445 honest appraisal.

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   Hi there, I have owned our Hanse 445 for 18 months now and would love to share some honest appraisals of her.Since picking the boat up new in Croatia, March 2014 we have done 16,000 miles in her. This involved 9 months in the Med, Atlantic crossing, 3 months in the Caribbean, through the Panama canal and across the Pacific. 
The boat has proved to be a fast passage maker with solid/stiff Hull construction which at times has taken a beating in large seas.
Being wary of Chaffe protection, she's been a pleasure to sail more or less single handed. Aside from the Atlantic Crossing(4 on board) and the leg from Panama to Marquesas/Tahiti(3 on board) it has been mostly my wife and I, and she had had very little experience before hand. 
You have to be early to reef as they can feel the breeze early, but reefing is easy. Considering the mileage we have done she has stood up pretty well. We have her set up with Solar panels, extra Batteries, water maker and Helm control on the Anchor with 100 meters of Chain. Didn't want a Bow thruster.

Negatives:-
We have had early issues with Electronics, needing a new Auto pilot computer, Digital Multi Control unit and now the Stirling Battery Regulator is playing up.
The cabinetry has been bit of a let down with some Manufacturing shortcuts such as Hinges, and workmanship.
The helm Cable was vastly undersized at 5mm (snapped in the Tuamotuas) and we've renewed it to 8 mm cable.
The Jefa Auto helm is showing some wear and tear, but considering its done most of the work- 90 % of the helming, its not surprising the miles we have done. Had it apart twice and whilst it is showing some wear and tear, its still working fine.

Positives:-
The Hull construction/integrity  can not be faulted, she is a fast/slippery Hull and has been fast in both heavy and light airs. The whole boat is showing no form of movement as far as cracks, bending etc. We were hit by a Beneteau whilst at anchor in France and aside from a chip in the Gelcote and a small scratch, it did not hurt us. The Keel attachment is superbly strong showing no signs of movement. 
Having a sealed bulkhead for the Anchor Chain Locker and one for the forward sail locker means you have two water tight impact zones if you ever did hit something head on, meaning less chance of water ingress into the main part of the boat. (The sail Locker is huge!)
Ease of sailing:- She has been so easy to sail short handed and is a pleasure to handle with all lines leading into the Cockpit and winches handy to the Helm position.
Liveaboard:-Once we improved the woeful hard Mattreses, the berths have been very comfortable and the Saloon seating has been comfortable and has stood up well. The Galley fridge is a bit small for blue water cruising with 4 people, but with the added 50 Litre Camping Fridge Freezer, we have had plenty of room for everyone on board and the layout with the L shaped galley has worked well as far as cooking whilst underway.
Rigging:- The Selden rigging is simple but strong and easy to maintain, I have re-tensioned it twice myself. 
Helm/Rudder:- Light and easy on the Helm and easy to balance the boat to give you neutral Helm. it also turns in a tight circle for 45 footer.
Storage: Plenty of Stowage, soaks up so much stores and doesn't affect it. In the front of the boat aside from 450 litres of tank water, we had the main anchor with 100 meters of chain, the secondary anchor with 28 metes of chain, 120 litters of diesel in 20 litre Fuel Jugs, plus the extra sails-(2 Gennakers, one jib) and fenders. a lot of weight forward, but didn't appear to impact much on balance or performance of the boat.

Overall and value for money, once on top of some minor issues, they are a great boat!



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