Hylas Yachts
Encyclopedia
Hylas Yachts is a brand of fiberglass, center cockpit sailboats built in Taiwan
by Queen Long Marine Ltd and designed by Sparkman & Stephens
and German Frers
. The US headquarters are in Marblehead, MA under the name Hylas Yachts USA. Sizes range from 42 to 70 feet. Joseph Huang, the president of Queen Long Marine, introduced the brand in 1984.
to build a 47 foot sailboat called the Stevens 47. They named her after Bill Stevens of Stevens Yacht Charters because he ordered so many of the original boats. In 1984, Huang added two German Frers designs of 42 and 44 feet. He branded them Hylas
after a Greek mythological youth associated with Hercules
and the cruise of the Argonauts
.
The Stevens 47 and Hylas 44 foot versions were popular charter sailboats. Along with Bill Stevens, Caribbean Yachts Charters (CYC) under Dick Jachney ran a charter fleet of 44 and 47 Hylases. Jachney split the cost of new Hylas Yachts with private owners in exchange for using their boat in the CYC fleet for a couple years. This allowed the owner to save considerably on a new Hylas. While a former charter boat could have been refitted, in general these are poorly outfitted for cruising and have high engine hours. The presence of high engine hours on chartered Hylas 44's is especially troubling because of the difficulty of repowering. In 1990, Joseph Huang and Dick Jachney joined forces and redesigned the 44 and 47 adding sugar scoop sterns into eventually the 46 and 49 versions. These 46 and 49 Hylases became the mainstay of the CYC fleet.
Around 1998, Hylas introduced a German Frers 54-foot model. In 2000, they introduced a raised saloon model of the same 54-foot Frers hull design. During this period, Hylas cut ties with CYC and became unaffiliated with any charter boat operation. During the 2005 Caribbean 1500 rally from Virginia
to the British Virgin Islands
, two 54 Hylases lost substantial portions of their rudders. The lower third of the rudders which was all foam and unattached to the partial skeg broke away under the high stress. More recently, Hylas introduced a 66-foot Frers design which has been extended to 70 feet. In 2010, they introduced the 56 Frers, an extended version of the 54.
, Taiwan is the sole builder of Hylas yachts. For the 56 and 70 foot models, they use Twaron
, a Kevlar
like aramid
fiber. Twaron makes a hull reportedly as strong as a metal one. Hylas boasts that the fiber makes their yachts bulletproof.
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
by Queen Long Marine Ltd and designed by Sparkman & Stephens
Sparkman & Stephens
Sparkman & Stephens is a naval architecture and yacht brokerage firm with main offices on 5th Avenue in New York City, USA and offices in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida and Newport, Rhode Island, USA. The firm performs design and engineering of new vessels for pleasure, commercial, and military use....
and German Frers
German Frers
Germán Frers is a naval architect renowned for designing successful racing yachts. He designed his first yacht in 1958. There is a design team consisting of Germán Frers and his son, also named Germán Frers, supported by a team of engineers, architects and designers, some of whom have been with...
. The US headquarters are in Marblehead, MA under the name Hylas Yachts USA. Sizes range from 42 to 70 feet. Joseph Huang, the president of Queen Long Marine, introduced the brand in 1984.
History
In the early 1980s, Joseph Huang of Queen Long Ltd. partnered with Sparkman & StephensSparkman & Stephens
Sparkman & Stephens is a naval architecture and yacht brokerage firm with main offices on 5th Avenue in New York City, USA and offices in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida and Newport, Rhode Island, USA. The firm performs design and engineering of new vessels for pleasure, commercial, and military use....
to build a 47 foot sailboat called the Stevens 47. They named her after Bill Stevens of Stevens Yacht Charters because he ordered so many of the original boats. In 1984, Huang added two German Frers designs of 42 and 44 feet. He branded them Hylas
Hylas
In Greek mythology, Hylas was the son of King Theiodamas of the Dryopians. Roman sources such as Ovid state that Hylas' father was Hercules and his mother was the nymph Melite, or that his mother was the wife of Theiodamas, whose adulterous affair with Heracles caused the war between him and her...
after a Greek mythological youth associated with Hercules
Hercules
Hercules is the Roman name for Greek demigod Heracles, son of Zeus , and the mortal Alcmene...
and the cruise of the Argonauts
Argonauts
The Argonauts ) were a band of heroes in Greek mythology who, in the years before the Trojan War, accompanied Jason to Colchis in his quest to find the Golden Fleece. Their name comes from their ship, the Argo, which was named after its builder, Argus. "Argonauts", therefore, literally means...
.
