Hylas 70 Buyer's Guide
The Hylas 70 is a serious offshore passage-maker, and buying one used demands that you understand exactly what you are getting into — a large, highly customized bluewater cruiser built to a specification, not a production boat cranked out by the thousand. Queen Long Marine in Taiwan constructed these hulls under the Hylas banner to German Frers lines, and no two boats emerged from the yard in quite the same configuration. That bespoke character is both the appeal and the complication for a buyer: the standard of construction is genuinely high, but the outfitting decisions made by each original owner shape the boat in lasting ways. Go into the purchase expecting to spend real time learning the vessel's particular systems rather than assuming familiarity from one example to the next.
The centerboard keel is central to the Hylas 70's cruising proposition. With the board raised the boat carries a draft that lets her explore anchorages closed to most boats of this length; with it down she achieves a depth more suited to windward performance offshore. Buyers should confirm the board mechanism is in sound working order and understand that any deferred maintenance here can become a significant project.
Layouts on the Used Market
Both the original four-cabin and the occasional owner-specified three-cabin arrangement appear on the used market, though the four-cabin layout — suited to charter or owner-operated cruising with guests — is the more common of the two. Because the Hylas 70 was built in small numbers and finished to individual order, cabin configurations, joinery detailing, and sole materials vary noticeably from hull to hull. Buyers accustomed to shopping production boats will find the comparison process more nuanced here; it is worth visiting multiple examples to understand the range before settling on one.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
Boats reaching the used market are almost universally fitted out for extended offshore passages. A watermaker, air conditioning, life raft, bow thruster, electric winches, chartplotter, and autopilot are commonly fitted across the fleet; furling mains, inverters, dinghy davits, a freezer, and cockpit shower appear with similar regularity. Dodgers and biminis are essentially universal. Solar panels and a short-handed sailing setup — including self-tailing systems at every position and centralized control options — are widely found, reflecting the profile of owners who planned to cross oceans with minimal crew.
Teak decks, asymmetric spinnakers, swim platforms, and EPIRBs are often seen as well. Heating systems turn up on hulls that have spent time in northern latitudes. Lithium battery banks and spinnaker inventories fall into the category of owner upgrades that appear on some examples and are worth confirming on the inspection checklist.
Because original owners frequently worked closely with the yard and with professional captains during the build, many Hylas 70s carry specialized or high-specification gear — hydraulic deck systems, custom electronics arrays, or purpose-built passage provisions — that can add genuine value or, if aging, can represent a substantial refitting obligation. Ask for full documentation of every installed system and cross-reference it against the current condition.
What to Inspect
The Hylas 70's high standard of construction means that well-maintained examples hold together extremely well, but the scale and complexity of the vessel mean that deferred maintenance compounds quickly. The centerboard trunk and lifting mechanism deserve careful attention: confirm the board operates freely and inspect for any weeping at the trunk. The Leisure Furl or equivalent in-boom furling main, often fitted hydraulically, should be tested through its full range; early in-boom furling systems placed their drive motors forward of the mast, but later practice moved the motor into the aft end of the boom where it is exposed to green water — a hydraulic motor tolerates this better than an electric one, but condition should be verified regardless. Hydraulic deck gear — winches, windlasses, furlers — should be pressure-tested and inspected for hose condition, and the central pump and its backup should both be confirmed operational.
Electrical systems on these boats are elaborate. The nav station typically functions as a combined control center for all circuits, and the complexity reflects serious offshore ambitions; a qualified marine electrician familiar with large offshore cruisers should audit the panel and all DC/AC runs. Fuel and water tankage on the Hylas 70 is generous and distributed across multiple tanks; all tanks can be dipped for a visual check, which is a useful redundancy to verify is still intact. Check all through-hulls, sea cocks, and the raw-water systems for age-related deterioration. Standing rigging on hulls that have completed substantial ocean miles should be replaced if there is any doubt about service history.
Teak decks, where fitted, are worth a close look for fastener condition and caulking integrity — recaulking or re-laying teak is expensive at this length.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
The Hylas 70 is most commonly found on the United States brokerage market, with the Atlantic seaboard — particularly the Chesapeake Bay region, Florida, and New England — being the areas where examples most frequently surface. Occasional listings appear in the Mediterranean and Caribbean, typically from owners who completed the offshore programs the boat was built for.
Production numbers are small, so buyers should expect a limited pool and should not wait for a perfect example to appear at a convenient moment. When one does come to market, move deliberately but promptly.
Before making an offer, work through this checklist:
- Centerboard condition, trunk integrity, and lift mechanism function
- In-boom or furling main system — drive motor condition and full operational test
- Hydraulic system pressure, hose age, and both primary and backup pump function
- Full electrical audit by a qualified marine electrician
- All fuel and water tanks inspected and service history documented
- Standing rigging hours and service records
- Teak deck condition — fasteners, caulking, core samples at high-wear areas
- Watermaker, air conditioning, and generator service history
- EPIRB and life raft certifications current
- All customized systems documented with original spec sheets where available
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Hylas 70. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 7 rows
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 25 | 2 | $ 664,500 | — |
| Sep 25 | 3 | $ 659,000 | -0.8% |
| Nov 25 | 2 | $ 972,000 | +47.5% |
| Dec 25 | 3 | $ 949,000 | -2.4% |
| Jan 26 | 3 | $ 949,000 | 0.0% |
| Mar 26 | 3 | $ 899,000 | -5.3% |
| May 26 | 1 | $ 949,000 | +5.6% |
Where they're listed
Hylas 70 listings appear across 1 country. United States has the most listings with 14.
Country view
14 listings · 1 country| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | $ 949,000 | 14 | 0 | 100.0% |
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
6 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hylas 70You are here | — | $ 949,000 | 15 | 1 |
| Solaris 58 | 57.25' | $ 1,204,210 | 14 | 3 |
| Hylas 63 | 63' | $ 1,395,000 | 9 | 5 |
| Santa Cruz 70 | 68' | $ 319,000 | 8 | 2 |
| Swan 80 | 81.69' | $ 1,886,995 | 8 | 0 |
| Swan 70 | 70.05' | $ 1,708,831 | 5 | 3 |