Hylas H60 Review, the Frers Flagship That Rebooted Hylas Yachts

Hylas Yachts hands the helm to a new generation

For decades Hylas Yachts meant one thing: finely crafted, Frers-designed center cockpit cruisers built by Queen Long Marine in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, with rich teak interiors and conservative styling. When siblings Andy Huang (CEO) and Peggy Huang (COO) took over the brand, the first boat they launched, the Hylas 48, stayed in that mold and won Cruising World's 2019 Boat of the Year in its class.

The H60 was the break. Cruising World called it a fresh approach to luxury cruising, and SAIL described it as the company's first from-scratch design under the new leadership. It was introduced in the winter of 2020 and test sailed after the Miami International Boat Show, Yachting World ran a virtual first look the same year, and Cruising World's judges named it Best Luxury Cruiser for 2021. Anyone researching Hylas yachts today will find the H60 is the bridge between the old center cockpit boats and the newer H57.

A Frers hull with a plumb bow and twin rudders

Germán Frers drew a hull that is fully contemporary: a near-plumb bow with a molded composite sprit, a broad transom carried well aft (17 ft 3 in beam amidships and 15 ft 6 in at the transom, per SAIL), twin spade rudders and a bulbed fin keel in deep (8 ft 10 in) or shoal (6 ft 6 in) form. Freeboard is high at about 6 ft, and several watertight bulkheads, including a forward crash bulkhead, are built in.

The sail plan is a triple-spreader fractional rig with about 1,827 sq ft of sail and an air draft Hylas lists at 92 ft. That height kept SAIL's test boat out of the lower half of Biscayne Bay, a reminder to check bridge clearances on the Intracoastal Waterway before you commit to an East Coast cruising plan.

Infusion arrives at Queen Long

Earlier Hylas hulls and decks were hand laid at Queen Long. For the H60, the Divinycell-cored hull, deck and bulkheads were resin infused in vinylester at nearby Atech Composites, a SCRIMP specialist, and shipped back to Queen Long for the build-out. Hylas claimed the result was 8 percent lighter and 40 percent stronger.

Cruising World's Boat of the Year judges were struck by the quality of installation. Judge Murphy called the systems work exemplary, pointing to the CZone digital switching on a 24 volt DC system with a manual fuse backup for every circuit, and to 316L stainless tankage. His fellow judge Pillsbury praised engraved labels on every seacock, color-coded wiring and complete plumbing and electrical drawings aboard.

A lounging cockpit forward, a working cockpit aft

Hylas offered two deck arrangements, a long open walk-through cockpit and the bridge deck version on hull 1. The bridge deck layout splits the cockpit: a recessed lounge forward with a drop-leaf table and settees, then a raised deck flowing aft to twin wheels and the working area. All winches sit aft within reach of the helms, including a large Antal electric winch for the mainsheet and smaller electric winches for headsail sheets and running rigging.

Sail handling is aimed at a couple: a 105 percent jib, Selden hydraulic in-mast furling for the main, Selden electric furlers for the headsails, an optional self-tacking staysail and a hydraulic backstay and vang controlled from the helm. A bow thruster is standard and a stern thruster optional. The transom drops down to reveal a garage large enough for a 9 ft tender, so there are no davits spoiling the profile, and a telescoping passerelle is built in.

• Self-launching anchor in the integrated sprit
• Lines led aft under deck in conduits
• Folding cleats on the toerail and flush hatches
• Space for two sun loungers aft of the mainsheet

A traditional passagemaker plan in a white interior

Below, the plan is traditional for a passagemaker even if the finish is not. The standard layout has three cabins and two heads: a VIP forward with an island queen and two hanging lockers, a guest cabin to port with over and under bunks that can become an office, and a large owner's suite aft with a couch, desk and en suite head. A four cabin version splits the aft suite into two twin cabins, moving the owners forward.

The saloon sole is raised so tanks and systems sit low, the nav station faces aft to port at the foot of the companionway with walk-in engine room access behind it, and the long inline galley, a Hylas trademark, runs along the starboard passage to the owner's cabin. Hull 1 used white ash, white leather overhead, Meganite counters and wenge accents by Hot Lab; a darker teak-toned finish was offered for traditionalists.

Test numbers under sail and power

Both test sails were in light Miami conditions. SAIL recorded 6.1 knots on a beam reach in 11 knots of wind, 6.5 knots at 60 degrees apparent in a 13 knot puff and 3.7 knots at 120 degrees apparent. Cruising World short-tacked the Port of Miami channel and saw a little better than 6 knots over the ground in about 12 knots, still making 5 knots when the breeze dropped below 8. Both testers found the Jefa steering light and responsive.

Under power the Volvo Penta D3 150 hp pushed the boat to 8.1 knots at 2,900 rpm and wide-open throttle, and SAIL recommended 2,200 rpm as an economical cruise at 7.4 knots. Fuel burn was not published, but 370 gallons of diesel gives a long motoring reach.

Price, running costs and who it suits

Cruising World reported a $1.85 million base price, with hull 1 carrying about $380,000 of upgrades. Expect a comparable new boat to sit well above $2 million in 2026. Running a 60 ft yacht with hydraulics, digital switching, a watermaker and multiple electric winches typically costs $90,000 to $180,000 a year in the US, including a 60 ft slip, insurance, yard work, systems service and sail and rigging reserves. Many owners use a part-time or full-time captain.

The H60 suits experienced couples who want a modern, fast-looking passagemaker with superyacht-style systems documentation, and owners who may want crew for deliveries. Buyers who prefer a classic Hylas center cockpit should look at older models or the H57.