Hanse 630 or Hanse 540 for solo circumnavigation

Hanse's are great boats, and I have a 371 myself, and love it.

However, as a Naval Architect myself, and having designed several long distance cruising boats, I would not choose a 540 or 630 for such a voyage.

This is because Hanse's are optimized for family cruising, where most sleeping and cooking is done at anchor or in a marina.  Even though they are good fast sailors they lack many attributes I consider necessary for long distance singlehanding. Apart from the watertight bulkheads I will mention a few other things:

Inadequate anchor arrangement, especially models with folding anchor rollers. These cannot possibly be made strong enough for anchoring in storm conditions.

Lack of a sheltered steering position.  Of course you will be using an autopilot or self-steering most of the time, but these can fail, and you may end up having to steer for long periods in bad conditions. I would insist on at the very minimum a hardtop and windscreen as fitted on larger Hallberg-Rassy boats, or preferably an enclosed wheelhouse.

Hanse's tankage is on the small side, especially fuel. Battery power also tends to be less than optimal (if unplugged from shore for months at a time).

Galley not set up for use at sea, lack of good sea berths. Of course for singlehanding you only need one!

Most of the issues can be fixed, but it is generally more expensive to add thngs like watertight bulkheads than to build then in from the start.

The twin wheels fitted on larger Hanses are great for the cockpit layout but create extra friction and make the autopilot work harder and therefore use more power.

The rig is not very versatile when single handed in widely varied conditions. My first choice is a "slutter" rig as featured on Saga yachts.

To keep this short, boats I would recommend are the Chuck Paine designed Able Apogee (one is for sale in USA) and any of the various Deerfoot and Sundeer models by Steve Dashew. These are boats built and designed for serious long distance sailing. I'd buy the Able in a heartbeat if I could afford it.

I'd recommend a really well cared for USED boat as new boats have too many needs. It has taken me nearly 6 years to get my (much smaller) Hanse to a state of near perfection for my purposes.

A careful search on Yachtworld would probably turn up several other suitable boats. On the other hand there are many good custom builders and designers who would help you get a suitable boat. But a custom built boat usually drops in value by half almost immediately. The way to avoid this is to buy a used one and let the other fellow absorb that initial depreciation.

Just one opinion from a guy who has sailed for 38 years and owned 10 cruising and racing yachts.

It strikes me that an approach to Hanse at the head office is required.  They may well be interested in the promotional / marketing aspects of you solo, single handed, around the world in a Hanse.  They might be willing to talk about customising the fitting out of a new boat at cost plus not too much.  They do have some pretty talented designers on their team.

Edited by colincooper - 21 July 2008 at 08:16

Grahame, very sound advice. I doubt I would have chosen a Hanse if a lot of off-shore voyages were in my sights - nothing wrong with the performance or integrity of the yacht, just not the purpose for which they are built (nor most of the modern day yachts).

Edited by Rubato - 21 July 2008 at 18:09

Hi Zephryus, and thanks to allon this forum..
im still considering other yachts...maybe an used Open 60 or a heavier swan or island packet etc...
the problem with the used open 60 is that it is very difficult to evaluate the seaworthiness and the structural damage that may have been caused by prior circumnavigatons.. there are quite a few up for sale in teh range of Eur 500,000. However, for that price, i may as well get  a good deal on a cruser that can be used for much more afterwards....the Hanse did offer a lot fo value for money, but its been educational reading the responses on this forum...modifications required would be very expensive...and we are short on time as well..
will keep you guys posted.

Hi