What is a 'Hanse'?
Posted at 8:37 AM, Sunday, February 25, 2007
We often get asked what kind of yacht we have - so feeling bored this morning as Sues gone off skiing with pals - my leg hurts 'cos I couldn't go - so with a week to while away, thought I'd update you all on who and what are 'Hanse Yachts'.
Hanse Yachts are a German firm, started not so long ago by the racing sailor Michael Schmidt using reunification grants inh his homeland. His plant is located at Grifenwald, on the coastal border of Germany and Poland. Intially he purchased 'conventional' shaped established moulds and built to a good price using lower cost labour but retaining quality western parts. His team gained a reputation of a higher build standard than many other production yachts available at that time. And so the Hanse Yachts success began.
Before long, Michale was able to commission the design team of Judel and Vrolijk - world famous for their high priced custom race boats - to develop a truly unique 'Hanse' set of designs. Michaels first 30+ footer from J&V got under construction around 1995.
In the decade or so since, he's expanded the range so it now covers 30 to 60 footers, solds so many Hanse is now the third largest (by volume) yacht builder in Europe - and each is unique yet enshrining his orginal base principals of:-
1. They must be able to sail well. All are fast yet comfortable in a seaway.
2. They must be set up for short handed sailing. Most have self tacking headsails, and cockpits with all lines to hand.
3. They must impress the design concious. They believe good design goes further than hull, deck and rig so each has exceptionally modern interiors. Hanse led the way with tiles floors, high gloss laquered wood trim, leather seating, halogen globes and other stylish innovations below, which many other EU production companies now copy.
4. The owners must have an opportunity to customize interior layout so as to configure the cabins below to their own needs. This has provided custom specification construction at regular production prices.
5. They must be strong. The 461 for example is epoxy built with a steel keel frame, making it exceptionally stiff and quiet undeway.Each are construction rated by Garminisher Lloyds and CE coded.
Please see some shots below decks on a 470 here to show you the style available - and in my view this blond colour teak is actually not as good as the deeper red mohogony also available (and which we have) - http://www.hanseyachts.co.uk/showsection.asp?sectionid=31&boatid=15
I'm assuming it's because of all this good stuff, that the Hanse 461 won the 2005 European Yachting Award for Innovation. Thats an an award voted on from all the EU sailing journos (and assuming bribery did not rule that time) it's got to be worth something!
We placed our order in September 2004, and our 461 was # 7 off the production line around December. Far enough down the line for them to have sorted build issues, but not so far that they might have begun to skimp to save production costs.
We got her January 2005 - the first in the UK.
I believe they have gone on to build more than 40 x 461's, and in 2007 'upgraded' the design to now call it a 470 .
It's the same hull, keel, rig - but with a sleeker deck moulding and some changes to interiors. Views vary - but secretly (we only shared this with you 17,000 bloggers in a special German code) ve zink ze 461 ist der bitter boot.
As you can see above, gliding down the Turkish coast last summer, she has a huge rig relative to her length. Its 25 metres, around 80 foot tall, and fractional. A huge fully battenend mainwith Harken ball slides plus powered winches, makes sail handling or reefing a doddle. We've specced her with the cruising chute being flown above, plus a Code 0 for tight reaching in ligher airs, plus taking delivery of a 120% genoa this year to give her more grunt when the winds light but the seas get up.
Please do not think that she's not fast now. It is just we like going faster..........
She's proved capable of romping away on most points of sail even without the genoa from much larger cruisers - Oysters, Dicoverys, Farrs and she leaves heavier yachts like Halberg Rassys and Moodys for dead.
Lots of storage space down below. 'Cupboardland' really. Even after 3 years we still forget where some stuff is hidden away. Thank goodness none of what's missing is perishable. Coupled with lots of underbunk and underfloor space, a 461 / 470 can carry a huge amount especially if its only two of you sailing her.
Two showers and heads (invaluable says Sue); three sleeping cabins all with doubles; a saloon to die for; and a huge cockpit which has catered for 20 on a hot summer party night makes most other cruisers envious.
The smooth deck and cockpit layout lead to an open transom and fold away swimming platform. The equipment layout whilst easy to use, is clearly not set up for more than say 3 people to work the rig. It is the one compromise with the boat and I'm not complaining at all - but racing her efficiently with a big crew would be a no-no.
But with powered winches, windlass, retractibly bowthruster and lots of nice kit, she's on the other hand, a pussy for Sue and I to handle in all situations so far.
And that's what we spend most time doing - two handed sailing - with the occassional set of friends or family as guests.
If anyone wishes to see more of the spec - its easier to send you to www.hanseyachts.co.uk than duplicate any more detail into this post.
And if anyone has any further questions of the kit we've specifically added to help us go cruising, please don't be shy to ask. We've built a boat before and owned several others of all shapes and sizes, plus spent 20 years under hot Aussie sun - so cruising innovations like our bimini design, radar post, davits, BBQ access, dinghy etc has all been proved in practice and it all fits into the classy good looks we like to maintain on the boat.
So thats them. Hope this helps anyone thinking of a new boat.
Cheers
John and Sue
{ add comment }