European Yacht of the Year - Hanse 400

According to the spirit of the age in which we live, how long is a yacht up to date? Five, maybe six years? Do the stagnating prices force the bigger series yacht producers to return to their drawing boards after a mere three to four years? Although there is no consensus in the yachting fraternity, it is certain that even the successful new models are subject to change due to the pressure of workload over that of continuity, and that despite the danger of inflated second hand prices. Still, before the complete re-design there are the options of re-launch, re-fit and cross-over to re-work an existing model. With boats such as the Hanse 411 and the 371 where the standards are already so high, this option often yields the best results.

Yacht of the Year
The Hanse Yacht yard from Greifswald in Germany stands to be even more successful. Industry journalists from the 10 leading sailing magazines in Europe have made their decision on the European Yacht of the Year for 2006. The Hanse 400 won this award against several competitors in the category of 10-12 metres.

The Hanse 400
The builders referred to the extremely successful big Hanse 461 and 531 models, using the osmosis resistant epoxy resin and the type of below deck design. Lighter and longer water line, more sail and greater performance are the watch words of the Hanse 400. There are a wide variety of individual modern design elements within the new model. The high production quality and the unmistakable character of the boat below decks stay of course.

Hanse 370

The Hanse 370
Hanse Yachts continue with their cross over models and they present their latest 370 model, the former successful 371 model. The recognisably elegant silhouette of the steep staves and the flat bodywork are still there. However there is more space below decks for the bodywork is longer and broader. The easy to use rigging offers 87.4 m2 instead of the former 83 m2 and by using epoxy the hull is now much lighter. Using the optimum keel and rudder profile the yacht is much faster. The Hanse 370 comes in a 2/3 berth option with 4 or 6 comfortable beds. For all the developments brought to the new model this version is also cheaper than its predecessor.

New production halls
The Hanse Yacht yard was established in 1993 and now employs about 250 people. Shortly, the new 10,000sq metre production hall should be in full operation, producing 850 yachts per year.


Homepage: www.hanseyachts.com

At boot Düsseldorf 2006: Hanse Yachts GmbH & Co. KG, Hall/Stand 16/D21

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