Hanse Boats

[John23]

Further to previous post the new 5 series Hanses do have a closed/opening drop down Transom and are better designed to resist water going down below although not been on board a 545. Certainly the 445 has a drop down transom as an option and would not do without it.

Design wise internally they are contemporary with a clean open saloon not to everybodies liking but that is a matter of personal preference. Certainly I prefered the rounded fit out of the earlier (pre 2006 models) but have no real complaints about the later interior designs, just put a cushion in the corner to relax. One reservation is handholds and on the 445 my wife will not be able to reach them, they do assume everybody is tall. As with all boats they will need some personal mods to suit needs and everybody is different in that respect.

The twin wheel layout with an aft cockpit as all larger Hanses now have makes it far easier to get on and off the boat, maximise ease of use of the swim platform, boarding the dinghy etc. The 400 with a single wheel was always a bit annoying due to the need to clamber around it and the 370e had a traveller in the cockpit, preference of a racing sailor, an initial preference but from experience very annoying as something else to clamber over.

They are a good fast steady cruising yacht, easy set up for shorthanded sailing, just avoid whales and reefs.

And on reefs and sea mounts, in the Pacific at least, many are not marked on ocean scale charts that you would use initially for route planning, you have to zoom in to find them and they can be out of position by a considerable distance unless on a regular commercial sea route and there are reports on forums of some not being marked at all, but that may be a scaling issue. Also Google earth does not always show them.

The standard fit out instruments are SIMRAD with no other option but money may talk, particularly in today's world.

[Monsterleemon]

Thanks John. I recently saw a video of a whale slammed into a sailboat but thought it was a special effect. Now u mention again, is this a common thing? Whales slamming into boats and how to prevent or avoid that?

[Monsterleemon]

Originally Posted by John23

Further to previous post the new 5 series Hanses do have a closed/opening drop down Transom and are better designed to resist water going down below although not been on board a 545. Certainly the 445 has a drop down transom as an option and would not do without it.

Design wise internally they are contemporary with a clean open saloon not to everybodies liking but that is a matter of personal preference. Certainly I prefered the rounded fit out of the earlier (pre 2006 models) but have no real complaints about the later interior designs, just put a cushion in the corner to relax. One reservation is handholds and on the 445 my wife will not be able to reach them, they do assume everybody is tall. As with all boats they will need some personal mods to suit needs and everybody is different in that respect.

The twin wheel layout with an aft cockpit as all larger Hanses now have makes it far easier to get on and off the boat, maximise ease of use of the swim platform, boarding the dinghy etc. The 400 with a single wheel was always a bit annoying due to the need to clamber around it and the 370e had a traveller in the cockpit, preference of a racing sailor, an initial preference but from experience very annoying as something else to clamber over.

They are a good fast steady cruising yacht, easy set up for shorthanded sailing, just avoid whales and reefs.

And on reefs and sea mounts, in the Pacific at least, many are not marked on ocean scale charts that you would use initially for route planning, you have to zoom in to find them and they can be out of position by a considerable distance unless on a regular commercial sea route and there are reports on forums of some not being marked at all, but that may be a scaling issue. Also Google earth does not always show them.

The standard fit out instruments are SIMRAD with no other option but money may talk, particularly in today's world.

Thanks John. I recently saw a video of a whale slammed into a sailboat but thought it was a special effect. Now u mention again, is this a common thing? Whales slamming into boats and how to prevent or avoid that?

[carstenb]

Hanses are ok I guess. If you like european boats, then the ones that seem to be favored are Beneteau and Jeanneau (same company - 2 product lines). They seem to build them a bit tougher than Hanse and the others. Generally the French ones are designed for blue water. My neighbor has a Hanse 445. I don't think I would want to blue water it with that boat. Winches a bit on the small side and generally most of the other fittings seem to be under dimensioned. On the other hand - if you are planning on a trade wind passage and leaving at the correct time of year and willing to bet you don't run into 50+ knot winds - the Hanse is probably a great boat.

I have to say though - from the questions you are asking, a 54 footer is a lot of boat for someone who is inexperienced. Have you sailed something this size before? A lot? Big boats bring a lot of comfort but the potential beating

[carstenb]

Sorry the last lines should have read:

But the potential beating you can get is also huge. Blue water sailing is also not coastal sailing. Can you fix almost everything on the boat yourself? As the Pardley say: If it's on a boat you can be sure it will break down sooner or later. I'll add " and it will break down just when you need it most" You can also be absolutely certain that once you are away from north america, europe or NZ, aus. spare parts etc will be hard to come by and difficult to have sent. Fedex does not delivery overnight to anywhere in the world (trust me on this - I know).

Final question - I don't know the regulations in the usa, but in Denmark, a 54 footer requires at least a Yachtmaster Offshore and if you are going to sail it further away than the english channel, it requires a Yachtmaster Ocean. DO you have a Yachtmaster certificate?

[John23]

I think whales are rare, but off the Australian East Coast at times of the year they are now common as they migrate North and then South with their young.

