a third 12V domestic battery. The engine drives a 24V alternator into eight LT16 AGM batteries below the cabin sole, while two 8D batteries forward and two aft serve bow and stern thrusters, and a 12 kW Northern Lights genset is standard. A 24-volt Maxwell windlass handles a brace of 90-pound anchors on a stainless double bow roller, the primary with 300 feet of 7/16 inch chain and the secondary with 100 feet of chain and 300 feet of 3/4 inch nylon. Dual Racor fuel filters, two-inch Soundown insulation foam in the engine room, and a built-in oil exchange pump for engine, generator, and transmission speak to the detail-oriented spec level.

Known Issues

No documented structural, rig, or systems defects appear in the reviewed material; the known constraints are inherent to the design rather than faults. The near-plumb bow, 7 foot 4 inch draft of the solid lead keel with bulb, and 73,900 pound displacement place the 63 firmly in the bluewater cruiser class where docking without thrusters is possible but assisted by the standard bow and stern units. The semi-custom nature means personalization varies boat to boat, and the four-cabin layout of hull #1 differed from the stock Frers drawing by placing two cabins forward rather than the VIP and Pullman split.

The Verdict

The Hylas 63 is a serious offshore center-cockpit cruiser that pairs Frers' restrained hull logic with a vacuum-bagged Twaron-reinforced shell and a genuinely dual-purpose deck plan. It is a boat built for long passages and lazy anchor lounging in equal measure, with an electrical and rigging specification that assumes the crew wants powered assistance without sacrificing sail-handling discipline at the mast.

Pros