Yachting World
- Digital Edition
Hanse 460 review: First in a new range
- David Harding
- January 26, 2023
The Hanse 460 is the first in a new range of Hanses. From new designers, she is already a big hit, with over 200 sold and a European Yacht of the Year win to its name. David Harding reports
Product Overview
Price as reviewed:.
For some of us, sailing has always been about the functional and fundamental. We enjoy sailing for sailing’s sake. But today people want so much more from a boat and, in many respects, today’s yachts undoubtedly offer a lot more and the Hanse 460 attempts to do just that.
What you might loosely call the mainstream European builders of family cruising yachts have been following this path for some time, making each generation of designs bigger and plusher than the last. For Hanse in particular, it has been a rapid evolution from the small, basic and functional to the large and luxurious.
This latest Hanse is the first to be designed by Berret-Racoupeau. After the earliest models, which used the moulds of discontinued, slim-hulled Scandinavian designs, every Hanse has been designed by Judel/Vrolijk in what became one of boatbuilding’s most enduring and successful partnerships.
In line with modern trends, each new wave of Hanses has been higher, wider and more voluminous than the last. Founder Michael Schmidt never lost sight of the performance side, however. For all their growing girths and towering topsides, Hanse has always made boats that sail – competitively-priced, high-volume cruisers but with easy handling (self-tacking jibs were used from the early days) and better performance than many of the alternatives.
The single rudder is light and responsive on the helm. Photo: HanseYachts/Nico Krauss
The Hanse 460 is different. Very different. The first model from a new alliance with the French designers, it promptly won the European Yacht of the Year as the best Family Cruiser for 2022. A Hanse 510 version now follows.
The big question was whether Hanse had managed to do something different while retaining the qualities that its owners had traditionally sought.
At a glance, the Hanse 460 looks sleeker and sportier than earlier models; more angular, with a reverse rake to the bow and a pronounced knuckle running to about half-way aft. In Hanse tradition there are no hard-angled chines but, in this case, a pronounced soft chine towards the stern. In plan view you see full forward sections which, combined with the broad stern, generous freeboard and ample beam, hold the promise of enormous interior volume.
The 460’s generous and uncluttered cockpit. Photo: HanseYachts/Nico Krauss
At the other end, a moulded bowsprit projects the anchor clear of the stem and provides an attachment point for an outer forestay which can carry a reaching headsail. Large windows in the topsides help to break up the high freeboard.
Scale those topsides and you’re faced with an expanse of wide, flat deck and coachroof. Moulded bulwarks edge the side decks to help keep feet where they belong should you venture forward when the boat’s heeled. Otherwise what stands out is the uncluttered appearance – lines are led aft beneath separate mouldings – and the plethora of deck hatches hinged every which way, including one that opens to reveal a large bow locker.
There was certainly nothing to complain about in the performance and handling department. We slipped along very nicely on a flat sea in 12-14 knots of wind, clocking around 7.5 knots with the apparent wind at just under 30°, and tacking through around 80° by the compass.
Moulded bowsprit keeps anchor clear of the stem and provides attachment for the optional outer forestay. Photo: Andreas Lindlahr/EYOTY
Enjoyable sailing
Weather helm was slight and the load on the wheels increased relatively little if I tried bearing away with the sheets pinned in, the single rudder providing plenty of grip. Provoked in the opposite direction, she coped well when pinched mercilessly and also when thrown into tight spins, only stalling briefly.
At least in the flat water and modest breeze we encountered, the cockpit worked well. In any wind and seaway you would be pleased to have the optional second table to port as a bracing point. At the helm stations you have a comfortable perch outboard of the wheel or, for energetic downwind sailing when you might need both hands, behind it. The Jefa linkage is light and direct, giving a good feel from the rudder. On the starboard side you can wind down the bifurcated backstay when extra headstay tension is needed.
Hanse 460 is from Berret-Racoupeau. Photo: Andreas Lindlahr/EYOTY
Today’s cockpits are no longer just places from where you control the boat. Controlling the boat in itself is so much easier anyway, especially if – as most owners of the Hanse 460 will – you upgrade to electric winches, electric in-mast reefing and electric furling for the genoa on the outer forestay.
