just opened your post ( 10/14) and will comment in CAPS below.][/U]
Tahoe John in the discussion about the "tenderness" of the Hylas 46 and the lack of tankage on the Tartan 4400, observed :
"According to what I can see on sailboatdata.com, the Hylas has 188 of water, and 88 of fuel, and with a displacement of 27,777 only 5,600 is
ballast".
DID NOT SEE IN YOUR MAIL WHERE YOU CITED THE YEAR HYLAS 46 YOU WERE LOOKING FOR/AT. THE SPECS, OF COURSE, VARY DEPENDING ON WHEN BUILT. WE BOUGHT A 1999 HYALS 46. THERE ARE 2 FUEL TANKS
TOTALING A 100 GALLON CAPACITY AND WATER COMES IN AT 180 GALLONS
SPREAD OVER 3 TANKS. SOME NEWER HYLAS TAKE MORE FUEL AND LESS WATER - PROBABLY DUE TO WHETHER OR NOT THERE IS A
WATERMAKER INSTALLED. BURNING FUEL AT A RATE OF ONE GALLON PER HOUR, WE'VE GOT ENOUGH TO
MOTOR A BIT MORE THAN FOUR FULL DAYS. IN OTHER WORDS, WE CAN PROBABLY
MOTOR
ABOUT 500 MILES WHICH IS SOMETHING OF A BENCHMARK FOR SOME
DELIVERY SKIPPERS. WATER IS NEVER A PROBLEM AS WE HARBOR HOP
AND PLAN ON PURCHASING A REFITTED MILITARY SURPLUS POROTABLE WATERMAKER IN CASE WE RUN INTO A PROBLEM ON A LONG
PASSAGE.
WOULDN'T WANT THE ADDED COMPLEXITIES OF A WATERMAKER.
I appreciate this discussion. We, too, are considering the Hylas but also have considered the Tartan. I went to SailboatData.com and realized that the information stated in this thread is incorrect. The displacement of the Hylas is 27,777 lbs with 5,600 kg ballast. With the correct unit, pounds, the ballast is 12346 lbs, or a Bal/Disp of 44.44%. The Tartan 4400 is 24000 lbs displacement and 9000 lbs ballast for a 37.5% Bal/Disp.
WE HAVE FOUND THE HYLAS TO BE A VERY WELL BALANCED SAILING VESSEL - THOUGH WE HAVE NOT HAD IT LONG AND OUR SAILING HAS BEEN LIMITED
TO EASTERN
FLORIDA - AS THE
WIND BUILDS SHE PUTS HER NOSE DOWN
AND SLIDES INTO A MANTRA OF SORTS. SHE LOVES A BEAM REACH BUT WHAT BOAT DOESN"T? EQUALLY IMPORTANT, AS A COUPLE MY WIFE AND I ARE ABLE TO HANDLE HER UNDER SAIL (OR
POWER FOR THAT MATTER)
OVE THE NEXT 8 MONTHS, WE WILL SEEK TO SAIL HER UNDER AS MANY CONDITIONS AS POSSIBLE - PREPARING FOR A TRIP TO TRINIDAD AND BEYOND (
HAWAII VIA FIJI)
My wife and I have assessed many boats and have narrowed it to the Hylas, Tartan, Passport,
Gulfstar, and the Caliber. Since we have never sailed a center cockpit, any other opinions on that would be appreciated. Since we plan to live on our next boat, the aft berth is appealing, but the center cockpit is a question. I find the discussion on the sleeping quarters to be of interest as well.
THE
INTERIOR OF THE HYLAS TRULY DOES BORDER ON LUXURIOUS.
WE FIND THE AFT OWNER'S
CABIN MORE THAN COMFORTABLE AND THE LACK OF LEE CLOTHS/BOARDS HAS NOT BEEN A PROBLEM YET. HOWEVER, SINCE MOST OF OUR TIME AT SEA WILL BE AS A COUPLE, DOWN TIME WHILE TRADING OFF WATCHES WILL PROBABLY BE SPENT SOMEWHERE OTHER THAN THE AFT
CABIN.
INITIALLY, WE TOO HAD QUESTIONS ABOUT THE CENTER COCKPIT BUT MOST RESERVATIONS HAVE PROVEN TO BE UNFOUNDED. ON THE POSITIVE SIDE,
USING AN ADJUSTABLE
BIMINI , TIME AT HARBOR IS MAXIMIZED BY HAVING A BETTER VIEW OF SURROUNDINGS THAN AN AFT COCKPIT PROVIDES. ALSO, WE REALLY HAVE WARMED UP TO THE OPTION OF HAVING A "BACK YARD" ON
DECK THAT WE CAN WALK OUT TO - MAKING IT A SNAP TO WORK WITH THE BOAT WHEN COMING INTO A TIGHT BERTH.
