Longtime sailboat manufacturer Hylas Yachts made its first foray into powerboats with the M44 in 2018. With that boat, the builder utilized the classic, Down East workboat lines of the New Zealand-designed Corsair 44 and the construction know-how of a seasoned Asian shipyard for a vessel aimed at U.S. boaters.
The latest vessel takes the M44’s proven hull and exchanges the diesel inboards for a pair of 300-hp, oil-burning outboards from Cox Marine. Meet the Hylas M47.
The new boat retains much of what made the M44 an impressive debut, including oversize pilothouse windows; two large, manual sliding hatches in the hardtop; and a roomy, uncluttered cockpit. Keeping the opening manual window aft was a smart move. The window opens easily on a gas ram and secures to the hardtop, adding to the aft galley, which separates the area from the forward dinette.
I also like that Hylas kept the elongated, arrow-straight roofline, which lends the M47 a sporty profile and shades the cockpit. The roof is equipped with pad eyes, serving as stowage for kayaks, paddleboards or an inflatable dinghy.
The most significant change with the M47 is to the powertrain, which returns not only an impressive turn of speed, but also range. According to Hylas, the diesel outboards push the M47 to a 31-knot top end. At a 17-knot cruise speed, the builder says, she burns 15 gph, and her standard fuel capacity of 475 gallons gives her a range of 1,000 nautical miles at 9 knots. Optional, larger fuel tanks (in the space freed from the inboard engines) can extend her reach to 1,500 nm.
The two-stateroom, single-head layout belowdecks sleeps five people. The guest stateroom’s lower double splits into twins, and there’s a Pullman berth. In a pinch, two more guests can be accommodated in the salon by converting the settees.
Standard features on the M47 include a Raymarine electronics suite with autopilot, joystick control, Zipwake trim tabs, a lithium-ion battery package and an HVAC system that the builder says allows for generator-free operation. The boat is prewired for an optional Seakeeper 5 gyrostabilizer, which I would add along with the Sunbrella Strataglass cockpit enclosure for four-season cruising.
HYLAS M47
LOA: 47ft.
Beam: 13ft. 6in.
Draft: 2ft. 6in.
Displacement: 21,500 lbs.
Fuel: 475 gal.
Water: 190 gal.
Engine: 2x 300-hp Cox CXO300 outboards
Info: hylasyachts.com
This article was originally published in the July/August 2023 issue.