Other push-button options are for the hinge-down bathing platform and the cockpit tables (either side or both), which can be lowered to create large lounging areas. Alternatively there are fixed tables, as we had on the port side. A wet-bar can be added between the helm seats. It’s all part of making the cockpit a multi-function space in which every part can serve a variety of purposes. Cockpit stowage is in the form of a half-depth locker each side and – a first for Hanse – a dedicated liferaft locker right aft to starboard. With the electric-lowering option for the starboard table comes an extra moulded seat pod, which provides readily-accessible shallow stowage forward of the starboard helm and would be good to have for that reason alone.
Portlights and windows flood the saloon with natural light. Photo: HanseYachts/Nico Krauss
Moving about the deck and cockpit, and from one to the other, is easy in good weather. The wide open spaces let you simply stroll around – or lounge if you’re so inclined. Then again, they tend to present more of a challenge when a boat’s bouncing and heeling.
Lifestyle choices
Externally, the hull lines clearly differentiate the 460 from her earlier stablemates, but down below it’s a world apart. It’s certainly a more classy finish than we’ve seen before from Hanse; restrained in tone and a level above what we have become used to. Berret-Racoupeau is one of relatively few yacht design studios to have its own interior-design division.
Stateroom forecabin has generous stowage above and below the bed. Photo: HanseYachts/Nico Krauss
A host of interior layouts is available, from three to five cabins, up to four showers and from six to 10 berths. About the only constant is the presence of twin double cabins in the stern. Otherwise you can have different arrangements in the bow (cabins and heads) and amidships with a long or short linear galley and a bunk cabin or utility room to starboard where our boat had a chart table and heads compartment.
Details include backrests that hinge down in the saloon to provide trays and drinks-holders. You can press a button to lower the table, press another to pop up the TV from its central pod, and settle in for the evening.
Down here it’s all about sight-lines, integrating the different areas so no one feels left out, and ensuring that, as in the cockpit, every part of the layout performs multiple functions. In practice it creates a thoroughly pleasant and remarkably light environment.
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Sometimes you come across a boat that makes you realise not only that yacht design has changed irrevocably, but also why it has changed and why it’s not going back. The Hanse 460 is unquestionably such a boat. How the crew lives aboard and moves around, both above and below decks, has clearly been thought about in the context of modern lifestyles. And this boat exudes style. If you like the fundamental design, you will be able to tailor many of the options and details to suit your tastes. A yacht like this is unlikely to slice to windward in heavy weather as comfortably as, say, a first-generation Swan 46, but most people aren’t really interested in that these days. I suspect the new Hanse will prove to be a pretty quick and competent all-rounder nonetheless. Simple sailing? The technology is not remotely simple any more. But with the Hanse 460, the sailing itself is simple and can still be a lot of fun.
Yachting Monthly
- Digital edition
Hanse 388 review: a comfortable and elegantly styled yacht
- David Harding
- February 13, 2023
Largely because she’s not the most trendy boat of her size, a new Hanse 388 was the clear choice for an owner moving up from a 32-footer. David Harding finds out why
Product Overview
Price as reviewed:.
When buying a new boat, it might be tempting to choose the most up-to-date model you can find within your size and price range. Why not take advantage of the latest in design and styling and, at the same time, give yourself the maximum future-proofing?
That’s not how everyone sees it. There’s a good range of boats in the more traditional or conservative style that most of us would recognise as distinct from the products of the (arguably more fashion-conscious) mainstream production builders. Boats such as Arconas and Rustlers, for example – though hardly comparable with each other in many ways – are from builders who cater for owners with a different set of priorities from those homing in on a Beneteau or a Dufour.
Even within the mainstream builders there are different approaches. While some have embraced chines, twin rudders, ultra-wide sterns and open-plan interiors, others have kept things a tad more traditional.
Take Hanse, for example. The German giant has never been one to stand still and has continually updated its models. I tested the new Hanse 460 in the October 22 issue of Yachting Monthly and there’s no doubt that it’s as up-to-the-minute as a cruising boat designed for popular appeal could possibly be.
Further down the size range, the Hanse 388 is based on a hull that was designed for the 385 back in 2012. The deck, cockpit, keel and accommodation underwent changes when the Hanse 385 became the Hanse 388 a few years ago, but the hull worked so well that it was left alone.
