NEW TECHNOLOGY, REVIEWS and
PRODUCTS for the CRUISING SAILOR&
may 2016cruisingworld.com65MAY 2016BOATS
GEAR
T
here’s a lot to love about
today’s big and beamy
sailboats. Sporty twin helms
open up the cockpit, overhead
arches keep sheets out of the way
of lounging crew, and down below,
the hard chines that are de rigueur
in current design thinking provide
interior volume that lets you live
and entertain as comfortably on the
water as you do at home.
Still, I have to admit my heart
fl uttered a bit when I stepped
aboard the Hallberg-Rassy 43 Mk
III. It is, after all, quite traditional
by design, though it’s built using
the very latest materials and
outfi tted with top-of-the-line gear
and hardware. Covered with an
abundance of teak abovedecks and
rich, warm mahogany below, the HR
43 is lovely to look at and lively to
sail. More on that in a moment.
The 43 was designed by longtime
HR collaborator Germán Frers.
Hallberg-Rassy built nearly 200 of
the earlier versions of the boat prior
to the launch of the latest iteration
at last fall’s U.S. Sailboat Show in
Annapolis, Maryland. Updates
refl ect elements the Scandinavian
builder has incorporated into severalof its other models, such as the HR
48, 55 and 64. Portlights have been
added to the hull to let in more light,
and seven of the boat’s 12 hatches
open to let in plenty of air down
below. In the well-equipped galley,
counter space has been increased
slightly. By adjusting the width and
placement of the cockpit coamings
above, the builder added headroom
in the passageway between the sit-
down nav desk and the owner’s
cabin aft. And speaking of the aft
cabin, a buyer can now choose
between a centerline queen berth
and portside sofa, or a double berth
to starboard and a single sea berth
to port.
With the latest design, owners
have a choice of full-batten mainsail
or in-mast furling main with
vertical battens (which the boat
in Annapolis had); the standard
6 -foot-7-inch lead keel or a shallow-
draft 5-foot-7-inch foil; and bow
and stern thrusters for easier close-
quarter handling.
On his Boat of the Year entry
form, builder Magnus Rassy
described the 43 as able to “go
anywhere, anytime, for up to four
people.” But really, this is primarily
a couple’s boat that features a
comfortable forward cabin for two
occasional guests. The L-shaped
dining area to port in the saloonFine
SURROUNDINGS
An updated design from Sweden’s HALLBERG-RASSY conjures up
dreams of seakindly voyages to faraway harbors.BY MARK PILLSBURYThe 43 Mk III’s hard dodger and
windscreen provide the crew
with plenty of protection.