The Stevens 47 and Hylas 44 foot versions were popular charter sailboats. Along with Bill Stevens, Caribbean Yachts Charters (CYC) under Dick Jachney ran a charter fleet of 44 and 47 Hylases. Jachney split the cost of new Hylas Yachts with private owners in exchange for using their boat in the CYC fleet for a couple years. This allowed the owner to save considerably on a new Hylas. While a former charter boat could have been refitted, in general these are poorly outfitted for cruising and have high engine hours. The presence of high engine hours on chartered Hylas 44's is especially troubling because of the difficulty of repowering. In 1990, Joseph Huang and Dick Jachney joined forces and redesigned the 44 and 47 adding sugar scoop sterns into eventually the 46 and 49 versions. These 46 and 49 Hylases became the mainstay of the CYC fleet.
Around 1998, Hylas introduced a German Frers 54-foot model. In 2000, they introduced a raised saloon model of the same 54-foot Frers hull design. During this period, Hylas cut ties with CYC and became unaffiliated with any charter boat operation. During the 2005 Caribbean 1500 rally from Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
to the British Virgin Islands
British Virgin Islands
The Virgin Islands, often called the British Virgin Islands , is a British overseas territory and overseas territory of the European Union, located in the Caribbean to the east of Puerto Rico. The islands make up part of the Virgin Islands archipelago, the remaining islands constituting the U.S...
, two 54 Hylases lost substantial portions of their rudders. The lower third of the rudders which was all foam and unattached to the partial skeg broke away under the high stress. More recently, Hylas introduced a 66-foot Frers design which has been extended to 70 feet. In 2010, they introduced the 56 Frers, an extended version of the 54.
Models
Hylas Yachts offers 46, 49, 56, 56 Raised Saloon, and 70 foot designs. The 49 is a Tony Seifert modified version of the original Sparkman & Stephens designed 47-footer. All others are by German Frers. Hylas is famous for center cockpits with teak interiors and large aft staterooms. Specifically, they carry beams further aft than most other yachts. Queen Long Marine in KaohsiungKaohsiung
Kaohsiung is a city located in southwestern Taiwan, facing the Taiwan Strait on the west. Kaohsiung, officially named Kaohsiung City, is divided into thirty-eight districts. The city is one of five special municipalities of the Republic of China...
, Taiwan is the sole builder of Hylas yachts. For the 56 and 70 foot models, they use Twaron
Twaron
Twaron is the brandname of Teijin Aramid for a para-aramid. It is a heat-resistant and strong synthetic fibre developed in the early 1970s by the Dutch company AKZO, division Enka, later Akzo Industrial Fibers. The research name of the para-aramid fibre was originally Fiber X, but it was soon...
, a Kevlar
Kevlar
Kevlar is the registered trademark for a para-aramid synthetic fiber, related to other aramids such as Nomex and Technora. Developed at DuPont in 1965, this high strength material was first commercially used in the early 1970s as a replacement for steel in racing tires...
like aramid
Aramid
Aramid fibers are a class of heat-resistant and strong synthetic fibers. They are used in aerospace and military applications, for ballistic rated body armor fabric and ballistic composites, in bicycle tires, and as an asbestos substitute. The name is a portmanteau of "aromatic polyamide"...
fiber. Twaron makes a hull reportedly as strong as a metal one. Hylas boasts that the fiber makes their yachts bulletproof.
| Model | Designer | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 70 | German Frers | Currently in production, comes in centerboard or fixed keel, has centerline queens forward/aft with 2 staterooms midships | |
| 66 | German Frers | Out of production, rare | |
| 56 | German Frers | Introduced in 2009 and in production. Extended version of 54. Likewise comes in standard or raised saloon deck molds. | |
| 54 | German Frers | Comes in standard and raised saloon versions. The RS has a higher sole in the saloon with enlarged windows on cabin trunk compared to standard 54 | |
| 51 | German Frers | Out of production, rare | |
| 49 | Sparkman & Stephens, Tony Seifert | In production, elongated version of 47 with sugar scoop stern, higher freeboard, enlarged cockpit | |
| 47 | Sparkman & Stephens | Out of production, first of Hylas models, originally branded Stevens 47 | |
| 46 | German Frers | In production, extended version of 44/45.5 with integrated sugar scoop stern and head forward with portside offset forward pullman berth | |
| 45.5 | German Frers | Out of production, same hull design as the 44 with a sugar scoop stern added | |
| 44 | German Frers | Out of production, arguably most successful design, succeeded by current 46 | |
| 42 | German Frers | Out of production, only aft cockpit Hylas, has an aft stateroom with centerline queen under cockpit sole |
Resources
- Farrow-Gillespie, Liza, An Open Letter To Hylas, retrieved 2010-4-2
- Hylas Yachts Review, retrieved 2010-4-1
- Kretschmer, John (November 2008), Boat Test: Hylas 66, Sailing Magazine
- Kretschmer, John (October 2002), Boat Test: Hylas 54 RS, Sailing Magazine
- McGeary, Jeremy (May 2009), Hylas 70: Flagship of the Line, Cruising World
External links
- Hylas Yachts USA - information from the US importation agent for Hylas Yachts