The 388’s hull is the same as the 385’s, but it has large hullside windows and a deeper keel. Photo: David Harding
This is the boat that appealed to the owner when he was looking to move up from the Dufour 325 he had owned for 10 years. ‘I wanted something between the racy racers and the heavy cruisers,’ he explained.
‘I looked at a Hallberg-Rassy and would have loved an Arcona because they sail beautifully, but I don’t do enough serious sailing and couldn’t justify the money for the amount of use I would give it.’
Lines from the mast are led aft under mouldings along the outsides of the coachroof. Photo: David Harding
Choosing a compromise
Having sailed since childhood and spent his life as a naval architect working principally on the design of superyachts, the owner knows a thing or two about boats. He’s well aware of the fundamental differences between boats from the smaller, more expensive yards and the ‘general production builders’ and was prepared to accept them. At the same time, he also knew what he was and wasn’t prepared to accept in a boat (‘and this will be my swansong boat’) from one of the latter.
A large cockpit with twin helms and a central table provides plenty of seating and space to move around. Photo: David Harding
As an existing Dufour owner, he naturally looked at the Dufour 390 as well as the equivalent Beneteaus, Jeanneaus and Bavarias, among others. What put him off in many cases were the twin rudders. ‘They’re good if you’re doing lots of long, windy reaching legs,’ says Tony, ‘but much harder work for manoeuvring in marinas, even with a bow-thruster. I prefer a deep single rudder.’
Open-plan or semi open-plan interiors were something else he didn’t like. He regularly sails with members of his sailing club on short trips around the Solent, so privacy and separate cabins are essential. That’s one reason why he chose the three-cabin version of the Hanse even though, in a boat with a hull length of 11m (36ft), it entails compromises elsewhere.
Sail controls are handled by a bank of clutches and a self-tailing winch each side by the helm stations. Photo: David Harding
Some sportier alternatives were rejected because they didn’t provide enough living space for his crew, and his choice was further narrowed by the build quality. ‘It was a matter of finding a boat that had good performance combined with the space and the volume downstairs. I like the better quality of the German boats; the joinery and the fittings. All the deck gear is hefty. If you look at some others, it’s much smaller, and so are things like the boom. The Selden rigs are better finished with nicer fittings.’
Flexiteek is an option on the decks. Large hatches and windows let light down below. Photo: David Harding
More than skin deep
Skin fittings in composite polymer also appealed to Tony, as did the chunky boarding ladder, among other features.
Having now sailed the boat for a couple of seasons – recording the trips on his phone via the My Hanse software – he is happy with his choice. As you would expect, the extra size makes a big difference compared with the smaller Dufour. ‘The old boat was 10m long and this one is 11m’, he says. ‘It gives a lot more space – the cockpit is huge’.
He particularly likes the twin wheels, which make it easier to walk around and give a greater choice of seating positions. ‘It’s much more sociable when you’re sailing downwind, having two people sitting by the wheels rather than one at the helm and one forward,’ he says.
A wide range of colours for the upholstery, veneer and sole boards can be combined to create the desired ambience. Photo: David Harding
Such are the benefits of a bigger, more modern design with a wider stern and more space all round. More speed is another benefit – a result of a waterline that’s also 1m longer than he had before. The owner can see that his average speed on passages has increased from five knots to six.
When we went for a sail from Lymington, we had enough wind – a good 14-18 knots and occasionally more – to make sure we clocked well over 6 knots most of the time. Being from the northwest it gave us nice flat water too. Not so nice were the torrential downpours, which encouraged us to put the sprayhood up again once I had taken the photos and video from the RIB.
The self-tacking jib is an important feature for Tony, as is the large sprayhood. ‘In the Solent you do a lot of tacking. I can just sit in the shelter back here and tack so easily.’
The master cabin is in the bow, complete with hull ports and a large deck hatch. Photo: David Harding
When winching is called for, the electric primaries – among the upgrades on Scribble – also help to make sailing easy. The two Lewmar self-tailers handle all the lines, including the split mainsheet and the jib sheet, that are led to a bank of clutches just forward of the wheels. The arrangement perhaps works less well if you have an active crew, but it’s designed for short-handing and in that context it makes sense.