I was for a while on the AUSSAR Consultative Forum and we had no whale strikes reported during that time, we did have a Hanse 400 hit Middleton Reef not far North of Lord Howe Island on his last leg from the UK to Aus. It is quite notorious out here, well charted but not shown on ocean scale charts or on a plotter unless you zoom in. It has quite a number of wrecks on it and is almost directly on the run from Vanuatu to East Australia. The Hanse 370e recently abondoned in the Atlantic was said to have hit a Whale. But you name it, if it floats, swims or sticks up it is out there somewhere waiting to catch the unwary. Fortunately such instances are very rare. A far greater chance of being hit by a car as you cross the road. Other Hanses of that size have made it to Aus from Europe so they are proven seaworthy boats.

Even large cruise ships with all their high tech aids can sill hit rocks. Italy, NZ, just two in recent years.

[Monsterleemon]

Originally Posted by carstenb

Sorry the last lines should have read:

But the potential beating you can get is also huge. Blue water sailing is also not coastal sailing. Can you fix almost everything on the boat yourself? As the Pardley say: If it's on a boat you can be sure it will break down sooner or later. I'll add " and it will break down just when you need it most" You can also be absolutely certain that once you are away from north america, europe or NZ, aus. spare parts etc will be hard to come by and difficult to have sent. Fedex does not delivery overnight to anywhere in the world (trust me on this - I know).

Final question - I don't know the regulations in the usa, but in Denmark, a 54 footer requires at least a Yachtmaster Offshore and if you are going to sail it further away than the english channel, it requires a Yachtmaster Ocean. DO you have a Yachtmaster certificate?

Hi hi, it will take me years to get there. I plan to hire a captain to go with me. U think that works?

[carstenb]

Well, you must be into seriously big bucks. A fully loaded new Hanse 54 will cost between 6-800 grand. A competent captain? Well there are a number of guys/gals out there that will do it for relatively little. But sharing a boat with someone you don't know (even a 54 footer) on a ocean passage can be a bit sticky. I sailed a 54 foot Jeaneau across the med a couple of years ago. Lots of fun and while we all got along fine, when the time came I was happy to get off.

But if you got that kinds of moola - go for it. You can always fire the capt. and hire a new one if he/she doesn't work out

[goboatingnow]

We really need to move away from this nonsense term "blue water" virtually anything in todays mainstream production boats are "blue water' capable.yes you may have to tweak it a little but so what

The other thing, is that in my experience, coastal sailing is much more demanding, get caught in a bad blow on a lee shore over a continental shelf and you'll swap the deep ocean with it anytime.

SO for me a "bluewater" yacht is one capable of be self contained for longer passages, it provides no insight into its ultimate survivability. ( which is more a function of the crew)

In my opinion, the search for "blue water" boats seems to be a newbie one, Where somehow reliance on the machine rather then the ,man is preferable. We live in a tech spec comparison world and people continuously look to max the specs as if it provides some backup reassurance. A boat isn't a CDROM drive however. The success or failure of a voyage has more to do with the crew then the boat. Good sailors can get a bathtub around , bad ones can't get the best so-called "blue water" one around.

Dave

[Monsterleemon]

Originally Posted by carstenb

Well, you must be into seriously big bucks. A fully loaded new Hanse 54 will cost between 6-800 grand. A competent captain? Well there are a number of guys/gals out there that will do it for relatively little. But sharing a boat with someone you don't know (even a 54 footer) on a ocean passage can be a bit sticky. I sailed a 54 foot Jeaneau across the med a couple of years ago. Lots of fun and while we all got along fine, when the time came I was happy to get off.

But if you got that kinds of moola - go for it. You can always fire the capt. and hire a new one if he/she doesn't work out

But as a beginner, I have not much choice if I want to sail. Do u have any experience as how much i should pay for a decent capt in the med? Also if u know what's the diff between a jeaneau and the oceanis by beneteau? Txxxx

[Monsterleemon]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

We really need to move away from this nonsense term "blue water" virtually anything in todays mainstream production boats are "blue water' capable.yes you may have to tweak it a little but so what

The other thing, is that in my experience, coastal sailing is much more demanding, get caught in a bad blow on a lee shore over a continental shelf and you'll swap the deep ocean with it anytime.

SO for me a "bluewater" yacht is one capable of be self contained for longer passages, it provides no insight into its ultimate survivability. ( which is more a function of the crew)

In my opinion, the search for "blue water" boats seems to be a newbie one, Where somehow reliance on the machine rather then the ,man is preferable. We live in a tech spec comparison world and people continuously look to max the specs as if it provides some backup reassurance. A boat isn't a CDROM drive however. The success or failure of a voyage has more to do with the crew then the boat. Good sailors can get a bathtub around , bad ones can't get the best so-called "blue water" one around.

Dave

Absolute can appreciate what u say. I am a beginner. U have good suggestion what's the best way to acquire the skill ? I am taking the RYA courses. Sailing with a captain for a start....

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by Monsterleemon

Absolute can appreciate what u say. I am a beginner. U have good suggestion what's the best way to acquire the skill ? I am taking the RYA courses. Sailing with a captain for a start....

Yes do the tickets, crew and crew some more, seek out difficult passages in poor weather when you've become more experienced. a couple of challenging passages and you'll learn more then years goofing around in the sun.

Then look for your boat,