Outbound 56, BAREFOOT

Broker’s Comments

Outbound 56 BAREFOOT – otherwise known as a highly customised Hylas 56, is a powerful and capable German Frers design built by Han Sheng Yachts, with sparkling sailing and a superb layout for long distance cruising. Of recent build, she was completed in the last quarter of 2019 and commissioned in 2020.

After taking delivery of the yacht, this owner decided to make many upgrades and improvements and so a work list was drawn up and this work was carried out in 2021 – 22 by Nautor’s Swan Global Service in Badalona on the mainland of Spain. They were selected because of their capability working on high quality yachts like Nautor’s Swan.

There is a full refit report available on request.

Outbound 56 BAREFOOT is virtually a new yacht with the advantage that she has had many new boat niggles sorted post-delivery. Her owner cruised her 3 months in the Bahamas during the early days of Covid, and then a just few weeks in the Mediterranean during the summers 2020-2022 and spring of 2023. Her engine and gen set hours are very low. She has been professionally managed and is on a strict preventative maintenance schedule. BAREFOOT is now ready to cruise, extensively, with a very high level of specification. She is also a fast sailing yacht and fantastic looking.

Sales Video

Owner’s Comments

We are a family of four with two very young children. We were looking for the highest quality centre-cockpit bluewater sailing yacht we could find in the 55–60-foot size range. Our criteria were uncompromising quality of construction and safety at sea; sea kindliness for comfort offshore; followed by a ‘superyacht’ calibre interior.

Our Outbound 56 is really an upgraded, customized Hylas 56. The Hylas 56 mould was sold back to the original builder-owner (Jachney family) and moved to Han Shang in a partnership with Outbound Yachts, who have been building at Han Sheng for decades.

After searching extensively for a recent second-hand yacht, we concluded that we would need to build to achieve the quality we desired. Outbound, almost uniquely amongst the few remaining blue water yacht builders, allowed us to extensively customize the yacht to our liking. Secondly, we found that the Hylas 56 simply sailed circles around her principal competitors, while having the most sea kindly motion in her class. Our conclusion, after years of searching and sailing on every competitor yacht, was that the product is superior, despite not being well known in Europe.

Building the yacht with Outbound at Han Sheng surpassed our expectations. The yard has huge experience in building high quality blue water yachts (Passport, Outbound). Over the last 30-years, Han Sheng developed traditional boat building crafts that are being lost in the West. Highlights include the bulletproof (literally), hand-laid fiberglass & Kevlar hull, exquisite joinery work, and excellent electrical and mechanical installations. The yard is also extremely flexible and accommodating. We were able to modify the interior spaces extensively to maximise space and comfort with the heads being a prime example. The materials available were also first rate. My wife specified custom mosaic tile flooring in the heads, and it was carried out to perfection. Nigel Leamon, who spent 25-years at Oyster, was our project manager and closely oversaw the build, traveling nearly monthly to the yard.

Hylas 56 BAREFOOT was built for a world cruise, and spec’d accordingly. The yacht was designed to be off grid for more than a month at a time in remote places. Redundancy, simplicity, and ease of maintenance were important as we anticipated repairs in remote parts of the world. Most components were over-spec’d. For example, the windlass is a Maxwell 3500. We spec’d maximum tankage with nearly 1,250 litres of fuel and 900 litres of water. Onboard power was also a focus, and we wanted to be able to go long periods without running the generator. We spec’d a large, deep discharge carbon-foam AGM battery bank, extensive solar capacity, over-spec’d inverter/chargers, and installed a commercial shipping generator. We can cook on electricity or gas. We spec’d the same DC watermaker (Spectra Cape Horn 330) that long-distance solo sailors use. The deck is Flexi-Teek for ease of maintenance and environmental friendliness. We also incorporated other unique details like glassed in chain plates aft designed to hold a Jordan-series drogue. You can pick the yacht up with just one of them.

The sail plan is a classic cutter for maximum flexibility. We also had a custom carbon bowsprit built with a Bamar electric furler that controls a North Sails top-down furling MPS / Code Sail. Everything is controlled from the re-designed, custom helm station.

We have loved everything about BAREFOOT. Sailing her single-handed is a breeze, and she sails beautifully. She is always comfortable; she never slams in a seaway. She is the star of every anchorage. Life aboard is luxurious and unfailingly a pleasure.

In the years before COVID-19, I anticipated either winding down my businesses or being able to reduce my work hours materially so that we could take 2-3 years as a family to cruise the world. During and post-COVID-19 my businesses expanded considerably, and I found myself unable to take time off as I had envisioned. We made the decision to upgrade to a larger crewed sailing yacht so that I can still manage my businesses but spend the rest of the time with the family rather than navigating, engineering, cleaning, and cooking. The alternative would be to wait another 5-years, but then we might miss the window with our children. We elected to continue with our extensive sailing plans, but in a different format with help.

Building BAREFOOT was a labour of love for us and we would like to request a right of first refusal if/when the new owner sells her.