One way in which the Hanse 388 stands out is in making you reluctant to give up the helm. It makes a world of difference if the feel is precise and direct, if the boat and the rudder are both nicely balanced and if the boat responds to what you do.
The Hanse 388 continued to respond even when asked, most unfairly, to bear away from hard on the wind, fully powered up with the sheets pinned in. That’s one of my standard tests and a big ‘ask’ for any boat. The single deep blade does its job very well.
At the helm you have a good perch outboard on the side deck or, if you choose to sit inboard, on a hinge-up seat. Instruments can be mounted in a swivelling pod on the aft end of the cockpit table.
The mainsheet is anchored to strong-points on the coachroof, forward of which is aqspace to stow an inflatable dinghy. Photo: David Harding
Performance plus
In terms of performance, the Hanse leaves little to complain about for a cruising boat. We clocked between 6.3 and 6.6 knots on the wind and tacked through 80° in the flat water.
The log climbed to over 7 knots when we cracked off a few degrees, though self-tacking jibs instantly twist out too far. Unless you rig up barber-haulers or have the cruising equivalent of a Code 0 ready to go, that’s a compromise you have to accept.
The Quantum tri-radial laminate sails on Scribble were ordered as upgrades from Hanse. Combined with the clean bottom and folding prop (the owner changed the supplied two-blade folder for a three-blader), they let the boat show what she could do. That said, with simple sail controls and no mainsheet traveller, scope for tweaking is limited.
The hull of the 388 is balsa cored, with an inner subframe moulding. Photo: David Harding
It would have been more limited with in-mast reefing. While the owner has sailed on a lot of in-mast boats and accepts that Selden has some good systems now, he still prefers a conventional mainsail – fully battened in this case. He has marked the halyard and reefing pennants to make reefing as slick as possible.
Stowing the sail as it comes down is a bigger challenge, largely because of the large sprayhood, long boom and absence of a traveller to move the boom across to one side. Two crew plus a helmsman liberated by an autopilot can usually manage; otherwise tidying it up can be done in the berth.
With a mainsail contained by lazyjacks, opening the clutch and letting the halyard run is normally an option if you’re in a hurry. The problem is that some of the Dyneema halyards, once compressed on initial use, became too small in diameter for the clutches to grip, so they were changed from 10mm to 12mm and no longer run as freely as they did. It’s hard to find the perfect answer, but the owner has been very happy with the support and after-sales service he has had from the Hanse dealers, Inspiration Marine.
Stowage space is a bit limited. Photo: David Harding
Below decks
Accommodation was an important consideration in the purchase of Scribble . The owner spends a lot of time aboard and sails at least once a week, often more.
Choosing the second double cabin in the stern, to starboard, means trading the full-depth cockpit locker for one of half-depth. It’s supplemented by two under-sole lockers aft, one for a liferaft.
In the Hanse style, the interior is light and airy. The Hanse 388 has many more deck hatches than the Hanse 385, and ports in the hullsides too.
The owner chose the colours of the veneer, the sole boards and the upholstery to create a modern feel, and the grey upholstery is not a world away from the grey/blue of the gelcoat (‘I went against all my better instincts and got a coloured hull’). Whatever Tony’s misgivings might have been at the time, the result is rather elegant.
Features that he likes include the rounded forward end of the heads compartment. Finished in vinyl rather than veneer, it’s inconspicuous compared with many. As he says, ‘On a lot of boats you have a big, blocky, square-cornered toilet box sitting right in the middle of the saloon.’
Also on the list of positives are the big fridge (with front and top access), the drawers (even though they’re plastic), the size of the saloon (‘we can accommodate the crews from another couple of boats’), the accessible seacocks, which pass through solid laminate where the balsa core is ramped down to a single skin, the good lighting and the hinge-down touch-panel at the chart table for the lights and systems. ‘Everything is coded and labelled,’ says Tony, ‘but it’s still not easy for DIY. The wiring on modern boats is getting quite complicated. I would need help if anything goes wrong.’
His relatively small number of niggles include the lack of provision to keep the heads door open (you can’t leave the window open when it’s raining), a chart table with no fiddles, joinery with un-sealed end-grain, and the fact that all the interior joinery is veneered. ‘There are no solid edges. If you knock something, you can’t sand it out – you have to buy a whole new section. It’s just as with new cars: don’t repair – replace.’
