Want To Buy: Hylas 49

[BlueNoser17]

I have reviewed on Yachtworld a 1993 Hylas 49 in Newport for awhile now. The price was just lowered on June 1st and seems to be very reasonable as compared to slightly older 47's. Does anyone know this boat and if there are major issues that would preclude looking at it further? My wife and I have been "daydreaming" about a Hylas 47/Stevens 47 for a couple of years now and this boat has been on our radar. Thank you

[S/V Illusion]

One of our kids has a H49 and does a lot of offshore sailing on her. His only complaint is the bow arrangement of the winch and ground tackle which he had to completely re-engineer to make it work properly. No specific info on the one for sale.

[BlueNoser17]

Thank you. We have looked at a lot of other models over the last couple of years and really like the H47/H49. The H49 is out of our budget but this one is intriguing because it is older (with a lower price)

[Santiago1A]

Bring money - alot of money...

[Joli]

They're lovely boats that should serve you well for many years.

[Muaddib1116]

I don't know anything about this boat outside of the listings, but from what I can see, this boat has a lot of potential, depending on what you are looking for.

I think a lot depends on your expectations. Your expectations for what that type of money will get you, and for what condition boat you want to have. This is definitely not a mint condition H49 that somebody spent tons of money on every year to keep in bristol fashion. She has been well used, and it shows. You can see some water staining around the mast, chainplates, and some other spots on the internal woodwork. The leaks may have been addressed, but if you're expecting flawless woodwork, then this isn't the boat for you.

I'm assuming that since you've been aiming towards the older Hylas/Stevens 47 that you are looking for a boat with a good build and design to use for cruising, and having a flawless interior isn't necessary. If that's the case, there's a lot potentially going for this boat. It's a great design and build, a solid hull (doubtful there's any significant issues there), deck laminate condition will be apparent at survey, and it claims to have a relatively new engine with low hours (huge money job). The overall equipment is fine for extended coastal cruising in comfort and judicious blue water cruising. The real question there is the condition of all that equipment. And then of course there's the condition of the rigging. Most of this will come out in the survey.

I think if you're realistic about what you're looking at and are prepared to spend some money or time (diy) to do some needed work, and can negotiate the price a little, then this could be a good boat for your needs. If you're serious about this boat, I would suggest you go take a look at the other two H49's on the west coast before looking at this one, so you'll have an idea of what those higher list prices are coming with.

[BlueNoser17]

Hello Muaddib1116

Some very good thoughts and advice. I spoke with the broker and obtained a current survey (April, 2021). It appears that this boat has some "good bones" but needs a little TLC and replacement/upgrades of a few things including standing rigging, deck repairs, leaky hatches/windows and a few other things. Assuming no core damage, most of this is doable for the right person (and I believe you would end up with an excellent boat - particularly considering the new engine and a few other things). Three things I note - I think you are spot on to suggest reviewing comparable 49's on the west coast. We have tried and not been able to review the one yet in BC and we are waiting on the border to open to take a look at the one in Washington. Second, not sure if we are up to doing the repairs or not. This is a discussion with the Admiral. Lastly, this is on the high end of size we are considering and have been more interested in the 42-46 for range. A boat this size or bigger may just be too much boat for a couple in their late 50's who are looking for something that is solid, comfortable and has sufficient storage space for gear and an occasional guest. Stepping on/sailing a few boats once the pandemic is behind us will really help to clarify this issue.

Thank you for your input and thoughts. They are very much appreciated!

[Muaddib1116]

I'm glad you got a good amount of transparency from the broker. I'm actually a little surprised that he disclosed some of that without you having made the trip down. It all certainly sounds repairable, although you'll probably be stuck with the wood stains. I think it would be easy to spend another 100k doing all that at a yard though.

Without diving too deep into the other H49 listings, I'll just note that the H49 in BC has the original engine with 6500 hours on it and the H49 in Washington has teak decks. The engine hours may not be a problem, but that's a fair amount of use. And as somebody who bought a boat with teak decks, I'd say that it's my biggest regret with my boat. They get crazy hot in even New England sun, and the cost of replacing them with something else is incredible.

If you're actually interested in a smaller boat, and don't need a third cabin, then your options open up a bit. Here's a few that looked appealing to me.

There's a couple Norseman 447's on the west coast. I've heard these are great boats, Bob Perry designs, well built in Taiwan. I don't really like the shape of the cockpit on these, but everything else about them seems well thought out.

https://www.yachtworld.com/boats/198...n-447-3845156/
https://www.yachtworld.com/boats/198...utter-3847833/

There's a really interesting Nordic 46 in Seattle. I think it's a customized version of Bob Perry's Nordic 44, built by a good builder in Washington. This boat is my favorite boat that's available in this size. It's got a semi-pilothouse with great visibility and autopilot and throttle controls inside, a good two cabin/two head layout, a nice well protected center cockpit, and a decent aft deck and swim platform transom. There's also some pretty decent deck storage scattered about, a pretty big locker in the cockpit floor, a couple deep lazarettes, two shallow deck lockers aft of the cockpit, and a couple lockers built into the steps of the sugar scoop transom. Propane is in a separate locker near the port side shrouds. If this boat was bigger and had been for sale on the east coast when I was buying, I would have been very interested.

https://www.yachtworld.com/boats/199...ic-46-3821420/

Rounding out my suggestions, there is a J46 in California that gets you a boat built this century in America. This boat has a slightly more modern performance hull design. It's designed and setup more as a racer/cruiser, but the build quality is good, and the finish looks very nice. You don't get the aft cabin, but it has a good two cabin/two head layout and there's a big storage locker under the port side of the cockpit that can be accessed through the aft head.

https://www.yachtworld.com/boats/200...-j-46-3802560/