WITH A CENTER COCKPIT RAISED AS IS THE HYLAS', THERE IS THE FEELING OF SITTING ON SOMETHING RATHER THAN SITTING DOWN IN SOMETHING. WE HAVE FOUND - TO OUR SURPRISE- THAT WE FAR PREFER THE FORMER.
AS FOR THE "SOAKING" SOME SAY THE CENTER COCKPIT WILL PROVIDE IN
ROUGH
WEATHER, WE SHALL SEE - HOPING THAT THE BIMINI WITH
A PROPER BUTLER WILL KEEP US ACCEPTABLY DRY. IF NOT, THERE ARE OPTIONS.
We are now looking for our "retirement boat." Since we know we will be purchasing a
used boat when we do buy one, we must get it far enough in advance to do the required work. So our search is in full swing. We have been working on our
current boat, a 1975 38 foot
C&C, since we purchased it 4 years ago. The boat, that has never seen
salt water, is now in great shape, so we are really conflicted about eventually selling her, but know that it is not a boat we could live on long term.
WE LOOKED LONG AND HARD FOR OUR HYLAS "KAIAN". IN THE PROCESS, WE CAME ACROSS A FABULOUS TARTAN 4400 THAT HAD BEEN VERY WELL CARED FOR BY AN EXACTING OWNER AND WAS EVERYTHING WE EXPECTED ONE OF THESE BOATS TO BE. PARTICULARLY, WE LIKED THE MORE CONVENTIONAL
MAINSAIL RIG ON THE TARTAN - USING A STANDARD
HALYARD AND AN
ELECTRIC WINCH RATHER THAN A MAST
FURLING ELECTRIC MAIN AS IS THE CASE ON OUR HYLAS. IN THE LONG RUN, WE COULD NOT AGREE ON A
PRICE FOR THE TARTAN AND WENT FOR THE HYLAS. WE ARE HAPPY WE DID. HOWEVER, THE TWO BOATS ARE VERY DIFFERENT AND THE TARTAN FANS WILL BE DIFFERENT THAN HYLAS FANS. BOTH BOATS SEEM TO BE BUILT FOR A COUPLE TO SAIL AROUND THE WORLD COMFORTABLY. IN OUR CASE, PERHAPS BECAUSE WE HAVE A SABRE 34 ON THE
WEST COAST THAT WE COULD NOT BRING OURSELVES TO GIVE UP. IN CERTAIN WAYS, THE TARTAN REMINDED US OF THE SABRE. IN THE HYLAS, WE OPTED FOR SOMETHING DIFFERENT. SEARCHING FOR THE RIGHT BOAT, WE LOOKED AT MANY, MANY DESIGNS/BRANDS. FOR US, THESE TWO ( HYLAS / TARTAN) WERE THE STRONGEST CONTENDERS THOUGH THEY ARE NOT INEXPENSIVE. AS A FOOTNOTE, WE ALSO LOOKED AT A HYLAS 49 AND LIKED THE 46 MORE THAN THE 49. ONE OPTION WE THOUGHT WE WOULD PASS ON BUT ULTIMATELY DECIDED TO HAVE INSTALLED DURING A MODES
REFIT WAS A BOW THRUSTER. MANY HYLAS COME WITH THEM PRE INSTALLED. OUR S DID NOT.
OUR HYLAS DRAWS 7 FEET AND THE IDEA OF TIP TOEING THROUGH
CARIBBEAN REEFS WITHOUT THE ADDITIONAL SUPPORT OF A THRUSTER
ALARMED US A BIT - PLUS, THE DEVICE MAKES
DOCKING REQUIRE MUCH
LESS MUSCLE AND ACROBATICS FROM MY WIFE.
WE REALLY LOVE "KAIAN" AND OUR PLANS ARE VERY MUCH PARALLEL TO YOURS. WHATEVER YOU DECIDE: CONGRATULATIONS. TO HAVE COME AS FAR AS YOU HAVE REQUIRES A LOT OF STAMINA AND RESOLVE....ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO CLEARING OUT YOUR GARAGE AND EXPLAINING TO OTHERS WHAT YOUR PLANS ARE AND WHY YOU HAVE MADE THEM.
BEST WISHES,
HABANA VIEJA
KAIAN
HYLAS 46
Again, thanks for an interesting thread.