Domestic batteries and the electrics are neatly laid out forward of the chart table. Photo: David Harding
The expert view
Ben Sutcliffe-Davies, Marine Surveyor and full member of the Yacht Brokers Designers & Surveyors Association (YDSA) www.bensutcliffemarine.co.uk
The Hanse 388 is a relatively new vessel and because of that, not many have come on to the used boat market until now.
I’ve looked at several Hanse 388s, usually while carrying out damage inspections abroad and for yards. Matching some of the gelcoat pigment colours can be a challenge.
Looking carefully around the topsides in good daylight is a prudent move and will show up any previous damage.
When buying any newish second-hand boat, it is worth approaching the original dealer and asking what, if any, model callbacks or modifications have been suggested since the model was launched. From asking one of the UK dealers, he wasn’t aware of any for the Hanse 388.
It is always important to check deck fittings, especially any retro fittings which have been fitted by an owner. Take a good look at the gas hoses for signs of wear and pay careful attention to the seacocks, especially if the boat is over five years old.
The Hanse 388 came with a Yanmar SD25 saildrive, the smallest of the Yanmar sail drive range. It requires a service every 100 hours, compared to the bigger units that do 200 hours.
If you are a sailor who tends to clock up a lot of hours in a season, then you need to be very aware of the service criteria, as it will mean the boat will probably have to come out of the water so oil can be drained from the lower leg drain plug fitting. The sail drive seal should also be replaced every seven years.
Thanks to Tim Stickley of West Solent Sea School for providing a RIB for the photography westsolentseaschool.co.uk
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Boats tend to become a major part of any owner’s life, and it’s easy to understand why that has happened with the owner and Scribble. A great deal of thought and experience went into all of Tony’s choices, from the boat itself to every aspect of the specification and colour scheme. The result is a comfortable, elegantly styled and lovingly maintained boat that covers the ground swiftly and without much effort on the part of the crew. As the owner says, ‘You have to find the right compromise. This really fitted – it did most of the things I wanted. There’s not a lot I would change.’
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COMMENTS
Pros and cons of 370. I have a friend who is considering of buying Hanse 370 or 371. I know 371 in and out and can explain pros and cons in details, although I'm biased.
The Hanse 460 is the first in a new range of Hanses. From new designers, she is already a big hit, with over 200 sold and a European Yacht of the Year win to its name. David Harding reports.
A fine boat if it's limited to doing what it's designed for. Ideal for short coastal trips and busy waterways where you might have to be dodging Ferries, Ships and weekend races on Sydney Harbour. Weakness: Most definately built to a price point and it is reflected in build quality.
Hanse offers an impressive range of standard options, from keel, sails and engine (including ‘sustainable’ alternatives) to interior layout, hull colour, interior decor and much more. You can use Hanse’s online ‘configurator’ to play around with the options and see what your boat will look like.
When I bought a brand new Hanse 400 almost 16 years ago, it was in my view a boat just as beautiful and potent as a Danish X-yacht. The Hanse was a wee bit more affordable than the Danish yacht though.
Hanse 400: popular modern performance cruiser. Duncan Kent takes the Hanse 400 for a sail and discovers that this popular modern performance cruiser is quick and powerful but easy to handle. A tall mast and generous sail area make the Hanse 400 quick and powerful. Credit: David Harding.
Hanse 388 review: a comfortable and elegantly styled yacht. Largely because she’s not the most trendy boat of her size, a new Hanse 388 was the clear choice for an owner moving up from a 32-footer. David Harding finds out why.
Original: Jan 18, 2024. The fast, fetching lines of the Hanse 510 are evident as she sails on a reach. Photo courtesy of Hanse Yachts. You never quite know what’s going to happen on a test sail; often, these boats are fresh off the presses, so to speak, still being set up when we’re invited along.
myHanse is a global community for Hanse Yacht Owners throughout the world.
Hi all, I've asked about several other yachts, but I forgot to ask if anyone has had any real world experience with the Hanse line of Yachts. They do look great and I am hoping to see some at the boat show. Let me know what you all think.. Thanks..