Differences 400 vs 415; plus & minus

I’ve always thought the 400 looked a sweet and nicely proportioned boat. I’d imagine she has less wetted surface area and would guess she displaces less. Personally not a fan of T keels so don’t see the lack of that as a disadvantage. 

You may have seen this review of the 400

They're reasonably close to each other in terms of purpose & build so I'd recommend having a serious think about how you like to sail: actual time likely spent living onboard, both in cockpit & salon.  Racing or cruising or both; are you a control-line tweaker or more relaxed? How long you realistically expect to own the boat.  Personal preferences; I hate dual wheels but others love them, for example.  Some folk might well prefer outside shrouds.

Small differences like the LOA are unlikely to make any difference at all in the real world except in the hands of a true expert or as a racing yardstick.  T-keels I regard as the invention of the devil if you cruise where crab-pots abound; they only became popular when the price of lead shot up and a lead keel is IMO far preferable anyway.

I know you're only just starting to whittle the choices down but the only way you're ever going to be able to decide is when you have two or more actual vessels to consider.  Given the similarities in design, I'd recommend choosing on the basis of what one feels right to you - and of course the cost.  Whatever you buy, I'd strongly advise keeping about 20% of the price back to pay for the inevitable upgrades, faults etc that you're certain to find you need.  One with recent sails, standing/running rigging and saildrive gaiter changes plus updated electronics will save you big bucks.  This forum contains a wealth of information on how people have adapted their boats to their own needs, from fridge insulation to swimming platforms so you can alter things later at your leisure.

Interestingly, I read the other day that 33% of call-outs to boats suffering engine or rig failures in the UK were to boats less than 6 months old.  Astounding statistic, which perhaps shows the value in buying a decently sorted older vessel.  

Good luck whatever you choose.

Iain

When H400 has been designed (back in mid 2000') by J&V they made a "fast cruiser".

Then Hanse group purchase DEHLER.  This Dealer brands aim to provide "fast & light cruiser / racer"  So, by early 2010', Hanse brand made more comfy, more heavy, easy to handle.  Gadgets to sail fast disappeared (even as optional), usually one pair of winches only, masts were lower and set more backward to increase fore triangle, ... Hulls became wider (very wider at bow section) The aim was to compete with Bavaria's and Oceanis.

As for quality, since 15 years now, Hanse management has turn "penny pinching" as company religion.  Some costly to build "luxuries" disappeared (I have a H355 which is H350 minus 2 lockers, 4 hull windows, 2 hatches less and simpler interior but I still could order 2 pair of winches, sail tracks, ...).  OK, the xx5 gen yachts are roomier, bulkier, and might be more comfy but this comes at a (performance) price compared to the xx0 generation.

H400 is a fun, easy to sail yacht with a fairly practical layout.

Some issues you would consider...

Wiring is not tinned, it suffers from early corrosion and is difficult to access, i guess this would be the same for all models of Hanse.

The anchor winch if fitted is designed so that the chain will not fall into the chain locker on its own. I think Hanse have carried this design flaw on to most of their designs.

There was a time where the rudder was bonded to the common bonding system which caused considerable corrosion to occur to the aluminium rudder post (Hanse issued a notice to rectify this but you should pull the rudder and check for corrosion to be sure of the condition).

The under deck jib furler found in newer 400's are stiff to operate, you will find many posts on this if you search.

Outward operating portholes tend to leak and require attention as stated above.

Factory fitted hot water service was made from mild steel and quickly rusted out. I would assume that these would mostly be replaced by now, mine went 2 years ago (2008 #526).

There is considerable conversations regarding the SD50 sail drive and in particular its clutch slipping and which oil to use (search function is your friend here again).

Overall i would highly recommend the 400, If you were prepared to put the savings from a newer model into a refit you would no doubt have a quality yacht that you would enjoy for years to come. This site has been super helpful to me as i have upgraded our 400 into a super reliable cruiser/racer (albeit more slanted towards cruising).

Hope this helps. 

T 

Very helpful.