9 ton Hillyard Sloop

Full specification

Wooden Ships comments on this 9 Ton Hillyard Sloop

David Hillyard was the most prolific yacht builder in UK before the advent of GRP. Starting in in Littlehampton yard after the Great War he continued building until the early 1970’s after hundreds of yachts had gone down his ways.

He was a religious man and every yacht had a bible in the cabin drawer. He was reluctant to change the basic design of his yachts although at the end of the production he did produce a few transom sterned 9 tonners and of course there were a few boats at the beginning of his career.

He evolved a unique yacht design with  canoe stern and a large, deep centre cock-pit. This allowed him to have an aft cabin which with a good sized midships saloon and a V-berth forward cabin produced a yacht with huge appeal especially to the family market.

The 2 sleeping cabins ex saloon allowed for Mum and Dad aft with the children forward or 2 couples to have some degree of privacy all within a 30′ yacht.

A Hillyard will never win races round the cans nor beat close to the wind but she will cover the ground steadily with a comfortable motion. And that deep cock-pit with spray-hood or even a hard top is a blessing on a dark wet night.

And Hillyards always have a decent engine to get you home on time, whatever the weather.

This is a nice example of the most popular model, the 9 ton Hillyard sloop. She was built for the present owner’s father and sailed as a family until 1979 before being bought back into the family in 1999. The yacht remains very original with few changes from new. In more recent times the engine has been rebuilt, the toe rails and rubbing strakes replaced and the mast rebuilt – the Hillyard box section spruce mast tended to suffer from glue joint failure.

Nice history with this yacht, old photos and even the original builder’s invoice.

 

Construction

Hull

Planked in mahogany above the wl, iroko below on the usual Hillyard steam bent timbers all copper fastened on an oak back-bone.

Long external iron ballast keel with some lead trimming blocks in the bilge.

Oak floors.

 

Deck

Usual Hillyard ply deck sheathed with a woven glass cloth and resin for total water-tight integrity and minimum maintenance.  Varnished mahogany toe rails all round set up clear of the deck so as not to hold the water and varnished rubbing strakes round the deck edge. Usual Hillyard very substantial railing in galvanised gas pipe – he was nothing if not a practical man. These are railings that really do keep you on board.

Hillyards all have massive deck fittings so here you find the heavy galvanised mooring bollards and double chain roller stem-head fitting.

 

Cockpits and superstructure

Centre cock-pit with forward and after coach-roofs. Varnished mahogany coamings set with the classic Hillyard oval windows.

Separate varnished mahogany fore hatch with tailor made cover.

Wheel steering on cables to a tiller arm on the rudder stock under the aft deck.

 

 

Rig

Bermudan sloop rig on a varnished box section spruce mast stepped in a wooden tabernacle support against the forward face of the coach-roof.

Stainless steel standing rigging and stainless steel rigging screws all fitted new in 2011 with a new fore stay in 2014. Twin lowers and cap shrouds, Single fore stay with roller furling gear. Single standing back stay.

The internal galvanised steel chain plates were replaced around 1995.

Slab reef varnished boom sheets to the back end of the after coach-roof, double tails led forward to the cock-pit.

 

Winches.

Pair of bronze self tailing sheet winches on the cock-pit coamings

3 original tufnol halyard winches on the mast.

 

Sails.

Brand new mainsail.

Old mainsail still very serviceable

Genoa on roller furling gear.

 

 

Machinery

Engine

Petter PH2W 2-cylinder diesel engine mounted on the centre-line under the cock-pit giving excellent all round access – you can get down in alongside your engine in a Hillyard. Conventional centre-line drive to a 3-blade prop.

Newage gear-box.

Twin lever controls.

This is the original engine installed in 1968

In 2008 the engine was given to a Petter specialist, stripped down to the last nut and bolt, all castings shot blasted and rebuilt with new pistons, injectors, water pump etc.

The starter motor and the alternator were overhauled by another specialist and the engine repainted in the original Petter grey.

Many spare parts available with the boat for the machinery but we have witnessed it start from cold by hand and it runs very smoothly indeed.

 

Tanks.

Water               30 galls in a galvanised steel tank in the port cock-pit locker.

Fuel                 30 galls in a steel tank in the stbd cock-pit locker.

Both filled directly into the tanks by opening the locker lids this keeping them free of sea water contamination.

 

Electrics.

2 x 12v batteries on 12v circuits. Batteries located in the engine compartment for ease of access.  Ammeter and battery state indicators.  Shore power connection to limited 240v circuit.

 

 

Accommodation.                     6 berths

Forward cabin with V-berths. Fore hatch above gives almost standing head-room.

Bulkhead door, forward coach-roof coaming over, to the saloon cabin.

Port and stbd settee berths.

Diesel fired cabin heater forward to port.
Lockers at the forward ends of the settees against the bulkhead.

Galley aft to port with stainless steel sink – drains o/b –  Plastimo Atlantic oven hob and grill gas cooker.

Locker to stbd, steps up to cock-pit between.

Large, deep centre cock-pit. Seats/lockers each side, water tank to port, fuel tank to stbd + good stowage. Cock-pit sole lifts in 3 boards to reveal the engine with all round access – climb down in!

Steps down to the aft cabin with twin berths.

Heads compartment to port with Blake sea toilet. Hand basin drains o/b.

Hanging locker to stbd.

6’2″ head-room in the saloon cabin, a little less in the aft cabin and forward, full standing head-room in the cock-pit.

 

 

Equipment

Navigation

Sestral compass + Autohelm compass.

Hand bearing compass

Autohelm Tridata with  depth, speed, trip and reset.

Kelvin Hughes Huson 60 VHF

Autohelm ST4000 autopilot

 

Ground tackle

CQR plough anchor

80′ chain

Manual windlass

 

Spray hood on stainless steel frame, recently refurbished.

Warps and fenders

Beaching legs

Disclaimer:

These particulars have been prepared in good faith from information provided by the Vendors and are intended as a guide, Wooden Ships cannot guarantee or warrant the accuracy of this information nor warrant the condition of the vessel. The Purchaser should instruct his agent or surveyor to validate all details as necessary and satisfy himself with the condition of the vessel and its equipment.