Hylas Yachts, which makes high-end cruisers at the Queen Long yard in Taiwan, just delivered a new M44 motoryacht to an American owner in the Chesapeake and is finishing up a new M49 motoryacht for another American owner on Lake Michigan.
Andy Huang, the Hylas CEO, said the M44 “has been an evergreen model for Hylas, with good levels of interest shown across the boating world.” Hylas has sold ten M44s since it started the model in 2015. The new M49 is a larger version of the M44, with more room in the cockpit and in the accommodations area below.
The M49 is a two-cabin, two-head, fuel-efficient cruiser that displays the company’s craftsmanship and attention to detail. For easy living on board, whether underway or on the hook, the main deck is all one level from the swim platform to the helm. The grill, fridge, sun lounge and day head in the cockpit flow into the salon, with the galley and dinette aft and a large U-shaped lounge on the port side opposite the helm. The helm has seating for two, and a sliding door opens to the starboard side deck so the captain can help with docking or line handling.
The hull is designed by Dan Salthouse in New Zealand, and it’s modeled on years of experience with blue-water workboats there. The M49 is powered by twin 370-hp Yanmars and tops out at 31 knots.
Hylas emphasizes that the M49 can be customized for each owner, but the standard accommodations include the owner’s cabin forward with an island double bed, and a guest cabin just aft to port with twin berths and an upper berth.
It’s worth noting for the American market that the M49 has an air draft of just 12’ 11” so the boat can slide under most of the bridges in the Southeast or along the Great Loop.
Specs.: LOA: 49’2”; Beam: 13’6”; Draft: 3’2”; Disp.: 23,000 lbs.; Fuel: 238 gals.; Water: 185 gals.; Power: 2×370-hp Yanmar. Read more:
